“Wow, That lady is crazy. She has way too much time on her hands.”
“Of course the shorts should be cut differently, boys are just physically bigger than girls.”
“Those clothes are cute while they are little, as long as they aren’t wearing them as teenagers.”
“We would love to run your story on our show, but what exactly is the angle here?”
“Oh, just shut up and shop somewhere else.”
“Well, what can we do? Sex sells.”
“Who cares?”
I care. I care a lot.
I care because, with any luck, my kids will be adults for four times longer than they are children.
I care because I am not raising girls; I am raising women.
I care because my bible says that women are “clothed in strength and dignity” (Proverbs 31:25) and this?
This offers neither.
I care because, in just one week, half a million other people told me they care too.
When I was doing the pre-interview for Good Morning America, I had a several phone conversations behind the scenes, as they tried to decide if the story was one they wanted to share. The producer of the segment asked me over the phone why this was a topic that was important, so I told her why.
Because when I asked a college professor of Human Development if it was true that young boys are physically bigger than girls, she was able to point me to a college text book and the CDC growth charts that prove that this misconception is just is not true. Up to age 6, after age 9, and until adolescence, boys are actually not the physically larger sex. At least not in any way that would be considered practically significant.
Because there is a reason that you will never see Oprah Winfrey, Kate Middleton, Michelle Obama, or really any of the most wealthy and powerful women in the world wearing clothing like that. Go ahead, hop over to Forbes.com and tell me how many pictures you find of influential women wearing a 1″ inseam.
While you may find a few wealthy women in the entertainment industry to whom you can point, when has Hollywood ever proved itself to be a good moral compass?
I care because the American Psychological Association has done an entire report on the sexualization of young girls.
I care because it only takes 8 minutes to watch this video from the APA and see what young middle schooled-aged girls actually think of the clothes and advertising images being presented to them.
I care because it has already been proven over and over again that less revealing clothing for children will sell. It was proven when Lolly Wolly Doodle was founded by one mom who started sewing her own clothes for her children, because the ones in the store weren’t appropriate. Five years later she is now the CEO of a $20 million business.
It was proven when Girls Will Be had their Kickstarter campaign fully funded and ran out of inventory, and is still struggling just to keep up with demand.
It is proven to me every time I walk into my local Target or Kohl’s or wherever and, although they do offer Bermuda length shorts, they are almost immediately sold out of those options in both of my daughters’ sizes.
I care because when I went to Target.com to search for longer inseams, over and over I saw this:
and I thought about my former middle school students, the ones who live in a district where the poverty level is around 40%, the ones whose families often do not have internet access or credit cards for placing online orders. I thought about the families who sometimes don’t even have a shipping address to put in the line because they don’t know where they will be living next week.
The kids who can’t afford to shop at the higher end stores that came up over and over again in my comments section.
Again and again, a well-meaning mom would comment on that viral post, trying to offer a suggestion for an alternative place to find better quality clothes, and another mother would reply, “I love the look of those clothes! But we just can’t afford it.”
And I could just imagine the second mother’s shoulders slumping as she tried to figure out what she was going to have to cut from her grocery budget in order to afford just one pair of $25-$30 shorts for each of her children.
Over and over again, I received comments and emails from mothers who said things such as, “We own those shorts in your blog post, the ones with the daisies, but..”
“…our daughter wears bike shorts under them.”
“…I sewed on a ruffle at the bottom to add a few inches.”
“…we only wear them with a colorful pair of tights underneath.”
“…I bought two pairs when they were on sale. We used the extra fabric to make one longer pair.”
“…they are only good for wearing underneath of skirts or dresses.”
Mothers who are using their ingenuity to improve what is available to them. Mothers who do not necessarily want what is being offered to them, but bought it anyway because it was available and it was what they could afford. How does the retailer know what we did with it afterwards? All the sales report tells them is that they just sold some more very short shorts and a pair of bike shorts or a pair of tights. So mothers are feeling stuck, and retailers are thinking they are selling what we want.
You say it is fine to teach our children to dress like adults? After all, this is America. I completely agree. What kind of adults do we want to dress them like? As for me, if I’m going to teach my girls to dress like adults, I’m going to teach them to dress like women who own real estate, have 401K’s, and life insurance. I’m going to teach them to dress like adults who own their own business or intend to run for Congress.
I’m going to teach them to speak with their mouths and their written words instead of their bodies, because if I have learned anything from the experience of having that blog post become international news this week, it is that our words and our actions are even more powerful than our vaginas. And that, my friends, is very, very powerful.
#ModestMavens
I’m just sitting here, nodding and clapping and saying “Yes, yes, yes.” Just like I’ve been doing all week. Keep it up, lady. You rock. Thank you.
I can’t tell you how much I love this right here, “As for me, if I’m going to teach my girls to dress like adults, I’m going to teach them to dress like women who own real estate, have 401K’s, and life insurance. I’m going to teach them to dress like adults who own their own business or intend to run for congress. ”
Amen!!!!
