Afternoon Snooze Button

Abercrombie & Fitch creates a push-up bikini…for children. Salon reports:

Abercrombie & Fitch has long been famed for its seductive wares and provocative campaigns. But this month, just in time for spring break, the company provoked a torrent of parental outrage when it unleashed a sexy bikini – for children.

As Sociological Images pointed out two weeks ago in a post on “another example of the sexualization of young girls,” the “Ashley” triangle top from Abercrombie Kids was branded as a “push up triangle,” an odd choice for kids of an age where there’s still usually not a whole lot to push up. And this assumed need for enhancement has been a long source of shopping frustration to parents – and potential embarrassment for kids. “We go into the little girl section and there’s nothing for her,” an exasperated mother told the Chicago Sun-Times last week. And a mother of two young daughters told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “I think it’s truly sad we spend all this time telling our children they’re beautiful just the way they are and then we provide a product that tells them they’re not.”

But the company that back in 2002 was marketing thongs for little girls with the words “eye candy” and “wink wink” may not have the best instinct for what constitutes age appropriate attire. Responding to criticism, A & F posted on Facebook this week  that “We’ve re-categorized the Ashley swimsuit as padded. We agree with those who say it is best ‘suited’ for girls age 12 and older.” Oh, well, then it’s fine, because what 12 year-old doesn’t need a padded bikini?