Under-aged and Overexposed.

Many retailers have been making tighter jeans, shorter skirts and more revealing tops for girls as young as three-years-old. It seems like year after year, clothing for young girls gets skimpier and skimpier.

Television shows like “Toddlers & Tiaras” on TLC depict over-sexualized images of children. This show is basically about girls up to 12-years-old who dress up like they are in their twenties and compete to see who is “the most beautiful”. Little girls watching at home can quickly be manipulated to think that the only ways they will be accepted in society is if they act like divas, if makeup is caked on their faces and if their midriffs are showing.

If things like this are being shown in the media, it is up to parents to decide whether or not they want their daughters to be exposed to it. If they do allow their daughters to watch, it is their responsibility to reassure them that they do not need to act or look older to be beautiful. However, it seems like a lot of parents aren’t having that talk with their daughters, because I have seen one too many little girls dressed inappropriately lately.

Once a girl turns fourteen she is eligible for a job, meaning she can afford to buy some of her own clothes. She is already under the impression that “less is better”, and once she has her own money, she can continue to dress skimpy.

When kids and teens wear sexy clothes, it’s not just distracting, it is dangerous as well. When they are giving off the illusion that they are older, older males will be attracted to them. Then, these girls can easily lie about their age and get themselves into serious trouble. But who do we blame?

The media… for being a bad influence?

Parents… for not putting their foot down?

Or retailers… for making these clothes in the first place?