First, I just have to say, “Wow!” and “Thank you!”
Never in a million years did I expect my last post to get as much attention as it did. I am so happy to have been able to connect with so many other parents around the world. It has been amazing to hear from other moms, dads, teachers, and people of different faith backgrounds who have the very same concerns that I do. Literally hundreds of thousands of people have responded on social media.
I think we have officially gone viral. My blog crashed 4 times from all of the traffic in the past 2 days and I had to upgrade to my own dedicated server. Then I had to upgrade to a bigger one. Hopefully that is all fixed now and you are able to get here without any more trouble.
The Huffington Post ran that piece and it got over a quarter of a million Facebook likes in less than 2 days. It made the front page of their Parents section. This doesn’t even count the response on my own blog or any of the other social media shares. My social media following tripled in 48 hours. We have started something big!
I think it is so cool that as a conservative Christian mom I was so well received by what is typically considered a pretty liberal media outlet, and I have heard from other parents all around the world. Orthodox Jewish families and Muslim families wrote to me and said they had the same concerns about exposing their daughters to clothing they consider inappropriate. Families with values and beliefs much different than my own reached out to agree and say, “How can we help? We want this for our daughters too.” I heard from families in the UK, Canada, and Australia. National news programs have been emailing me. It has been pretty crazy, in a very good way!
I do want to clear up just a few misconceptions. First, I am not being paid to work with Target or any other retailers (Yet. Hey…if you want to pay me, that’s cool. I have three kids to feed.) and I am not the Yoda of the Moms Who Influence Kids’ Fashion World. Target has not promised to bend over backwards to do everything I say. Or really, anything I say. They have simply promised to allow me to collect responses from moms via social media and start some conversations with one of their designers. They are also allowing me to give them specific feedback on a selection of children’s clothing that is supposedly en route to my house. They did not ask me to write about anything I am doing for them, but I warned them that I will be writing about all of it because I’m a blogger. That’s kind of my thing. I think everyone is a little taken aback by how much this seems to be an area that is under-served in the children’s fashion industry.
I was very impressed that as soon as my first post calling out Target got on their radar, just a few days after it was published, they were the ones who reached out to me. Rather than just offer a generic apology and maybe a small gift card, like other retailers may have, they gave me a direct phone number to their PR team. They have answered and returned all of my personal phone calls. They have read the comments on my blog posts here and on The Huffington Post. They offered to send me samples and listened to my feedback and suggestions. I exchanged very long and detailed emails with their Public Relations team. They indulged me by explaining how their design process works. All of our interactions have been positive and civil and, frankly, really fun. I thought this was a HUGE step towards progress and really admire them for listening to our voices as concerned parents.
Second, I am in no way trying to gender neutralize all clothing. I happen to have two very girly girls. They don’t want to dress like boys and I don’t intend to make them. I just want to make it easier for parents to access modest, cute, and affordable clothing for their daughters. Our voices are coming together to tell retailers that there IS a market for more modest clothing. A big market, I’d say, based on the insane response to that last post.
That was the good part of this week.
Then there was the bad part…the more personal stuff.
You may have noticed that I have not written much lately. True, I had taken a teaching position and gone back to work. (Are you wondering why I phrased that in the past tense? I will tell you.)
A few weeks ago, I started feeling very dizzy. I have suffered from vertigo before, so I thought that was the problem. Then it just kept getting worse. Then I noticed that I was starting to get black spots in my vision and I frequently felt like I was going to pass out.
I went to the doctor and was treated for what they thought might be an inner ear infection. Even on the medicine I was taking, it kept getting worse. A few days later, my hands and feet started going numb. I felt fine 95% of the time, but that other 5% was getting scary. I called my doctor’s office and they told me I had to go to the Emergency Room.
They ran blood, urine samples, an EKG, and a CT scan. They did all kinds of tests of my reflexes, but couldn’t find anything. They sent me home with stronger medicine, still thinking it was an inner ear issue. They told me to follow up with my family doctor, but I wasn’t allowed to work or drive while on the medicine or having those symptoms. Nobody wants their kid to be in a room with a teacher who is hopped up on pills and might black out at any second, after all.
