FashBlog.com

When I was a little girl, little girls were little girls until they were at least 11 or 12 years old. Little girls wore their hair in braids. They wore jumper dresses with tights and loafers. Little girls wore headbands and bows in their hair. If they wore shorts, they were modest and flattering. Jeans and long pants were fine, and they completely covered the undergarments, usually fitting almost all the way up to the belly button. Shirts and blouses were made in a variety of styles, even tank tops and halter tops; they covered all the private parts, including bras and bra straps or undershirts. The bottom line is that back in the 60s and 70s, little girls dressed like little girls. Sure, they were feminine, cute, and casual; they dressed for hot weather and wore swimsuits. But even in the height of the hippie movement, when openness was the only way to go, children were still children and little girls were little girls.

Today our daughters begin dressing like women at younger and younger ages. First it was just the teenagers, which is to be expected. But today, teens don't even dress like women; they dress like rock stars, scantily clad actresses, or even prostitutes. Bra straps hang out, cleavages beg to be noticed, and jeans are cut so low that the color of their panties is no mystery. Piercings, tattoos and see through fabrics abound. As if this weren't distressing enough, it doesn't stop at teens. Younger and younger girls are succumbing to this trend of sleaziness, wearing bras before they need them, just so the straps can show outside their spaghetti strap top.

Parents often claim they won't let their young daughters dress this way, but taking our daughters shopping can be a struggle. Most stores supply only items that appeal to this sense of style. Gone are tights, unless they are lacy or made to look like spider webs. Gone are jumpers and modest skirts; in their place are mini-skirts and see-throughs with panties made to match. Gone are modest tank tops; replacing them are the tube tops that girls are wearing over their bras. Whoever started this trend, or even worse, whoever didn't stop it before it started must not have a daughter. Discount stores, department stores and specialty stores at the malls abound with clothing that Britney Spears might wear at one of her concerts, but sized for an 8-year-old.

What will happen to these little girls when they are old enough to really fit the clothes? Will they continue in the skimpy attire or will they find that it isn't enough. Will they need something a bit "less" to feel older and more their age? Where does it end? And when they do ultimately become women, what then? Will they dress their daughters like that? I hardly think so.