image credit: Twitter via @QuaysideW
Yeah. NO!
Fashion chain Primark is selling "My First Bra" targeted to young girls roughly aged 7-13 years old.
Twitter user @MissTylerB posted to the social network showing the bra and claiming it sexualizes children.
Horrified that @Primark are selling padded bras to children aged between 7-13! #Toomuchtoyoung #Children #sexualisation pic.twitter.com/bWTqD999n7
— Tyler (@MissTylerB) July 20, 2017
I will admit, I do not have a daughter, only a son; so at the moment, this isn't an issue I have to deal with.
That doesn't mean it can't piss me the hell off! But why, you might ask?
Well, firstly, because of Primark's explanation of the bra as told to Cosmopolitan UK:
“This allegation is simply wrong. We would like to be absolutely clear that these bras are moulded, not padded. 'My first bra’ ranges are designed and constructed purely for support, comfort, and modesty and adhere to the BRC’s childrenswear guidelines. There is no enhancement. This type of moulded bra is extremely common, and selling them is entirely normal practice on the high street.”
I went straight to Google with "What is a molded bra?" (Because I'm in America and don't need that extra 'u,' mmmkay?)
According to Big Girl Bras, "a molded cup bra is a bra whose cups are heat-molded to a round, seamless shape. Because molded cup bras are seamless, they're great for wearing under t-shirts or anytime you don't want seams to show. These types of cups contour your breasts into a flattering, rounded shape, and sometimes they have padding to help prevent nipple show-through."
Let's assume for a second that "My First Bra" really doesn't have padding, however a molded bra still contours for a "flattering, rounded shape."
Seriously? Why would a 7-year-old need flattering, rounded boobs?
Children are already so vulnerable to sexualization, why does a store need to add to that by selling bras to far-too-young girls??
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And young girls, especially, already have the pressure to look a certain way, have a certain shape to their body, and have big boobs.
This is NOT Honey Boo Boo walking the runway.
These are young children going to school hoping not to be bullied for the way they look, but now a popular chain is just adding to the pressure that they feel.
What say you? Would you buy your child a "molded" bra? Or are we going to picket outside Primark?