I started keeping a journal of all my symptoms. After a lot of Googling and WebMD, I was pretty sure I might have Multiple Sclerosis, but I was also pretty sure I could just be being a hypochondriac. Maybe it was just stress or something?
My family doctor ordered a MRI.
I finally got those results back yesterday.
I do have a lesion in my brain. So, I wasn’t crazy, there really is something wrong. The good news is that it doesn’t look like cancer. The bad news is that they can’t tell what it is yet. My doctor said he would be surprised if it is MS since there is only one lesion, it could just be a bruise that is affecting my balance and vision. Maybe I hit my head super hard? (I haven’t.) But I’m going to have to follow up with a neurologist because it could potentially be something more serious, such as the MS I initially thought.
In the meantime, I ran out of sick time and was not eligible for medical leave because I just started that teaching position in August. I could have applied for an unpaid leave, but that would have left my students without a permanent teacher, and I didn’t think that was fair to them. So I resigned from my teaching position yesterday for medical reasons.
I told you it has been a crazy week.
But isn’t it funny how when one door closes another one opens? Because at the very moment I was turning in my resignation, my blog was hitting its all-time high for page views and I was getting hundreds of emails from women saying, “Yes! Thank you for this. Someone needs to take up this cause for our daughters.”
So…I guess that’s going to be me. Because here I am, back to being a full-time mom and blogger.
If you are here because you are one of the parents looking for more modest clothing options for your daughters, I have started a Pinterest board where I am collecting the suggestions that have been sent to me by other parents. Be sure to follow this board and I will be doing follow-up posts featuring companies that are already offering what we have been asking for.
Follow Stephanie {Binkies and Briefcases} ‘s board Cute and Modest Options for Girls on Pinterest.
I’m so glad all of you are here to take this crazy ride with me!
I would love for us to start using the hashtag #ModestMavens when discussing this issue on social media so that I can keep track of our conversations and your suggestions!
You sound like such a nice person. I wish you much love and tons of luck. Like you said one door closes and another opens. You are going to land on your feet. For some reason, the teaching didn’t work out. Everything indeed happens for a reason. Take care,
Much love,
Carol in Canada
I’m so sorry to hear this! I just found your blog yesterday and have used all of my “mommy time” (hiding in the bathroom :):)) reading and laughing at your posts. I’ll be praying for you! And thank you 🙂
Thank you so much. This really makes me smile to think that other moms are out there reading what I write and it is brightening their days in some way!
This is awesome! I am totally in support of more modest clothing for our children. Thanks for all you are doing and I will keep your health issues in my prayers.
It is amazing how when we think we know what our life is going to be like, we hit a loopty loop. My thoughts and prayers are with you. You could have played the poor me card and dropped the ball, but you aren’t. I love your perspective. You are meant for great things. 🙂
OMGsh, as the mother of a child diagnosed with a brain tumor, your words about your symptoms, the tests and the MRI especially, hit me right in the gut – hard. If there is anything at all that I can do to help you, please ask. I don’t even know what state you’re in…… Thank you a million times over for getting involved with the children’s clothing problem. I wholeheartedly support you in your mission to find modest, yet feminine, clothing for our precious little girls. Thank you, thank you so much!! Sincerely, Sandy
Hi Sandy. I am so sorry to hear about your child’s diagnosis. Thank you so much for reaching out with your support!
I don’t have any daughters. I have 3 sons. But I have been following this whole phenomenon on your blog about the immodest girls clothing and it’s something I’ve noticed myself, even though I don’t have daughters. I wish someone would stand up for adult women’s clothing like you have for little girls clothing. I find it more and more difficult to find a shirt that isn’t completely sheer, has sleeves, (even a cap sleeve is better than sleeveless for me), is long enough to cover my midriff even if I raise my arms way up high, and that isn’t so low cut in front that my boobs look like they are trying to escape! And that’s just the shirts! Shorts are way too short! (What ever happened to all the bermuda length shorts of just a year or two ago?!) Shorts and pants are so low that I feel like they are falling down constantly and even jeans that are labeled as “mid-rise”, are not even close to a true mid-rise pant. It’s really sad that I can’t find a pair of pants that doesn’t show my butt crack if I happen to bend over, especially since I’m not exactly a tall, long torso, long legs kinda girl. I’m only 5’3″ and pants are always too low and too long and too tight! I’m 36 years old and I’m sorry but I don’t want to dress like a teenager anymore but it seems that the only choices available are, teenager skimpy (which you are addressing with your current work) or great grandma frumpy. I like to be stylish in a classic sort of way and covered but comfortable. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve worn shorts in the insanely hot summers of central California (Can you say 110 in May this year?!) because I can’t find shorts that are long enough to go to my knees and capris are so long they might as well be pants on me so I just wear jeans like always. Anyway, I think what you’re doing is amazing and I’m so glad that someone has stood up and made big enough waves to be heard and at least consulted on the matter of immodest girls’ clothing! I do have 2 neices and I know their mothers struggle to find modest clothing for them to wear too. I wish you luck in this endeavor and I will pray that you will be successful and bringing about some change and also that you will find answers to your health questions and find relief as you need it! Thank you again for what you are doing!
