Between the "sex slave" lawsuits and the declarations of the death of hipsterdom, Dov Charney and American Apparel have been generating their fair share of controversies lately. But it seems that some other clothing companies have attention-envy—Abercrombie and Fitch are swilling the cup of controversy with their latest product aimed at pre-teens: sexy padded bras and bikinis.
Parents are outraged that the company has created a line of push-up bras and bathing suits for girls as young as seven-years-old. "That’s weird. There’s no need for that...I just don’t think that there’s a reason for 7-year-old girls to be worried about having their bodies look good. They should be playing,” said Allie Ellis.
Professor Gail Dines of Wheelock College adds that the products are dangerous for young girls: “It gets young girls to think about themselves in sexual ways before that’s developmentally appropriate...It sends out really bad signals to adult men about young girls being appropriate sexual objects, objects of sexual desire for young men."
The company has since removed the "push-up" from their website, but the padded bras remain under the title "lightly lined" or "striped triangle." Abercrombie isn't the only company getting in on the sexy tween trend: U.K. discount retailer Primark has pulled a line of sexy padded bikinis for young girls from its shelves after complaints from child protection agencies.
