Atlanta • It was a short run.
A $25 bikini top targeting preteens crashed and burned a few weeks after public outcry sent executives at Abercrombie Kids slinking back to the boardroom to revisit their marketing strategy.
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The "Ashley," a padded "push-up" triangle bikini top peddled to girls ages 7 to 14, was first "recategorized," according to a company statement released on Facebook last week.
"We agree with those who say it is best ‘suited’ for girls age 12 and older," said the statement from Abercrombie Kids, a division of Abercrombie & Fitch. The "Ashley" disappeared from the website.
An online firestorm saw parents and kids criticizing the company for promoting the sexualization of young girls, which, of course, is nothing new. Princesses of pop culture are the frequent targets of concerned parents as stars such as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan pass the baton to the likes of Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato.
"It has been going on for the last 10 years," said Meenakshi Gigi Durham, assistant professor at the University of Iowa and author of "The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It" (Overlook, $24.95). "Abercrombie & Fitch has been nailed before for this sort of thing. They have always been pushing the sexualization of little girls, so I can’t say I was surprised."
It was surprising to see the product disappear — presumably in response to public pressure.
"I do know that in many places, there are conversations about this sort of thing and there is a lot more public discourse about it and that is encouraging that there is some push back," Durham said.
Public opinion on the topic is pretty clear. Two recent polls on an opinion website, SodaHead.com, show 51 percent of respondents agreeing that "young girls dress too sexy."
Eighty-five percent of respondents in a separate poll said Abercrombie Kids’ padded bikini top is not OK for little girls.
What parents consider inappropriate garments extends beyond outfits at Abercrombie Kids.
There are kitten heels in sizes small enough for 4-year-olds and T-shirts with sexy sayings sized to fit newborns at Gymboree.
Macy’s carries tops for juniors that leave little to the imagination, such as a bandeau with sequins from Material Girl, a line launched last year by Madonna with input from her then-13-year-old daughter, Lourdes.
Further complicating matters of appropriateness is the fact that the target age range of 7 to 14 designated by many retailers crosses three very different phases in the life of girls: tweens, preteens and teens.
Parents — concerned about the negative impact that supersexy dressing might have on their daughters, from eating disorders to sexually transmitted infections — have fought back in their own way.
In 2005, Brenda Sharman co-founded Pure Fashion, a faith-based organization that encourages young girls to live, dress and behave with modesty, in the metro Atlanta area.
Each year the organization, which totals 600 participants nationwide, holds a Pure Fashion show featuring age- and style-appropriate hair, makeup and clothing.
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