A young mother whom I know forwarded your blog link to me. I am so sorry to hear about your recent medical development, and I hope it can be easily remedied.
As a mother in the 80s (Madonna influence) I had to search constantly to find our daughter decent clothes to wear. She wasn’t into lace and smocking, and hated the color pink. She was (and still is, as an adult) most comfortable in jeans. But we raised her to respect herself and her body, and not to wear the gaudy, tacky, pedophile-attractive clothing with which the stores seem to be stuffed. We tried to teach her to dress in a ‘classic’ style – clothes that looked good and felt good,not too tight or gaping. It was hard then.
Now, with my little grand-niece, it is almost impossible. If it isn’t garish and sack-like, it is too short, too tight, and too revealing. It is very hard to raise a girl to wear lovely clothing when all those girls around her are falling out of their tops and peeking out of the bottoms of their shorts! I am hard-pressed to find clothes that make her feel pretty and ladylike…without making her feel ostracized from all of the other girls.
I support your battle and am glad that stores are (finally) listening to you. Good job, and good luck!
Thank for you for being the person to lead this charge and raise such awareness for this issue! I’m also thankful that it lead me to your blog. God bless you and heal you!
First of all, I am looking forward to following your journey with Target & Hoping with the rest of the moms/parents out there that progress is made!
Secondly, my mother has been battling with MS for years, and has multiple elisions on her brain & spine. She has been medicine free for 10 years using all natural methods. If it is confirmed that you do have MS, I would encourage you to seek natural ways to manage. I’ve seen the results in my mother who spent most of my teen years in a wheel chair & her body falling apart sure to the medications. She is now almost 60, wheelchair free and more active than ever!
Good luck with everything & just know your not alone!
Sara
Thanks for caring about our daughters. I literally just bought my 3 year old(for all of 2 weeks) size 5 clothes. Admittedly, she is tall for her age at 42 inches. Still, her legs and arms are shorter and her torso is long, but a girls 5 to keep her tush and tummy covered? That is ridiculous! Have you found Yellowberry? Modest bras for teens and teens. I would wear them if they came in my size!
Best of luck on your health journey. It is so frightening to be sick and not know the true cause. I hope everything turns out well!
Stephanie- so sorry to hear about your health right now. True, like you said, “when one door closes another door opens.” God never gives us more than we can handle-I believe sometimes the strongest people are given some of the hardest tests. Sending you healing thoughts and prayers. I hope you heal quickly and feel better real soon.
Wishing you the best of luck – and keep up the good work. Your blog gives me inspiration that time and perseverance can make huge differences in our world.
Julianne
I completely agree with you about all these issues surrounding girls clothing. As the mother of 2 girls, ages 9 and 4, the only place I will take them and let them have a lot of say in what we buy is Lands End. I look forward to checking out your Pinterest board for all the ideas you have compiled. Thank you for starting this movement!!
I will keep you and your family in my prayers. God has you covered!
As the mother of a young teen I can say it doesn’t get easier to find clothing that isn’t too revealing. I also want to wish you all the best with your health. It sounds so familiar, I’ve had vertigo for a while now and it has been getting worse. I have been diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma which is a tumor on my balance nerve. It was defined as a lession at first. God Bless
My prayers are with you & I hope the doctors get on the ball & figure out what the issue is.
