Push Up Bikini Tops for Kids?
UPDATE: To see the newest post on this topic, click on this link Abercrombie and Adolescents
Push Up Bikini Tops at Abercrombie Kids » Sociological Images.
Sociological Images posted a picture of these Abercrombie Kids “push up triangle” bikini tops. It’s hard to know what to say about these. They come in sizes S-L, but according to the Sociological Images brief linked above, the brand is marketed to children aged 7-14. I went on the website myself and had a hard time finding any ages listed.
Why, oh why, do little girls need push up bikini tops? One of the biggest dangers of the sexualization of children is that it teaches girls that the most important thing about them is their physical appearance, especially their ability to attract the opposite sex. This type of product is reinforcing of these messages that come from sexualized media in that they say to a young girl, “we are offering push up bikini tops, because you need them.” Why do they need them? What is the point of any push-up bra/top? To enhance the appearance of the breasts in order to be more appealing to males. There is no other purpose for this type of product. What would it be?
I am not a fan of Abercrombie in the first place, because they target adolescents with highly sexualized advertisements. Some of their ads feature not just scantily clad young people, but often two young men caressing and kissing a single young woman. This move of the pornographic idea of a threesome into advertisements aimed at adolescents is reprehensible. Clearly, their new push up bikini top is following the same line of reasoning.
The way to fight against this type of crass sexualization of children is through openly refuting them. Don’t buy Abercrombie products, talk to managers at the stores about why these products are offensive, call the offices, start a petition. These companies exploit children for money, and they need to hear from those of us who find it objectionable.
2 comments on “Push Up Bikini Tops for Kids?”
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Jennifer, as a blogger, I want you to know that you are not alone when it comes to being concerned about the whole sexualisation of children. I too am not and never a fan of sexualisation of kids and what I see in the picture featured in your blog post left me feeling appalled at the sort of marketing this clothing brand is using. Don’t stop talking about this issue of sexualisation of children, keep on ‘fighting’ and keep it up.
Thanks for the encouragement. I think it’s so important for us to know that we’re not alone in standing against sexualized media.