I want my girls to look up and idolize women not girls. I want them to know you can dress modestly and still turn heads when you are a teen and older, without having it all hanging out.
If we showed more women in power suites instead of string bikinis maybe our girls wouldn’t have so many issues in this world.
I also loved this part!!!!
Absolutely! Some people aren’t catching on that there are dress codes in some schools. Not just private schools but some public schools. So while little ones can look cute perhaps, try sending your child to school in those outfits and see what happens. We go to private and I’d love to be able to save money and buy shorts at Target but I can’t. We have to buy at the higher end because of the length. They have the colors at Target but they are tooooo short. I also believe not everyone sees the same clothing at all Targets. Target brings different clothing to different stores and different areas for their “target” shoppers. So, some folks may not be seeing quite as many short items as others are. Depends on where you live and your location.
My children are grown ups now, but I have grandchildren. Well done…well said!
Thank you so much…my daughter and I have been struggling with this problem for years…my granddaughter is tall and in a wheelchair… finding shorts and long tops for her is a huge problem…when she wore her size shorts, it looked like she didn’t have pants on…the tops were so fitted it would ride up with her harness…and your right sizing up doesn’t work…I go go on and on…from my Lexi, Elisa and myself…Thank you
I found your blog from the Huffington Post. All I can say is keep up the fight. I am am mom of a 8 year old girl and have been complaining for years that the clothes at the stores are way to short for any girl to be wearing. My daughter has long legs so even “normal” shorts look short on her. I complain every time I walk into any store that sells girls clothes. I tell them, you know that these shorts/skirts will not meet the dress code at most schools. Can you please tell your buyers we need shorts with longer inseams. Don’t get me started on bathing suits. Every year I am complete flabbergasted at the styles they are selling to girls. I have to hunt online to find something.
Keep up the fight and moms reading this and agree we need better clothing options for our kids, repost, talk about it on social media. Companies will take notice.
I can’t believe when I see these toddlers walking around in teeny tiny bikinis. I don’t even really want my toddler to wear a two piece b/c they move around a lot at that age. I don’t see why people think that is cute.
That gave me goose bumps!!! You are awesome and keep up this great effort! We need more of you!!!
Yay! From a grandmother– I applaud the thinking here especially the part about raising our daughters to look respectable and attractively dressed. Let’s keep this going! The retailers need to know what we think
Thank you so much! I was at target yesterday and saw those shorts on clearance. I thought my daughter is not wearing those shorts – not to mention those tank tops (those may have been at Kohls.)
So glad you were able to say what so many of us think! I look at my daughter and I never want her to feel like she’s an object! I applaud you. I hope Target and then others follow through.
Keep it up, Stephanie, we are all in this with you!
Help us pleae! Out girls need more appropriate options!
WAY TO GO!! And, thank you!! My, now 14yo, daughter has hated shopping for shorts and skorts every year because of the inseams! She calls “Daisy Dukes” “denim underwear” and can’t imagine anybody being comfortable strutting around in public in their underwear! She wants to start designing her own clothes because she wants to be stylish, not slutty. (Yes, I’m very proud of her) Again, WAY TO GO!
Yes! I don’t even have girls and I applaud this SO much. I know how difficult it is for me, as a woman, to find shorts that do not expose my behind. Little girls shouldn’t have to worry about this, and neither should their mothers. Plus, so many schools now a days have dress codes on the length of shorts and skirts that it doesn’t make sense to make them so short.
YES. THANK YOU. I have been LOVING the attention this issue has gotten due to your blog, as it’s long been one on my mind. And this is not just a concern for Christian moms. I have seen your posts shared by many of my secular/non-religious friends on FB. So yes, we care. There are MANY of us who care.
I came across this after a friend shared one of your articles yesterday. There are a lot of times where people take a stand about some random topic, and it goes viral and I think “who cares??”
This is not one of those times! I have been seeing the shorts getting shorter and shorter over the years and I just don’t get it! I would not feel comfortable wearing those even when I was a teen. My main concern is that there are a lot of sickos in this world that really don’t need to see your toddler parading around in short shorts and teeny bikinis. Smart or not, clothing does play a part in how people see you and I don’t want people seeing my daughter that way. My mom raised me modest and I am raising my daughter to be modest too.
Thank you for taking a stand, getting it out there, and giving all of us a place to come show our support. I’m glad to see so many other mothers out there who think like me 🙂 Gives me hope for our society!
THANK YOU! I have a two girls…10 and 3. It is always a struggle to find affordable and appropriate clothes. I kept a good many of my oldest girl’s clothes to pass down. The cut gets smaller with each size we pull out of storage! Your message is spot on and your daughters are blessed to have you!
