padded bras for 7yr olds in BHS

jenniewb

Jammygal wrote: »

Lets all phone them;

0845 196 0000
or write to:
Customer Services
129-137 Marylebone Road
London
NW1 5QD

Wanted to bump this post- Am definetly going to write (after I have visited and seen for myself) although if this is as I think: padded bras aimed at children) very little can change my point of view on this.

For the poster who have said his/her daughter required smaller fitting bras for their 16 year old (sorry, cannot recall the poster!!) This is very different from being 7. Its also possible to buy smaller (tiny) sized bras from many stores such as M&S, they are small, but not sexualised. Though the same store do small sizes in many of their bras: the difference here? aimed at Women, not at children! No cartoons, no mr men/women, no little miss kitty. I am not upset about tiny bras, tiny bras need to exist for tiny people. I am upset at the fact its aimed at a 7 year old!

Its not about being prudish, I am not going to lead you into the details of my (very unprudish) life (:eek: ) its about realising that a 7 year old does not have the same level of maturity that a 17 year old has. There is a big difference. Sexualising a child is wrong, because it suggests the wearer is a sexual object, because it suggests the wearer is no longer a child, because it represents something that a child is not allowed to actually do. If someone touched a touched a child in a sexual way, they woukd be arrested for child molstation, weather or not the child said it was ok. Its paedophilia in that example. If the same thing happened to a consenting adult, nothing would happen, becuase its legal and the adult has the maturity to understand where or what it can lead to.

Its a big issue here, its not just about a padded bra, its about saying it is not ok to sexualise children who by law are not sexual objects!

milliemonster

Whilst I completely agree that sexualising a child is completely and utterly abhorrent, I fail to see how having childrens underwear adorned with the likes of Hello Kitty/HSM/Batman etc is going to encourage predatory behaviour, I personally think aiming bras at 7yr olds is too young irrespective of the style, I appreciate some of the comments from other posters saying some girls develop early now but I have never known a 7 year old need a bra for developing breast tissue, I don't think it is common therefore no reason for BHS to be promoting it.

Without seeing these Bra's the OP has started the thread about and with no other detail regarding their style or suitability, I think it is difficult to make an informed decision as to their suitability for a growing girl and all too easy to just jump on the bandwagon.

I think there are much more suggestive items of clothing children wear these days than underwear which is hidden from view anyway.

And whilst you are on the subject of paedophiles, their main attraction to children is their sexual innocence and the fact that they are children, it has nothing to do with what underwear they wear, yes its a parents job to protect their child but it is also our job to empower a pubescent child with the knowledge and security to learn how to get on in the world and grow up safe and happy, how to protect themselves, what is normal and abnormal behaviour from others and how and when to ask for help. You can't protect your child 24/7 when they are in school/with friends etc, there are more important things to worry about than what underwear they are wearing (within reason)

minnie123

jenniewb wrote: »

Wanted to bump this post- Am definetly going to write (after I have visited and seen for myself) although if this is as I think: padded bras aimed at children) very little can change my point of view on this.


Its a big issue here, its not just about a padded bra, its about saying it is not ok to sexualise children who by law are not sexual objects!

How can you say you are definately going to write when you have not seen the bra yet?

So does that mean you are not against the Moulded bra but against bras for 7 year olds in general? Maybe the problem here is the bras are labelled in sizes corresponding to age. Everyone must realise that most bras even in children sections are normally sized as normal 30aa 32a etc etc so maybe BHS just need to change the sizing on them? I am 28 and I can buy age 11-12 clothing. So I would have probably fitted in that bra from age 14. I remember I started wearing a bra not because I needed one but because school shirts were quite see through and thin and I felt very exposed at school. I did not want to wear a crop top because they were considered unfashionable so my mum got me some bras from tammy girl. I don't think there is any difference between the unpadded bra or the moulded one for children. Of course a wonderbra for children would be innaproppriate but that is not what we are talking about here. I don't think this warrants everybody writing to BHS about, if you don't like it for your child then don't buy it simple as!

donstermonster

MMM, This dates back to 2003 when BHS had the Little Miss Naughty range that was padded but they were withdrawn 5 years ago

Has anybody actually seen these back in the stores first hand as opposed to "my friend told me, that her friend, that her friend, saw them"

They are certainly not in our local store and it is a huge store and as i say were withdrawn 5 years ago

Anybody genuinely seen them themselve?

