Theres been heavy coverage in the media recently about the launch of a childrens underwear range that is, quite frankly, disturbing.
Kylie Minogue has put her name to a provocative line of childrens underwear, that is so adult in its design that it could more aptly be called lingerie. Hickory will sell the range through department stores such as Target.
Its not the first time Target has introduced such inappropriate lines as these. Only last year there was community outrage over the sale of padded bras and the like in its stores. On the Sunday Sunrise program last week footage of the Kylie Minogue lingerie was displayed. In fabrics ranging from electric blue satin to delicate lace and see through bras and underwear, you would expect such items to be designed for adults with only one thing in mind. But shockingly, these items are for children as young as eight years of age.
Theres already been much debate about the early sexualisation of children in the media and among groups that focus on childrens interests. What message does it send to children, and adults, when kids are the target of such sexually provocative underwear?
What are your thoughts on the issue? Do you think its okay for children to wear such garments? Would you buy them for a child? Supporters of the range argue its just like wearing dress ups, and that children want to be just like Mum. Well, to me thats not even dress ups. Dressing up is when my daughter wears an old scarf or slides her feet into a pair of too big shoes. Whats more, dress ups are all a part of role playing. Is it appropriate to role play wearing clothing of a sexual nature? I dont think so. If my daughter role plays, and acts like me, it shouldnt be in a sexual way because besides it not being at all appropriate for her age, she shouldnt know anything about sex or flirtation.
The second thing that concerns me about this particular range is that Kylie Minogue has put her name to it. With Minogue having such a massive following from girls, is it going to be easy for parents to say no to their eight year old daughters who want Kylie Minogue underwear? It may have been easy to explain that padded bras arent for six year olds but convincing children of the inappropriateness of an item with the name of their favourite singer may not be so simple. Do you think celebrities have a moral obligation when considering placing their name on a product? What would you do in this position?