I love it when a blogger uses the Internet for something like this. This matters. When I was in elementary school my mom bought me shorts from the boy’s section. That was 20 years ago. This has been an issue for a long time. By the time I got to middle school and high school I just wore jeans all summer long. I preferred it over tiny shorts. I was never ashamed of my body, I just didn’t think it was anyone else’s business.
Thank you!! I love “that our words and actions are more powerful than our vagina.” I cannot tell you how sick and tired I am of hearing women defend dressing in clothes that barely cover their privates, by calling it empowerment and they use that same logic to let their kids run around half naked. I never understand how treating oneself like a piece of meat is empowerment. Women won’t be taken seriously until we start acting like our brains and our hearts are more important than our boobs. I was always taught that we should dress the way we want to be treated. And I sure don’t want my girls being treating like sex objects.
I want to thank you so much for bringing mainstream attention (an change!) to such an important topic. As a mother to a 3year old girl, I have really begun to notice how short the Circo and Garanamals shorts are and how much they make my sweet little girl look so much more grown up. We have started buying Hannah Anderson, which again is 2-3x more expensive, although I usually buy second hand. I think your observation about the access to more modest cuts is truly spot on.
Hi Stephanie. I had a recent experience at an Old Navy that I shared about on Facebook a few weeks ago. A friend asked me to blog on it, and it went live last week. Just seemed to align with a lot of what you are doing, too: http://www.meamaximacuppa.com/guest-post-calling-out-old-navy/. Keep it up!
Thank you! I have experienced frustration with girls clothing as well. I find that girls’ pants are not proportional. After the 6x, the waist is smaller and the legs are super long and skinny. I had to get my husband to go get some boys jeans and let me ‘find’ them in the girls’ section. I would exclaim over them, try them on my daughter and then rejoice that we could put our own decorations on them. I also taught my daughter about modesty and why that is important.
So, thank you and keep up the good work!
Love you, love that you are standing up for this! I just got in a discussion last week with moms on a forum for moms with daughter who do competitive gymnastics. A mom said she and her girls were running errands after the gym and a women stopped her and said she didn’t feel her daughters were appropriately dressed for the store because they were wearing only leos and bootie shorts. I responded that I do make my daughter put on real clothes when we leave the gym if we aren’t going straight home or at least normal shorts (not booties she practices in) and a shirt over her leo. I was totally in the minority and was honestly treated quite rudely by all the other moms when said it was perfectly fine for Tween and Teen age girls who go out in public in a leotard and bootie shorts. I was appalled. Numerous women commented that their daughter often go not only to run errands but out to dinner with the family after practice still wearing their leotard. Not sure where they are eating but I would never allow that. I agree my daughter needs to be in those clothes to perform her sport but I don’t want her on the street dressed that way even as a flat chested 10 year old for fear that would become in her mind acceptable in a few years when her shape is a little less rectangular. It is nice to read your blog and comments and know that I am not alone because on the gymnastics mom page, I felt like the odd ball.
Change can’t come without awareness! This is an ongoing issue in our community and in many different stores.
I have boys, but shopping for nieces and god daughters often leads to a headache… and a dress … our as noted, an online be purchase because I can’t find anything appropriate in the actual store.
The comment from the person who said, “who cares, buy a bigger size.” Is like to see THEIR daughter parade around in bottoms 3x the correct size- just to obtain the appropriate length.
Girls Will Be is one of my favorite clothing companies along with Jill and Jack Kids and their gender neutral t-shirt designs launched on Kickstarter! Lands End has recently added a few science shirts for girls, and I find their clothing lines offer a variety of lengths plus more modest swimwear options so families can select what works for them. The struggle is that the clothing offered by these companies is often more expensive, and ordering online means adding to the expense by paying for shipping. Encouraging companies like Target to provide a wider variety of styles in the store will benefit parents looking for clothing that fits both their child’s lifestyle, culture, body and interests at an affordable price.
This issue isn’t simply about parents, it’s also about the preferences of our children. My seven year old daughter refuses to wear shorts or pants (she only likes just above the knee skorts) because she does not like form fitting clothing. After seeing your comparison pictures, I completely understand why! She also hates that the graphics on girls’ shirts “don’t look real.” She loves animals and doesn’t want some cute, glittery panda, she wants an actual panda. Girls who like sports face the same problem – a pink soccer ball on the front of a shirt doesn’t look anything like the one they use to win an actual game! My daughter won’t wear boys shirts because they are so huge that the sleeves often come to her elbows, but she also does not want to wear girls fitted shirts with little cap sleeves. I would never be able to get her into a two piece bathing suit, not because she does not like her body or is too large, but simply because she wants to be active and comfortable without worrying about whether her clothing will stay on jumping in the pool. I can’t tell you how many items I donate that have only been worn one time because of the dichotomy between what is available on the market versus what my child will wear. I don’t mind the donation part, but when budgets are tight it is important to get as much use out of the items we purchase as possible. Of course, the glitter from girls clothing that ends up in the washer, dryer, and all over the house from the “sparkles” on everything is a constant source of frustration for dad, who does the laundry AND hates finding glitter all over himself at work because of goodbye hugs.
