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Preteen girls sold on revealing clothing

Padded bikini tops for girls who haven't yet hit puberty. Low-rise jeans that need to be yanked up constantly. Camisoles with straps that slip down repeatedly.

Stacey Irwin, an assistant professor at Millersville University, who teaches media and women's studies, is also the mother of a 13-year-old daughter. So she is keenly aware of the fashions sold to young girls these days.

And Irwin has a question: "How can you be a strong young woman trying to find your way in the world when you're constantly in the middle of a wardrobe malfunction?"

Parents of young girls know that it can be challenging finding modest, age-appropriate clothing for their daughters, particularly in the summer, when apparel only gets skimpier.

What lies beyond size 6X so often seems to merit another kind of X rating.

This was confirmed by a study published earlier this month by the journal Sex Roles.

A research team led by a Kenyon College psychology professor studied nearly 5,700 items of young girls' clothing on the websites of 15 popular stores in the U.S.

Researchers found that about 30 percent of the clothing had "sexualized elements" that "revealed or emphasized a sexualized body part, had characteristics associated with sexiness, and/or had sexually suggestive writing."

Twenty-five percent of the clothing had both sexualized elements and childlike elements, such as polka dots and ribbons, which could lead "confused parents" to buy it, researchers noted.

Their study examined clothing as a possible "socializing influence" in the self-objectification of preteen girls. It was prompted by the American Psychological Association Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, which reported in 2007 that sexualization and objectification of girls can have serious consequences, ranging from eating disorders to depression to diminished educational success. Kristy Monahan, of Manheim Township, didn't need an academic study to tell her some girls' clothing is inappropriate. Every time she goes shopping with her 11-year-old daughter, she is appalled by what's on offer to tweens.

So much of the clothing is "just in bad taste," she said one recent evening at Park City Shopping Center. "A lot of it is low cut or too tight or too short."

Monahan said that when she's confronted with some form-fitting, glittery top emblazoned with a suggestive message, she wonders, "Who's supposed to wear this?

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