Last Christmas I had to buy my 8 month old a size 2t Cherokee dress! Because it was cut so tiny! My daughter is just moving into 24m size carters clothes but has to wear a 3t-4t in target Cherokee and genuine kids clothes. It’s ridiculous.
Way 2 show ur girls what it means 2 never give up hope even in the uncertian times!!
I’m IN! As a mom of a 10 year old girl and a 12 year old girl, it’s unreal how TERRIBLE the choices of clothes are for them!! I’m with you sister!!! If you need us to write letters or email anyone, let us know how we can help!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank you!!!
As a mother of two girls- I applaud your efforts! Thank you!! I am always on the lookout for clothes that are cute, fun and cover up the necessary parts! I’m also writing to let you know that you are being prayed for- what a week!
I pray your health problems get sorted real soon. I imagine it is quite scary for you. Will check out the Pinterest board. All the best. Carole from Canada (as opposed to the other Carol from Canada further up the remarks)
Hello! I have found your blog through your efforts with changing the little girls apparel at target. I do not have a daughter (yet;). I have a baby boy who is 4 months old. I would love for him to grow up around as much modesty as possible. This only will happen if the clothing out on the shelves change. Thank you for your efforts. It is pretty crazy how much your blog has grown in the community! Insane! I pray your doctors can help you heal and will be able to find out what is wrong quickly. I was undiagnosed with something debilitating for a long time. Come to find out I have fibromyalgia. I hope you find solace when you are feeling down from your illness.
I came across your target blog post on Facebook a couple days ago and was thoroughly impressed. I’m a Christian mom of two boys but have several little girls in my family and my boys’ extended family, and I too have noticed how girls’ clothing is very revealing these days. Many times I find myself thinking “can’t little girls dress like little girls anymore?” But apparently not so easily anymore, if the clothes aren’t being made that way period! You brought up so many good points about the trouble finding clothing that fits that “standard” anymore, particularly at the really convenient department stores like target, walmart, kohls & JCP. Sure, shopping online may make finding appropriate clothes a bit easier but online shopping can be inconvenient for a busy mom, more expensive, and it’s difficult judging correct sizes.
I applaud you for your efforts to make a change. You stated here that you don’t know if target will change anything, but I think the important thing is people are listening! I believe God will use this opportunity you’ve been put in, even if target doesn’t change, in big ways! You have impacted hundreds of thousands of people with your post. Planted a seed in many minds, perhaps inspiring young designers to start new clothing lines with more appropriate measurements in mind. I just think God will use this in a big way down the line, whether it’s THIS specifically or something your post inspires down the line.
Also, I wanted to chime in about your health problem. I found myself in the hospital ICU for 4 days last month with a surprise case of meningitis, then got a blood clot from my picc line. It was awfully scary and being in the hospital really gave me a refreshed understanding of how blessed I am as a mother (And as a nurse it gave me a whole new perspective as being the patient…) I’m sure you know God is with you in all things, even this, and will guide you through it. Try to take it easy and rest, and my prayers are with you and your family!
I’m very happy to have found your blog and have shared your post with a number of people. Thank you for making a difference!!
Been praying for you, Stephanie. Glad to hear they’re making some progress through those tests. Since we’ve already made some connections, I think J. and I will continue to reach out to your school. Seems like the Lord has other plans for you!
I’m so glad to hear you will still be going! That has been weighing really heavily on me.
I’m following this issue very closely, with a vested interest as a mom of two daughters. I have been screaming “we need more modest clothing for our daughters!!” for awhile now. 🙂
Swim suit shopping this past summer, for instance, was a nightmare. Took me a VERY long time but I finally found short-sleeve swim tops (rash guards) and to-the-knee swim shorts for them that WERE cute with girly prints on them! Of course they’ll have outgrown them by next summer, le sigh.