I am glad you care enough to remind retailers that we need more choices for our children! That same t-shirt in the boys department that my daughter won’t wear also looks completely uncomfortable on the skinny, tall boy that sits next to her in class because the only shape offered in the boys department doesn’t fit him either!
I have a son, but I just want to say, as a woman and mother, you are right on. Great job and message you are sending. A lot of people do care!
My 15 and 16 year old students – girls – jumped all over this when I told them about your observations and comments. They all complained about the clothes available to them in the different stores, especially the way-too-short shorts. They find them too short, uncomfortable, and they don’t like wearing them.
Maybe the stores have got it wrong for more of their female customers – regardless of age – than they realize. (Wonder how much more it would cost them to add an inch of fabric…)
I love that teachers are using now using these posts in their classrooms!
I absolutely, totally agree with you about the Target clothing! About 2 years ago, I decided that I could not buy shorts from Target because they were WAY too short and tight. At the time, my daughter was five. I couldn’t believe how skimpy their shorts were (and are). Thank you for bringing this to light. And it isn’t just Target, Old Navy is just as bad. I don’t think this is prudish but rather prudent! My daughter does not need to be dressing in such a way that draws attention to parts that aren’t even developed. Finally, even when we went up in size, the shorts were still skimpy. I have actually found that Wal-Mart does a pretty good job in the shorts department.
I found this on a FB page of a friend. I completely agree with you! I am so glad Target is listening; I SO hope that they do modify their choices of clothing. I wish Kohl’s, JC Pennys, Sears, others would as well. Perhaps when they discover that we want to dress ALL of our children appropriately (girls and boys), they just MIGHT start thinking that some of us adults need appropriate office wear. So far everything that I have found in all of the stores are too short, too tight, too low cut, too revealing in all ways. I would be fired, if I wore any of it to the office. There is a dearth of affordable, modest, professional (or even just well-made appropriately modest) clothing. Thank you for your writing and efforts in this area!
I love every single thing you’ve said. I’m tired of being made to feel like I’m ‘weird’ because modesty matters to me.
So far regarding the shorts issue, I’ve been buying long pants for my little girl, and cutting them off to shorts that come just above the knee. We shouldn’t have to do that…or buy tights to go under our daughters’ shorts…or improvise in any way. Thank you for stepping up and actually getting this out there!!
I’m behind u 110% my oldest daughter is 11. It’s gotten so bad and we talk about it so much she points it out to me!!! Now that’s sad. And even worse for myself!!! I don’t want to wear shorts with my butt hanging out. I’m a mother a wife not a sleeze bucket. But as my 11 yr old understands my 3 yr old doesn’t. She says I want short shorts like hers mommy. She will actually put on her bloomers and try to wear them by there self. She calls them her short shorts people come on this isn’t how things should be. I will not allow my child to dress this way. And what’s best of all my child doesn’t want it either. Thank u for bringing this to their attention!! Your awesome and so many of us are behind u and will stand here till the end!!!
My daughter isn’t born yet (2 weeks to go), but I’m terrified of the clothes they make for little girls…and the message they portray. I want my daughter to grow up strong and confident without feeling she has to flaunt her body to get attention or love or success. Thank you for speaking out.
Sincerely,
A Dad-to-be
As a parent of a soon to be teen, I have been complaining about this for year. Thank you!
Thank you! Thank you! I’ve lamented that I couldn’t find longer shorts in sizes 4-10, except at Crewcuts and GAP, which, as you say, are too expensive for many families. Why???? This makes no sense. And don’t get me started on trying to find a nice dress for church–so many short, short, lacy skirts that need leggings, have studs, etc. and why on EARTH would they create fishnets for sizes 2-10? Let girls be girls! My ten year old is soon to be in middle school, and I hope by then our campaign will have borne fruit, even to the juniors. Not saying don’t have any of those ‘sexy’ clothes–just have an equal number of other choices too.
I get it and you have made some good points, HOWEVER, I don’t think “targeting” Target is the only answer. It’s retailers across the board, and who gets to decide what is and isn’t appropriate? Please hear me I wouldn’t buy those shorts either but I do have concerns about making it into something bigger than it is, heading to far down the “modesty” road into women must always be covered land. If enough people just don’t buy them they won’t make them.
I’m a nanny and often a babysitter for a variety of families, so I see a lot different clothes, and have to dress children for a lot of different occasions. While some of my families aren’t worried about modesty, they are definitely worried about I their child can slide down the slide in the summer with some protection around her bottom. Some might say, why not have her wear pants, I’m saying she shouldn’t have to, it’s hot. She keeps her legs slightly bent to avoid her legs being burned, but someone skin near the hem of her shorts still gets hurt by the slide.
