There are those times when brands get it so right — like when, Target created an adaptive line of apparel for children with special needs— but this is not one of them.
Parents are in an uproar about a particular item of clothing. Before you think to yourself, maybe they’re overreacting, you need to see the slogan.
Designed for girls as young as 3, the dress is emblazoned with the words “I'm sexy and I know it.” The frightening frock was listed on Australian shopping site OZSALE.
The item sparked controversy when it was posted on the Facebook group Let Clothes Be Clothes, a community of parents seeking design and marketing reform for children’s clothing in the UK.
Backlash was swift — and justifiably so.
One user commented: “I'm sorry what?? Someone thought this was a good idea for child's dress.....there are no words.”
Another wrote: “I can’t imagine what sort of parent would actually buy this dress for their child, let alone why whoever designed it thought it was acceptable.”
But this poignant response, perhaps, sums it up the best: “We sexualize little girls and then wonder at the problems women face in terms of image, Self-esteem, self-worth, equality in the workplace, victims of misogyny etc etc etc. And I have to blame the parents who actually buy stuff like this or allow their children to wear it.”
On Friday, the dress was listed as sold out, but it’s unclear if parents actually purchased it or it was removed from the site.