This is one of the reasons I love when the season changes to because modest clothing is much easier to come by in the Fall and Winter!! 🙂
I understand your problem with the Target clothes, my daughter is 15 now and we had the same issues back then. There are a lot of people that want to buy clothes for their children to make them look older -why? – I have no idea. You just have to take your $ elsewhere. I found Carter’s stores to be excellent, well priced (especially the outlets which I know you have nearby), age appropriate and excellent quality. Gymboree as well, although more expensive they do have sales and great clearance items -I always shopped ahead that way. When she got a little older the Justice for Girls stores were a good pick – some items not age appropriate but plenty that were. Sears has Lands End – age appropriate but more expensive. I also found plenty in JCPenney and Kohls and yes Target too back then – I just had to look through what they offered and didn’t purchase anything I didn’t want to purchase. Honestly I think the stores choose what sells and if the parents are buying to make their kids look older, that is what the stores supply. It’s not just confined to clothing either – I found a lot of parents didn’t impose age restrictions on TV, movies, internet or video games as well.
Hope you feel better.
I wish you all the luck and good fortune with your medical issue. You are a strong, competent woman. I have no doubt you will deal with whatever you are faced with.
Thank you for taking on the clothes issue for our daughters. When I went shopping and asked for shorts that would comply with the finger tip test I was told “we don’t carry any”. I answered, “but all the schools have this rule so my daughter can’t wear your clothes.” Granted it was the teenager working at the store but the answer was, “Yeah, I know.” So I did not spend my money on the clothes. How does this make sense for the companies producing these clothes.? It is not giving the consumer what they want or need. I saved a lot of money but my poor daughter has to wear pants to school even when it is sweltering hot out.
I am a brain tumor survivor mom of 2 beautiful children. My life changed for the better when I put myself and my family first. I am sending you all the support I can from far away!!
Where do I sign up to support the “too short clothing cause” I have a 4 year old girl and was also dismayed at the discrepancy in length between girls and boys clothes in shorts as well as tops. I found this not only in Target but also in Carter’s clothes this summer.
(Incidentally I also am disappointed on the volumes of advertising on the clothing from Disney themes and princesses for girls to the “rough and tumble, stereotypical boy items” hope there will be an overall change to the length of clothes that all department sell). Why can’t the clothing be more “neutral.” I am not saying there should be nothing, but I see a lot. Also I don’t see the more “traditional” sciencey space, rockets and dinosaurs on girls clothes. My daughter loves space.
Sorry, I digress. I definitely want to see a trend away from “sexualizing” young girls, all girls and have clothing made longer. I don’t want to see young girls bottoms because the shorts are too short and I don’t think showing their tummies is appropriate either with the exception of bathing suits…(This applies to young and older teens). Kids have enough to “deal” with as young people than to worry about unintentionally advertising their bodies.
Thanks you for writing the article. Pass it on to other clothing chains/ retailer as Target isn’t the only offender.
Christine in Canada
Christine, there are some awesome dino, space and science shirts for girls , Amazon would likely be your best bet 🙂
Thank you so much for your blog about the clothing at Target. While I do not have children of my own yet, I do have a 10-month old niece and my sister and I commented to each other that we were concerned about what she would wear as she got bigger because the clothing options at Target just didn’t seem to fit right. I’m so super happy that Target is listening to you and seems willing to change their young girls clothes. I have always been a Target shopper and if they do truly change their options for girls clothing, so much the better. Thanks for taking the time to call them out!
I just stumbled upon your blog because of your target post and wow… I think I fell in love with you. Keep truckin’ girl. Things happen for a reason. I am sure of it.
Alyssa
I’m neither a mom, nor a woman, nor a parent. But I wondered why so many moms dressed their little girls with such “grown up” clothing. Now I understand! Great job you are doing!!
I do not have female children in my house, but I have a 12 and a 10 year old boy. I also teach middle school-where the girls’ shorts are almost invisible.
I cannot agree more that girls shorts should be longer, and have witnessed many friends with daughters buy boy shorts and jazz them up.
I am so glad Target is listening. Maybe next it with Justice, Abercrombie, Hollister, and the other, “cool” tween-teen clothes. Most teenagers and tweens don’t need or want to wear the short ones either.
In the meantime, Old Navy girls’ section is much more modest. 🙂 Good luck and more power to you.
You are a wonderful girl with the ability to bring light to the world! I hope they figure out your medical needs very soon, and many blessings to you and your little ones! Keep us posted on your progress and prayers to you!
God bless you and your family! I will be praying for your health. I have 3 daughters aged 18, 14, and 12. I totally agree w/all you have said. My oldest daughter and I went shopping in the spring for jean ahorts for her. She doesn’t like them short and we had a HARD time finding some. We only came up w/3 pairs after going to multiple stores. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I have been saying all of this since my oldest was a baby. I will be following you.