Yes, yes, yes. My daughter is ten and we have a hard time finding clothes that don’t expose her underwear, jeans that are low rise, shorts too short, super tight leggings. In addition, she really dislikes dresses, wants pants, but not boy pants. Something that like like pants I would wear. So dressing up, church , social functions, is a pain, because the only “dress pants” ever sold in the girls section are essentially yoga pants with some rhinestones on them, which is just not cutting it. With so little choice, girls are conformed at such an early age.
All I can say is thank you, a thousand times over. My girl is only a little over two and a half so I haven’t had too much of a problem with shorts, they seem to be appropriate so far. (I can pretty much only afford Target, on sale.) But I do see what’s coming soon over in the big girls’ section. I see middle schoolers wearing such revealing clothing, they look like they’re header for a club to go dancing rather than school. I can only buy shorts for myself when the long ones are “in style” because I refuse to risk exposing myself just because I bent down to pick up a toy. So thank you. One more thing, however, can we talk shirts next? I understand not everyone has the same style, I just don’t want shirts for my daughter and I that when we raise our arms to stretch, our bellies are showing. A longer cut would be most appreciated. They are so hard to find on a regular basis. Thank you again. You are amazing for bringing this to the manufacturer’s attention, in order for us more modest women and their daughters to be able to have real options. Thank you.
Thank you for addressing this! I have sons, and I don’t want them to grow up visualizing girls/women the way they are currently portrayed. And. As a former little girl myself, I remember the hurtful pressure to wear what was perhaps designed for the 50% then; I have never fallen in the middle of anyone’s bell-shaped curve. I wish as adults more women demanded and modeled a less revealing way of dress for girls to see.
This post, this blog section is brilliant. I’ve recently started thinking that feminism is not doing well at all. Equality doesn’t exist. Clothing and body image being a massive aspect of that. Very well done!
Boys and girls are built different, so their clothes should be too. If you don’t like the style or size of the shorts at target then don’t shop there..that simple! Some things are too small for my liking so I choose not to buy those items, but other things fit my daughter perfectly and we purchase those. She is 4 aand wears a 5 at most stores, however, at target she wears an 8 so that her clothes can be longer and the wawaist can be adjusted for a better fit. I am sure target has been making money selling their children’s clothes and your opinion is not going to reflect on that because there are plenty of people that do go there and shop. Like I said before, if you don’t like it don’t buy it. Perhaps get a sewing machine….
This issue bothers me so much. I cannot believe the shorts that children, teens and women wear! It’s extra disgusting when we see it at Disneyland. It grosses me out. It’s been a long hot summer and these shorts are everywhere! The way I see it, it’s hot and people sweat. Then these hot sweaty butts sit on rides and benches and chairs. Then what? Kids sit on them and touch them. So now basically, these kids are touching where the sweaty butts have been. I can’t believe the Disneyland allows them in. I cannot believe that parents but these shorts for the children. I cannot believe that I have to walk around seeing butt cheeks, ANYWHERE! The point of clothing is to cover up. So there should be no cheeks showing.
Thank you! I have battled this for years. I love Targer, Kohks all of the above and we live in a very hot area so shorts are year round. My poor daughter hates buying 2 sizes bigger at target they do not FIT according to size. I just bought that super girl tshirt yep x large and it’s still tight and small! Hate that!!
Is the “angle” monetary gain? As in, have you received any financial profit off of this? In regards to the mention of Lolly Wolly Doddle, and your below statement indicated in your disclosure section of your site? DISCLOSURE: Some links on this blog may be affiliate links, meaning if you click on them or buy products that I endorse, I make a small “finders fee” from your business. I do work with brands for sponsored posts. I will always disclose when a post has been sponsored
My sister doesn’t even wear jeans. She hates them because they give her wedgies. She only wears tights with long shirts, dresses or skirts and leggings. Jeans, even shirts are just too tight and she has a big bootty so it makes her uncomfortable for it to be that tight. If there could be pants that fit her and didn’t cling to her butt I would love that! Even bathing suits are hard to buy because one pieces don’t fit her butt but bikinis are sometimes too sexy for a 10 yr old!!
love this and the light you are bringing to this issue! i would further add, that the size charts for boys and girls (at least through size 5 and 6–the sizes my son and daughter wear) clothes are usually the same–the same height and weight ranges. when that is the case and i can buy a size 5 for my son, but need to buy a larger size for my daughter (who is smaller than my son but within the size range) just because it’s cut too slim, then i am frustrated. i like feminine cuts in my daughter’s clothing, but it shouldn’t require me to size up just so she can get her shirt on and off without getting stuck.
I think it’s WONDERFUL that you have succeeded in getting Target’s attention about this! Every time I go shopping for clothes for my (toddler) son, whether at Target or elsewhere, I am so thankful that I have a boy and not a girl. It’s hard enough finding decent clothes for myself, an adult woman; it’s ridiculous the kind of clothes that are made for toddlers and little girls. Ridiculous! Thank you for doing what you’re doing!
