Padded bras for 7 year olds at Debenhams Post Reply

[ckid]

I was shopping in Debenhams Clapham Junction this morning with my 7 and 9 year old daughters and I came across a rack of padded bras in the children's section aged 7-8. Padded, pink, pretty, with a diamante heart embellishment. So tiny. Totally tragic. I was really appalled. I took one to the counter and asked to speak to the manager. When she arrived she was conciliatory and said she would pass the message on to the head office, but that there was nothing she could do about it. Another mother, who was queuing behind me came up and joined in the conversation, agreeing that it was totally unnecessary to be selling such items. When I just telephoned Debenhams Head Office this afternoon, they told me that "they wouldn't be selling them if people weren't buying them". If you are in the store and see these items, please do complain as well. Only if we act in numbers will they see that we don't want our daughters being sexualised or body conscious at this tender age. Thanks

[susiep23]

I thought they had stopped this?? there was a big programe.. campaign headed by anna ryder richardson regards primark, tk max and debenhams over sexualising cloting for young girls and i thought alot of the stores had agreed to stop??

As you said enough people complain action wil be done. It is discusting they can sell padded bras to young kids.

[ClaireBenson]

Please add my voice to those who think padded bras for 7 year olds is not a good thing. I have a 7 year old daughter and love the fact she's still a little girl (most of the time!). Plenty of time to be worrying about bras (padded or otherwise) when you hit puberty - not before! Debenhams you should know better.

[FrenchMummyInLondon]

That indeed seems very wrong to sell padded bra for 6 years old (they don’t even need bra...)
So, please add my voice to the campaign.

But, as the store manager mentioned, if they have those in store (and keep making them), there must definitively have a market.
Maybe warning the parents about the dangers of overly sexualised young girls would be good as well…

[NPMum]

I agree - I think Debenhams is doing a huge disservice to our community by stocking padded bras for little girls. We don't need to make 7 year olds look like little women, that is sending the wrong message.

[CHT]

Debenhams, please stop this! As well as the message it sends out to our daughters, what does it say to our sons about how girls should dress? I will definitely boycott them if they persist in stocking this sort of stuff

[busyMouse]

Wait a minute, Mumsnet ran a huge campaign agains this sort of thing - 'Let Girls be Girls' (perhaps this is the same one Susiep23 mentions?) which '...aims to curb the premature sexualisation of children by asking retailers to commit not to sell products which play upon, emphasise or exploit their sexuality' and Debenhams agreed to support it! Clearly they weren't exactly serious about that...

Debenhams - please stop this!!

[juliantenniscoach]

as a dad of two little girls (4 & 2) I (we) will try and give them as long a childhood as possible. they'll have long enough to be bombarded by images and propaganda of how they should look. very sad............

[ckid]

I also contacted Mumsnet as Debenhams are listed on their website as one of the retailers who has signed up to the "Let Girls be Girls" campaign. I haven't heard back from them yet. I urge anyone who reads this link to add their voice to it. With all of our support nappyvalleynet.com can add weight to the outrage that we all share about this and hopefully things will change.

[AbbevilleMummy]

This may be controversial, but I think that I'm with Debenhams on this one. They are only stocking products which customers are buying. If there was no demand, they wouldn't sell them.

Retailers do not care about moral issues, and why should they? We live in a capitalist society with a free market and their role is to service that free market.

It is for society to decide what is morally acceptable or not, and clearly, retailers are supplying a demand that society has created.

In my experience, girls don't want to be girls, they want to be women. When I was very young I couldn't wait to wear underwear like my mummy's, wear high-heals like my mummy's and wear my mummy's make-up and jewellery. And my 19 month old is exactly the same! She loves trying to getting hold of my make-up bag and its very funny watching her eyeing up my shoes, hoping to snatch them before I put them away.

It is our job as parents to dissuade our little girls from growing up too quickly. It is parents that need to change their attitudes and stop buying these bras for their daughters, no matter how much they want them. And then the likes of Debenhams will stop selling them.

And finally, complaining to Debenhams store managers is a waste of effort. Stop shopping there, that is the only way they will listen
.

[ckid]

Following from my previous note, I revisited Debenhams today for the first time since I posted last. They are still selling padded bras for 7 year olds. I asked to speak to the manager and told her that I would be contacting other supportive parents via nappyvalley and mumsnet regarding this issue. I had other things to buy in Debenhams today, but until they change their policy and remove these items from their shelves, I'll be voting with my feet. I photographed the item and have attached it here. Thanks.

Oh, and to the previous commentator. "No, not controversial, just a bit mis-guided."

[juliantenniscoach]

More power to you. Horrible, horrible item.