I’m so sorry you’re having health problems! I’ll add you to my prayers.
I love, love, love H&M for my girls’ clothes! They’re right on point with trends, super affordable and most importantly, modest. ????
#modestmavens
Thank you for taking this issue on! I remember trying to find my now 15 year old daughter decent clothes that didn’t show off everything she didn’t even have at the time. Believe me, she now has everything and the clothing for teenage girls is worse. It’s like the little girls clothing you are finding has just been moved into the junior department. Same lengths, same designs. All extra small. There is very little choice for clothing nowadays that isn’t super tight, super short, super low cut. THEN girls get bashed all over social media outlets for wearing this stuff when there really isn’t much choice for them unless they stay in tshirts and jeans all the time. Have you seen the prom dresses lately??? It’s ridiculous. And it’s a struggle for any mom of daughters. Fashion designers need to realize that modesty is very becoming for all and necessary for young girls everywhere. It’s awesome you got the attention of some, now maybe more will follow suit when they realize just how profitable it will be.
Good luck with your health issues, I too shall pray for answers and your healing.
I just found your blog yesterday and love what you are doing. I love Target but yet I don’t believe I’ve ever shopped for a pair of shorts for my daughter there. We’ve bought skirts, pants and such but have always gone elsewhere for shorts – (Gymboree) and places like that because they were too short!! To top it off – my daughter is already SHORT so you’d think that she’d have an advantage and the shorts would be longer on her. LOL! She goes to a private school where we have a dress code as well and if we didn’t, I don’t want her wearing that type of clothing and she doesn’t. Thank you for your hard work! Keep it up and I pray your health issues heal and you feel better soon. 🙂
I was just finally diagnosed with MS Aug. 5th. They found my 1st and only lesion at the time on my spine in April. I continually got worse. Balance issues, numbness, tingling, vision. Well the one lesuon on my spine grew from 3mm to 17mm and now I have more on my spine and old and new throughout my brain. One thing I have learned is be your own advocate. And make them work fast. Time is critical in the beginning.My thoughts and prayers are with you!
Trenda in Indiana
I don’t have a daughter (yet), but as the former editor in chief of Twist magazine (for girls 9-14) I constantly dealt with the issue of finding appropriate girls’ clothing to feature. I think it’s so important that girls have a healthy self-image and wear clothing that’s appropriate for their age. Thanks for speaking out about this and it is great that Target reached out to you. Hope you get to the bottom of your medical issues and feel better soon!
Tina Donvito
foggymommy.com
Hope you get well soon. Your blog is great. Thx for doing the work you do! Good luck!
So very sorry to hear about your medical woes. I see a neurologist regularly, and brain-related issues are especially mysterious and, thus, especially scary. I’ll be saying a prayer for you — for a clear diagnosis and a speedy recovery. In other Stephanie-related news, my husband and I went into Target the other day with the intent of buying a Halloween costume for our toddler son. As we passed the kids’ clothing section, my husband turned to me and said, “I’ve seen this story making the rounds about the girls’ clothes here.” So, yeah, your post is coming up in casual conversation with my husband. No big deal. (And by that I mean, you’re officially big time.)
Thank you so much for raising your voice about skimpy girls clothing. My 11 year old daughter seems to prefer clothing with more coverage so I don’t have to fight with her about not buying the short shorts. We have a terrible time finding clothes that fit and are flattering. I’m not looking forward to shopping in the juniors section. I think those styles are dreadful for girl’s self-image. A 14 year old shouldn’t be trying to look sexy!
Good luck to you and your brain!
Thank you for making this issue visible to the stores. I have a 9 year old daughter and a 7 year old daughter and I have been making or modifying their clothes for years so they can dress comfortably, play on the play ground and still feel like girls. This is a bigger issue than just Target but since they are listening it’s a great start. Keep up the good work. And on a personal note, I pray that the doctors can discover what is wrong and that you will heal quickly.