Your Fabulous!!! Bravo!!! ????????????????
All I can say is bravo! I too only really shop at target and I find it extreme difficult to buy shorts for the girls. They wear a 2t and a 4t and I just don’t find it appropriate. I don’t like to see it on people out in public either. It’s just too much. To each their own but if we all were really honest I bet it’s not as popular as they make it out to be. They had to institute school uniforms in my town to stop them from wearing it at school. I just don’t see how a parent can be ok with a 1″ seam
As a soon-to-be mother, I’m so grateful for what you’re doing. I hope when my daughter is old enough, through your advocacy there will be appropriate clothing for us to buy for her! Thank you!!
I found you through huffington post, and totally agree with you. I have a 2 year old and a 4 year old girls, and some of the shorts they make for infants are just as bad. We are just leaving those sizes, and my boy infant shorts are shockingly longer. We quit wearing anything above the knee, for modesty reasons. I do not like to see teeny shorts everywhere I look, especially on young children. And if you allow it now at 2 or 4, what changes at 12 or 14? My nieces have asked this question many times: If its cute on her, why is it bad for me? 10 year olds don’t really “get” it, but if you look in the stores for 4 year olds and 10 year olds they are the same clothes. I also have a problem with dresses for little girls. When I buy dresses, I tend to buy my 2 year old a 4T (my 2 year old was a preemie, she is just now growing out of 18 month clothes in most things) but in order for a dress to fall below the knee I have to go up at least 2 sizes, and of course I have to take it in on top because it falls off her shoulders. I would not wear a dress that hit mid thigh, why buy it for my daughters. It drives me nuts. Even with the nice “Easter” dresses, I have to buy a size or so up, I want her to be able to wear it for more than a month and I want her to wear longer dresses. I have tried to find maxi skirts for my 4 year old, and those are also hard to find, and in my area when I have come across them they are not in 4T or 5T they are in girls sizes which in the waist are still big on my girls.
Fantastic! Brilliant thoughts. I’m so glad to know that I’m truly not alone with my thinking on this one. For me as well, I am sick of seeing so much Disney (or Dora or…) propaganda; I would just like to buy something that is still appealing to my girls that isn’t covered in that stuff!
Amen! I took my 10 year old to Target yesterday. Actually we bought the Thor T shirt with the wide cut. And the shirt with Snoopy wrapped up as a mummy. And a bunch of sweatpants. Sadly, we didn’t even look at the shorts — I could tell on the rack that she not only would not be able to wear them to school, but also she would be embarrassed in them. For the summer we had to go to a local sports store and buy basketball shorts. We hate that narrow cut for girls’ t-shirts. Not only is my darling daughter not a stick, but also at 10 she does not want to be showing off her emerging girl parts. Most of her T shirts are souvenirs from camp, etc. and that’s not by choice… That’s just the only place the clothes are unisex enough for her shape — not size, btw, she is a perfect adult medium, tall and in moderately good proportion — and youthful enough that she will wear them.
I also have a seven year old who IS a stick. She still can’t wear shorts. She solves this by wearing stretch pants and jeans. To school. In Houston, where in October, the weather is still 95 by gym class at 2 in the afternoon. I feel for her.
And by the way, I can’t take my kids shopping together because it’s just not fair how many more options my stick daughter has than my curvy one.
Thanks for raising this issue and bringing it to the attention of Target. Hopefully the winds of change will swing around and women and girls can actually get some clothes that make sense.
Thank you for blogging this subject. I have a boy and a girl, and although I am a huge Target shopper, I do not buy most of my daughter’s clothes there….for this very reason. I do not think short-shorts and peek-a-boo cutouts at the chest are appropriate for my 5 year old. Thank you!!
While my comments aren’t going to be anything new here to the conversation, I just want to say thank you so so much for giving a voice for the collective of mom’s out there who want/ crave/ demand change. I want my little girl to be a little girl. I want her to stay innocent and love herself for who she is inside, not because of how culture defines “beauty” I want her to not feel self conscious about how she looks in clothing like I did as a girl. I am so glad and grateful to Target for listening to your/our voice. I love Target and want to continue to shop there and this does a great deal to earn my business knowing they care enough to listen. I want my kids to be dressed appropriately. While most of this does apply to little girls, as this is where the biggest problem lies, I also think they could use some work in the boys dept. I don’t want my son wearing skulls at the age of 6. I think it is inappropriate so if that could be less prevalent, that would also be great. Thank you again for using your voice and your platform to drive this change. I am grateful.
I agree with the original criticism, but the styles are not just about sex. They are also about saving tons and tons of money by making the clothes just that much shorter. Imagine how much money it costs to make a tiny string bikini versus even a regular bikini. This is about corporate greed, too.
