Age Inappropriate Wear

My news from BBC.com says that British clothing chain 'Primark' responding to scathing criticism from politicians and children's groups, has withdrawn its sale of a line of padded bikini for girls as young as seven. Those little Lindsay Lohan style outfits came in candy pink with gold stars and black with white polka dots. I am wondering what person created this product and even more which store buyer could have accepted the idea and sold it in Primark stores. As usual, give the overwhelming revulsion at the idea that toddlers be turned into sex objects, the company apologized for the product and offered to give to charity any profits from idiots who bought it.

Here is the statement Primark issued on it's web site when first offering the product for sale. "Every girl wants to look her best and at Primark we make no exception for the younger ladies, all the high fashion trends can be found in our Girlswear section, no matter what age you are" Wow! What is the next aged inappropriate product to sell to parents of kids who don't want to live a normal childhood? Maybe liquor stores will offer mini vodka bottles for preteens, or small sized condoms for a 10th birthday gift? In this age of disappearing childhood it could happen.

I remember reading Shakespeare's Seven Ages of Man poem. In it there is no teenage period defined because in the time preteens graduated to adulthood immediately rather than living what is now a distinct teenage era. In earlier centuries society demand that. But now we have the economic freedom to allow kids to have a longer childhood. It is good, I think.

The mediums today, particularly those of TV, film, and music, send the "grownup immediately" message to children, and the unthinking Premark corporation merely reflects that. Thrusting small children into a sexualization as grown women is the message of much medium presentations today.

Take the child beauty pageant as an example. Is there anything worse than forcing a preteen to display her child-like body in a sexualized adult form? The degree to which parents participate in making little Suzie look like the town streetwalker says something about the values a society holds dear.

Society should realize that an age of innocence for kids is a golden one. It helps them transition into the crueler adult world better prepared for the madness of it. Otherwise we might have a generation of more Lindsay Lohans. How sad it would be.