I am a mother of three daughters. We have searched and sewn and been frustrated for YEARS at my house about clothing. My youngest is a senior in high school and just a month ago nominated to the home coming court. She came home on Friday with that fun news and promptly said, I will never find anything modest in seven days time, so I’m going to make my own dress. She doesn’t sew in the traditional sense (by patterns etc) but I knew she was capable and gave her access to money. (She had an old prom dress as a back up – in case it didn’t work – which was a strapless dress that was we purchased TWO of and created a top for!). For less money than it would have cost to purchase an immodest dress she made a full length dress with the bodice covered in peacock feathers. It was beautiful and it was amazing how many teenagers noticed her modesty (She said, ‘if you played one of those, which of these things is not like the other’ game, it was me!) But she proudly wore a dress that was modest and she felt awesome about it!
Thank you for standing up for this issue. I support you completely and hope that this wave will extend to other retailers as they hear our many voices raised together!!!
Oh my goodness Stephanie! I had no idea about the medical stuff. I will certainly keep you in my prayers and I hope you get some answers soon. You know I’m with you on the clothing and I am grateful for what you are doing.
Sending you healing thoughts. xo
Thank you for doing a blog post on this! I may not be a mom at the moment (let alone have one in the oven), I sure as spit will NOT let any daughter of mine dress thay way. My S.O. agrees with that sentiment. I may not be a Christian (I myself am an athiest), but I agree. It is just plain SICK and DISGUSTING to have a 1 inch inseam on a FOUR YEAR OLD’s clothes. Let’s make it easier for the pedo’s why don’t we? it has nothing to do with saying the victim is at fault, when really, honestly,why make it easier for sick individuals to view our daughter’s “goodies”. Nope. Not for this someday-mama.
Hi Stephanie,
I just wanted to weigh in on your clothing post. I have a 5 1/2 yr boy and a 4 1/2 year girl. I have to agree that clothing is very different between the two. The jeans issue you showed is a real issue and often my daughter has worn my sons cute hand me downs with a better fit then the girls jeans. One of my friends gave me about 15 pairs of size 4/5 pants from her twins and my average size daughter only fit in half, I passed the other half onto a friend whose daughter is very slim and they worked for her.
I think we as parents have a very real responsibility here to stop buying the inappropriate items. Stores make it because people buy it. I saw those daisy shorts (no thanks) and opted for a pair that had a longer 3″ inseam. I have found several pair of appropriate length shorts at target, they are rarely merchandised up front and are hidden at the bottom and backs of racks. My daughter feels most comfortable in dresses and we instilled early that she has to wear bike shorts or leggings so no one see’s her underthings or private areas.
In general I feel that in female clothing we often mistake attractive and flattering for “sexy”. I am a very discerning buyer for myself and my children, but that takes real time and effort and to be honest that’s hard since life is busy, I work outside the home as well. Perhaps we could hashtag those items that we feel are unacceptable and get more people to commit to not purchasing those items… Best of luck!
Stephanie,
I am sorry to read that you are not feeling your best. I hope it is nothing serious or permanent. I am so looking forward to seeing you in June. Take care and best wishes that you feel 100% very soon.
Stephanie, I am so sorry that you have had health problems to deal with – very stressful – kudos to you for undertaking such a great project while you’ve been feeling like that!! I hope that you start to feel better soon hun!
First of all, I hope that your medical issues are resolved quickly and that everything is easily treatable and this will just be a small event in the past soon.
I’m at a point in my life where I do not know what religion I am, if any. I am pretty liberal and pretty relaxed about a lot of things. But I’ve been only parenting a boy for my nearly-nine years of having a child in this world up until six months ago. I love dressing my daughter and I like dressing her in tiny cardigans and skirts and all sorts of things beyond playsuits and onesies. Now that I have a daughter, I see so much more. Bikinis for infants? Dresses for little girls that look like they would be at least an eye roll if my daughter had them on when she was much, much older? These are a bit much. I’m happy to see the potential for a large change before she gets any bigger and starts developing a mind of her own while shopping. Thank you!
An alternative would be to use a total error concept. That is, for any patient care encounter, what errors have been made? Errors could not only include harm but could be financial as well. Thus, if a physician ordered unnecessary tests, financial harm has occurred. The value of a total error model is that there is no modeling – all errors would be captured. But the concept is impractical because one would need a panel of experts to evaluate each patient encounter such as in an NEJM case study.