We've all heard the news that puberty is starting at an earlier and earlier age, especially for girls.
It's just a fact of our modern world and it's not surprising that brands have changed to cater to it.
Facebook | Angela Fellars
A Mom Is Outraged After Finding Padded Bras Being Sold For Young Girls
No one wants to admit it when their little girl starts to develop breasts and may need some support.
It's a milestone that reminds parents that their kids can't stay kids forever, which is never fun to think about.
When that time does come, it's important for girls to feel as comfortable as possible.
Unsplash | Nurpalah Dee
Growth spurts of any kind are never comfortable. There are aches and pains and embarrassment. No solution is going to completely cure that, but every little bit helps.
Training bras can help young girls in lots of ways.
Unsplash | Keagan Henman
Besides "training" them to get used to the expectation of wearing a bra every day— which is a whole other can of worms — the light support can help lessen the ache of growing breasts.
A good training bra can also prevent embarrassment or body shame.
As an early bloomer myself, I had to suffer more than once from the shame of other kids pointing out when the cold or the type of shirt I wore inadvertently became more exposing than was comfortable.
So let's start with the assumption that a good training bra will have at least a bit of lining.
The lining can help prevent those embarrassments.
But "lining," not padding.
That's the distinction that upset mom Angela Fellars enough that she needed to post about it on Facebook.
She was shopping at Nordstrom and noticed training bras labeled for six-year-olds.
Facebook | Angela Fellars
Now again, puberty is happening earlier and earlier, and smaller eight-year-olds may just need a smaller size available to them too.
But if you look closer, these bras have a much larger issue.
They're padded.
Facebook | Angela Fellars
Not just lined. Not even just a molded foam cup. That's padding meant to make little girls look like they have fully-formed boobs.
Yes, the pads are removable, but why are they even there in the first place?
Kids are already fed impossible body standards from TV and celebrities, and now parents need to worry about the subliminal messages coming from their undergarments?
Just a reminder: these are specifically made for the average six-year-old.
Facebook | Angela Fellars
If anything, you'd think parents would be trying to minimize the appearance of growing breasts at that age.
Selling padded bras sends a message to girls about body image that's both harmful and sexualizing.
Facebook | Angela Fellars
I think we can all agree that brands shouldn't be doing this. However, since circulating the news circuit, these photos have become a topic of argument — particularly surrounding what the “age” number really means on the tag.
Comments like “Jeeezz people .. it does not say they're for 6 yr olds !!” are popping up in commentary surrounding the bras. So what’s the deal?
Amazon | Calvin Klein
One person said, “I think the poster needs to go back to the shop and actualy LOOK at the [underwear].”
“That's a SIZE 6 not age 6. Maybe the poster has forgotten that she had growing boobs at one stage,” they continued.
They suggested the padding is not for enhancing breast size, but for comforting tender growing breasts.
Others came to this person’s defence, including telling stories of their own mishaps involving non-padded bras during puberty.
Giphy
“Before I fully developed, my nipples bled, yeah they bled from friction on my shirt," they said. Ouch. It definitely seems like the padding serves a real purpose.
While the 6 might indicate age, it may also indicate sizes that correspond both with age or with frame size, and that is something that needs to be considered.
We hope that companies are responsible enough to understand the influence of their products on their targeted audiences.
If not, we might make like this Simpsons episode.
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