I think it is folklore. you know like my mate knows somebody who......and The Tax Man is taxing people for selling on Ebay

All is in second or third hand

meanmum

There seems to be a huge amount of outrage developing here about something most of us haven't seen. Of course, most of us would be against the marketing of a wonderbra style bra aimed at 7 year olds - but as several people have said, this may just be a flat slightly padded top designed to hide developing nipples. As any of us with older girls will know, the breasts develop initially around the nipple area, and often unevenly - so if this product will help any potential embarrassment for an early developer, it may well have a place. The other point to note is that nobody is being forced to buy or wear this.......there must be many other products on the market that individuals may disapprove of, so if you don't like it, don't buy it!

loobylou2

Children do seem to grow up more quickly these days though and its the fault of society as a whole and also peer pressure. All the 9 year olds in my daughters class wore make up to their school Christmas party because everyone else was doing it!!!! I've just had the bra discussion with my 9 year old but she dosen't need a bra of any kind let alone a padded one!!!! She is a 9 year old child and completely flat chested so crop tops and t shirt vests are fine!!! Will buy her a bra when she needs one which might not be for another few years yet...... I was also surprised by some of the dresses she was looking at and trying to persuade me to buy for her over Christmas and whilst I don't want to add fuel to the fire they were from BHS and IMO completely inappropriate for a 9 year old to be wearing although we did eventually end up buying her a very nice dress from BHS which was both pretty and sparkly and suitable to wear at at party as well as appropriate. There is far too much pressure on children to grow up these days and they are missing out on being children.

spora

did anyone read that link posted on this thread a while ago? (cant be bothered to look where it was). Whilst many of us do not know what the bras in BHS look like, the link shows some pretty disturbing pictures of underwear that shops are selling for young people. Such as a thong.

Walking around town i often see young children wearing make up and dressing like an adult and i find it horrifying. I was in London the other week and saw a girl with her mum, she must have been about 8, and she actually looked like a hooker. She was wearing a tight top and a v short skirt and had makeup plastered on her face. I cant help but think what message her mum is sending out to her.

Im 21, and want to have children when im older, and there is no way i am letting my children dress like hookers! Ive always been a bit of a tomboy and have never worn makeup (even now) and dressed really girly. I would rather my children be like me then looking like they are working on a street corner.

I think many people are outraged not at BHS specificly, but at the whole idea of it all and that some shops are promoting this kind of image.

Edit: heres the link i was talking about (thanks to hush-puppy) http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/article1076567.ece

Also, just realised ive probably rambled on a bit, forgive me- im ill on new years eve

blue_monkey_2

zenseeker wrote: »

Even 7 yr old have nipples that can benefit from padding to hide them from view of perverts, it's more for a sense of discretion that an attempt to sexualise a minor.

I've been following this thread having a 6 year old myself and this post has left me kind of speechless really. All children have nipples, not just 7 year olds - even babies have them. At what age does it become 'appropriate' to cover them up with a bra or make a CHILD feel so self concious about their bodies that they need to cover them up?? I would hate to think that by next year my daughter was wanting to hide her body from the fear of a pervert seeing her. An adult is the only one that can instill this fear into a childs mind in my opinion!!

We can spend all of our days trying to hide our kids from people we deem as potential perverts but then we'd never let them out of the house god forbid going to the beach and going to the pool. Let's face it, if someone was that much of a pervert they'd only have to take a trip to the beach or local swimming pool, not perving at kids out shopping with their parents who are probably well dressed for this weather and nothing on show anyway.

I am going to pop into BHS out of interest when I am next in town. FOr the people who are saying that 7 year olds that develop earlier, this usually means that a child is overweight and usually they do not fit into usual sized clothes so the age on the hanger would not fit the child in question anyway. Once I've seen (after the kids are back at school though) I'll let you know if my local one has them.

ETA: Bratz dolls are being discontinued now so maybe this is one thing to be thankful for! Our kids are not want to going to look like a Bratz doll at the local disco.

krissy08

I am going to write in since I saw them myself but to put another twist to the discussion, I was actually looking for a 32C unpadded bra near impossible, even the DDs AND !!!!!! are padded, the ones I did eventually find look like they are from the stone age. I was actually told by the sales assistant in 2 big highstreet chains that women prefer padded bras-I don't! Is it true then ladies, whatever does this say about us and the way we feel about ourselves.

blue_monkey_2

Krissy, this is true. I sell lingerie and most of the smaller sized underwear is padded or has gel inserts. There has been one range introduced selling just teenage bras - non wired and no or very little padding, and it did not last very long as no-one wanted them and no-one wanted to pay £10-12 for them. There is a company called Royce that sells underwired and unpadded bras, obviously not as cheap as the high street: www.royce-lingerie.co.uk but you get what you pay for in my opinion. There are another couple of companies that sell non-wired but the choice is very limited. If anyone wants more advice on the styles in their size I am happy to help you find these, just drop me a PM and I'll point you in the right direction if I can, just do not expect very cheap bras as they are all branded so around the £15+ mark. I sell very few non-wired myself but I can tell you who stocks them if that helps you find what you need.