Padded Bikinis for 8-Year-Olds?

Abercrombie and Fitch came up with a new bathing suit for girls. It’s a triangle bikini with a padded top and sized to fit girls as young as 8. As you can imagine, this has stirred up some controversy. Here are some of the issues people are having:

1.)    It sexualizes young girls who shouldn’t be sexualized.

2.)    It makes them worried about self image.

3.)    It can shape their behavior and lead them into risky sexual behavior at an early age.

4.)    It teaches them that they are only valued in this society by the way that they look.

Why in God’s name would anyone even consider marketing such clothing to young girls? Supply and demand is the cornerstone of our economy. Who is demanding such things for 8 year olds? Have they been examined psychologically?

For one minute, I would like to consider it in the reverse. Let’s just say that a company came out with a bathing suit line for men over 50. Our society believes that men get better with age, so I’m thinking there must be a way to make good money off of that the way they do women and youth.

Here’s what I propose:

For a good price, a guy can buy a bathing suit that hides decade’s worth of beer drinking while also enhancing a particular part of their body. They want to look their best, right? So why not? They can start wearing the miracle bathing suit. Slim the gut and give a boost to the butt. Best bathing suit for men over 50.

When thinking about it like this, it sounds ridiculous. But if bathing suits like this were out there and men bought them, it would become the norm.

I simply cannot fathom putting pressure on young girls to look a certain way. It’s difficult enough instilling positive self image into teenage girls. Why begin this battle even younger?