If you buy Shein clothes for your daughter, you are a bad parent: they sexualize children

PADDED bikini tops, revealing party dresses and skirts that barely cover their bottoms – these are just some of the items advertised by fashion retailer Shein for girls aged eight and up.

As a mother of two daughters, Olive, six, and Ivy, three, it is a shock to see these inappropriate clothes being advertised to little girls.

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Even more disturbing is the fact that these skimpy outfits are modeled provocatively, in poses you would expect from a glamor model.

There's a girl about six years old pouting and flapping her leg while another spins her around herand tweens with hands on hips, heads bowed.

The idea of ​​my little ones posing like this makes me shudder.

I saw the clothing this week while browsing the site, and it has now appeared as targeted advertising on my social media.

My friend, also a mother of a six-year-old, was shocked when she saw a Shein ad on Instagram of a little girl, about seven years old, wearing a green velvet round-neck dress and posed in such a way that it looked like she was had breasts.

The inappropriate clothing was promoted in the same month that heavy favorite H&M was forced to take out an advert in Australia showing girls in school uniforms because it “sexualised children”.

Below the fashion giant's image of primary school pupils in aprons was the caption: “Turn those heads in Back to School fashion from H&M” and it rightly caused a stir online.

And sexualising children is exactly what this Shein clothing is doing at a time when the company is going from strength to strength – currently the eleventh largest clothing retailer in Britain and expected to rise to sixth place by 2027.

It makes me sick.

The girls who model many of the 'tween' clothes, which seem to cover the age group of eight to fourteen, wear styles that should only be seen on adult women, often exposing the midriff and a lot of leg.

If you type “tween swimwear” into the search box on Shein's website, only four of the first 17 items shown appear to have no padding.

This is shameful.

A little girl certainly doesn't have to worry about increasing her bra size with a little foam.

The only worries she should have are perfecting her climbing frame technique and deciding what her favorite Squishmallow toy is.

Why do big companies like Shein insist on letting children grow up so quickly?

It is not the first time that inappropriate clothing for girls has been a problem.

In 2010, Primark came under fire for selling lined bikinis to seven-year-olds.

The tops, which came in candy pink with gold stars or black and white polka dots, were removed from stores after the chain was accused of encouraging the sexualization of young girls.

Tesco was also convicted of selling padded bras to eight-year-olds in 2008.

But when I go looking for a dress for my eldest and gymnastics-mad six-year-old over a decade later, what I'm presented with is STILL excessively short.

How would she run around or climb a tree in these restrictive clothes? You know, like little girls should do.

It has to stop now.

In 2010, parenting website Mumsnet launched their Let Girls Be Girls campaign to let retailers know that parents don't want their children to be offered products that 'prematurely sexualise' them.

Many major retailers have signed on, including Next, Sainsbury's, George and now Primark.

Mumsnet makes a valid point: not only are the clothes too mature, but photographers or directors also cause these girls to pose inappropriately.

That's exactly what I think when I look at the Shein ad of the velvet dress with ruffled front.

The girl has her hands on her hips and the top has a neckline that reaches where a cleavage would be — if she weren't in elementary school.

The Shein garment that makes me feel the most uncomfortable is a £6.49 one-piece swimsuit.

On the website, the little girl sits on her knees in the sand and poses like an influencer – why would an advertising department or photographer ever approve of this?

And what message does it send to children browsing their products?

Estelle Keeber, children's photographer and founder of online training company immortalmonkey. co.ukI don't understand how these photos are created.

'Let girls be girls'

“Unfortunately, these types of images are becoming increasingly common when it comes to brands sharing provocative images of children,” she says.

“I'm a family photo photographer and I often hear little girls trying to pretend to be adults when they come to a photo shoot.

“This is because of what they see in advertisements and they want to replicate.

“With a little guidance and encouragement, they are soon posing like little girls again and I enjoy capturing images for the parents to cherish.

“Apart from the clothing and provocative poses, many of the expressions look sad and the deliberate pout seems out of place in a children's clothing ad.

“Children should have fun, be confident and comfortable in branded clothing, not sexy and sultry, which is an adult domain.

“As a parent, it is alarming that these images are not checked before being allowed into the public domain.”

Clinical psychologist Dr Melanie Smart from Chichester Child Psychology believes this type of inappropriate clothing can cause major problems for our children's future.

“The end of primary school and the beginning of secondary school is when children lay the foundation for how they see themselves,” she explains.

“Photos like these encourage them to see themselves not as a person with a brain and a personality, or someone with a body that works well and is healthy, but as an object to be viewed and sexualized by others.

“This can become their understanding of themselves and what they value.

“Research shows that in the long term, if you view yourself this way, it can lead to problems later in life, including eating disorders, risk behavior and problems in relationships.

“When girls are seen this way, they are a visual object and not human beings.”

Dr. Smart adds: “We need to let girls be girls and teach young people about sex through education and experience at the right stages of development, not through clothing.”

This touches on the grim reality.

I certainly don't want my daughters to grow up thinking that the most important quality they need is “sexiness” rather than smarts, athleticism, or ambition.

It is depressing to know that girls are groomed at a young age to fit into a culture where women are little more than objects and their value lies in the way they view boys and men.

Children absolutely should not be seen as sexually available – which is the uncomfortable message these outfits convey.

The sad fact is that parents have to buy these clothes.

This shopping will build momentum and it will become the norm for young girls to wear revealing clothes at younger and younger ages.

The Advertising Standards Authority is now aware of my concerns about the inappropriateness of these items and the way young girls are asked to pose.

Any clothing retailer advertising specifically to UK consumers is within their jurisdiction and must adhere to their rules.

This means that the ASA can ban advertisements if they do not comply.

Shein was asked for comment but declined.

It may sound mean, but if you buy these clothes, you are not doing your job as a parent.

You are supposed to protect your little ones and not send them out into the world dressed inappropriately.

Retailers like Shein have a responsibility to ensure that children grow up to value themselves for more than just their appearance.

Bosses need to take action now, they need to remove these clothes from their site – or they risk damaging our children forever.

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