I am a 33 year old stay at home dad with two daughters ages 3 and 9 months. I really hate cloths shopping. Mostly because everything you see at retail stores are so dang expensive and your kids out grow them relatively fast anf its so hard to find nice cloths that your kids like at decent prices. I tend to shop at Goodwill but I’m limited to what has been donated which often is the short shorts style of clothing. I also hate shoping at walmart for some cloths such as shorts because they do not look stylish at all and are just plain unattractive looking shorts. My 3 year old daughter is into My Little Pony, Doc McStuffins, Strawberry Shortcske, Yo Gabba Gababa and those kind of cloths. But these cloths are often very expensive because of the Disney or Nickelodeon or other brand name. So my daughter doesn’t get a whole lot of those kind of cloths. My biggest issue when it comes to cloths is the price. Kids cloth should not be so dang expensive. But at the same time I want my kids to look stylish. Heck I wanted to look stylish as a kid around all my friends. If they had converse shoes, I wanted converse shoes. If they had trapper keepers for school, I wanted a trapper keeper. But what I saw as stylish was very expensive. The stuff that made me look like I was a poor kid and didnt fit in was relatively inexpensive. Again, I will shop at Goodwill but it is a hit and miss on finding brand name stuff thats stylish yet not slutty looking. If you look around everyone is trying to make a quick buck by uping the price tag on stylish cloths because they know you won’t find it anywhere else.
Another dilemma I have is my daughters idenity. All kids want to create their own idenity and their own style. But we as parents don’t want them crossing the line into adult territory when it comes to cloths. I’m the kind of person that lets my daughter pick what she wants instead of telling her what she can and can’t wear. At least to a certain point. Retailers often just put out cloths that are popular on tv like on the Mtv and shows like Honey Boo Boo. Which we don’t watch either but thats the clothing style you see in stores. How can my daughter create her own idenity and style if everything is made based on tv and is way too expensive to begin with?
THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!! I don’t have a daughter but I do have a teenage boy! I want to raise a gentleman but it’s more of a challenge when everywhere he goes, girls are wearing shorts entirely too short. And I do realize that there just aren’t other options out there for girls. Thanks for being outspoken and helping to protect all our little (and not so little) kiddos!!
I agree that the clothes today are way to short! A friend called it being a prostatot awhile back and I have to agree. I am tired of the kids these days wearing shorts that are the same size as underwear! The “boy short” underwear is about the same size as some of the actual shorts being sold.
More good points!
Loved your article! I have to say the issue is the same in Target (and all other large department stores) in Sydney, Australia. I hope any change extends to over here!!! I shopped for hours looking for decent length shorts for my 6 year old last Saturday – I was so disappointed at the difference between the boys and girls shorts. I found 1 pair in a store called Myer, however it was $59 for one pair of shorts, my husband wouldn’t have been impressed with that. Considering buying one of targets cheap jeans and cutting them off myself or buying boys shorts and turning them up slightly…. Thanks for fighting on behalf of mums/moms everywhere!!!
Your friendly Target employee here again. I agree with so many of your points, and because of that, I hate for you to spread misinformation that ends up detracting from your message. The shorts that you pictured as “online only” definitely were not. These shorts were sold in khaki, navy, pink, and a pink plaid throughout the summer. They were one of the first shorts that I stocked, and we still had some left at the conclusion of the summer because they were restocked throughout the season. The reason you are getting the “online only” availability is because it is mid-October, and they have now been clearanced at stores. If you will check the availability of the daisy denim shorts that were pictured in an earlier post, you will see that those, also, show an “online only” availability, despite that you took a picture of them in a store.
Excellent!! I have 3 small girls and this is a huge problem when shopping! I want them to be strong, confident women, who are recognized for their intellect and talents! Not their sex appeal!
Thank you for doing this! I have an 9 year old daughter who grew up in boys shorts because comfort was important to her. As much as I would have loved her in dresses she had to be allowed to be a child and play. There was no way for her to be comfortable and girly. Now that she is older she cares more about the way her clothes look and doesn’t want to shop in the boys department anymore. She is still really active and comfort is really important. There are hardly any options out there for her. And to be honest, even if she wanted to wear the super short shorts that target sells there is no way I would let her. I’m Swedish and children in Sweden are still to a great extent dressed as children. For inspiration in your work with Target look at Hanna Andersson, Polarn o Pyret and Lindex. Great stores but way too expensive.
God Bless you!!!!! Thank you for speaking up for us Moms that don’t have a platform to speak from!! I am with you on this all the way!
Thank you for speaking on our behalf. I also would like to see some affordable options. I spend a lot of time looking for gently used clothing for my kids to wear as new most of the time is too expensive. When I am desperate for clothing, I shop for new items. I, too, would like to see more respectable lengths and sizes.
