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French lingerie line for little girls: Cute? Or creepy?

A new line of French lingerie geared at 4- to 12-year-olds has us wondering: What is up with this whole tramp-ification of little girls trend?Seems that lately we’ve been inundated with news about clothing that sexualizes young girls.Remember those Abercrombie push-up bikini tops for the 7 to 8 year old set? And then there was a study of retailers that found that one-third of clothes marketed to
Do these young girls modeling a line of French lingerie look cute? Or do their poses cross the line?
Do these young girls modeling a line of French lingerie look cute? Or do their poses cross the line?jours-apres-lunes.com / Today

A new line of French lingerie geared at 4- to 12-year-olds has us wondering: What is up with this whole tramp-ification of little girls trend?

Seems that lately we’ve been inundated with news about clothing that sexualizes young girls.

Remember those Abercrombie push-up bikini tops for the 7 to 8 year old set? And then there was a study of retailers that found that one-third of clothes marketed to tween girls had a “sexy” style. There were stories about high heels for little girls. And what about Thylane Loubry Blondeau, the 10-year-old model, who was made to look well beyond her years in risqué shots in Vogue Paris?

Even on a recent back-to-school shopping excursion with my tween, I was surprised to see extra-padded, push-up style bras in a department store kids’ section for 7 to 12 year olds.

I reiterate: What is up? 

The French lingerie in question is a line called Jours Apres Lunes, which Fashionista.com describes as “the first designer brand dedicated to ‘loungerie’ for children and teenagers, comprised of loungewear and lingerie to be worn over and under, inside and outside.”

Now, there’s nothing wrong with pretty undergarments for girls of any age. (After all, at some point the littles do need to graduate from those handy days-of-the-week panties.)

What’s disturbing about Jours Apres Lunes is the way the young girls who model the line are styled, with big, teased, bedroom hair, pearls over bras, and come-hither expressions. Yes, the girls seem to be at a slumber party. But looking at the photos makes you feel like a voyeur watching something you shouldn't be.

Lose the bee-hives and the seductive poses, and you are left with little girls in black polka dot tops, striped camisoles and lace-trimmed bottoms that are pretty cute.

And isn’t cute a much more apropos description of little girls than sexy? 

What do you think? Are the girls featured in the Jours Apres Lunes innocent? Or inappropriate?

Kavita Varma-White is a writer, editor and mom of two tweens. In between cheering at numerous soccer and baseball games, she's a contributing editor for TODAY Moms and MSNBC.com.