Will you go after the music industry also for us? Sick and tired of seeing women (especially the extras) clothed/portrayed as they are in music videos and stage performances. MTV should be shut down or at the very least become an ‘optional’ stand-alone channel in the cable and satellite television systems. If it was, just how many adults would opt to pay for it and have it available for their children to watch?
Thank you for using your voice to fight the battle that so many of us would love to see end with a more modest outcome. It’s not about the shopping somewhere else either, is it? There are many of us on budgets who can’t even find stores that sell items with appropriate length inseams and decent waist heights. And please don’t even get me started on young girls bra options.
Kind of off topic and I’m positive I’ll be verbally attacked for this, but this is what concerns me: I work with children who live in a low income area that is full of child predators.
My dad used to work for the police department, specializing in interrogating sexual predators. He once told me that he used to have to try to relate to these twisted people in order to get them to confess, saying things like “I know that six year old girl knew what she was doing. She was asking for it.”
So when I see these very young children dressed like grown women I wonder: is that skirt going to be the thing that convinces some pervert that she’s “mature” for a six year old? Are those shorts going to be the excuse for some sick neighbor to ruin her life?
I cringe when I see little girls dressed this way because we live in such a dangerous world.
Thank you for doing this for all moms. I end up buying 2 hand for my girls and sometimes find mosdet clothing. We need to keep having an open discussion to help realtors realize this is what we want.
I think it is awesome that designers are listening. I just wanted to add my two cents, too. I hate it that my daughter is now in the big girl section at target. I miss the youthful styles in the toddler section, we love the tutus. On that note, when little girls want to play in skirts (that is all my girls want to wear) – they can’t have them to their ankles. In the 50’s and other eras, little girl fashion was shorter than what adults and teens wore – but little girl. When it frustrates me is when they offer tight miniskirts and high heels. I am okay with shorter (it does not work for a 6 year old to play in dresses below her knee) as long as it is little girl.
since you have Target’s attention…they should male their adorable toddler clothes for big kids! I bought all my kids’ clothes there until size 5T, and now we are in the big kid section and most clothes are not adorable. They say sassy comments, are crop tops, or off the shoulder, or tie die peace sign hideousness. We walk by the toddler section and my daughter oooohs and aahhhhhs over the beautiful dresses and jackets and sweet jammies. The toddler girl clothes seem look higher end, like Gymboree, while a lot of the big girl clothes remind me of WalMart clothes.
make, not male
I couldn’t be more proud of you, Steph. Know that you are a modern-day rockstar and we’re here, cheering you on!
I’m an elementary school teacher and I’m thankful for your perseverance. Complacency is the problem of our time. I’ve had this conversation with many teachers, and with parents (when their 7 year old daughters are sent to the office for dress code violations). We try to teach our kids to stand up for what they believe in, that if they don’t like something they need to say how they feel. Thank you for being one of the few role models out there who I can use to inspire my class.
I really appreciate the stand that is being taken here because I remember struggling with finding clothes growing up and soon will be dealing with it again for my daughter. While we’re at it, can I request loose knee length shorts in the women’s section for myself? As well as other modest items like shirts and dresses that I can be comfortable in!
I found out about you as I was watching Glenn Beck. Thank goodness! I am very particular about the clothes my daughter wears, some of it disgusts me. I thought am I in this alone as a Mom caring about teaching my daughter modesty? I am relieved now to have discovered your blog and information about Target. Keep on sharing information. We as Mothers must teach our daughters they can dress modest and still look super cute and pretty! I will now be a regular visiting your site. You’re awesome!
Thank you for addressing this issue. I have a five year old daughter and have basically stopped shopping for clothes at Target. The shorts are ridiculously short and look like they belong on a teenager. Although I hope my daughter won’t think 1 inch inseems are appropriate at any age. As she gets older and has moved beyond toddler sized I find it very hard to find age appropriate clothes. I would love to see longer shorts, basic shirts (sans glitter, sequins, & sayings). Thanks for taking a stand.
I love this piece! I have two daughters, now 18 and 20. That is exactly how we have to raise them. I’m so glad that people are speaking up about this.
I don’t have children but I completely agree. Why do they need to be so short? Why would a designer ever think that it’d be appropriate to construct a pair of shorts like that for a child?
I struggle with shopping for myself even, as a 28 year old female. I want to shop at a trendy store, admittedly geared for teenagers, I can’t find shorts that cover my butt cheeks, and that’s not even an exaggeration. I don’t mind short shorts as long as you can’t see the crease of my butt, but I don’t fancy a pair of shorts too long either! There really needs to be a medium here, a middle ground. You see teenagers walking around trying to conspicuously pull their tiny shorts down and out of their butts and cover their cheeks.
I used to work for Abercrombie and Fitch as a “brand rep” when I was in high school. I asked the manager why all the shorts were so short and he said the designers of most of these clothes were 40 year old men. I always imagined that these men didn’t have daughters because they’d never let them leave the house in those same shorts they were selling (if what my manager said was true