We had a sleep over. It was so much fun. The girls played the Xbox "Just Dance," watched "A Dolphin Tale" and ate a ton of junk food. They stayed up late giggling and asking, "Who farted?" They danced to random music, played Monopoly and Sorry. All in all? A great success.
All totally age appropriate activities.
Then I found a satiny blue, padded bra. Like I would wear. Only child sized. And the child? Doesn't need a bra. By any stretch of the imagination.
I did a little freaking out in my head.
Even if your third grader needs a bra (and yes, there may be some who do) why on earth would you buy her a blue satin padded one?
Tell me. Explain it to me. Because all I see is that you are continuing to sex up our little girls.
I got my first bra in fourth grade - not far off from third. And it was a plain white training bra. Not sexy. Pretty? Sure. White with a little pink bow in the middle that I just had to have. But sexy? No way. Why? I was nine, possibly ten.
And padded? Seriously? I'm sickened all over again. So we're creating breasts where there aren't any.
I do not understand the constant need to sex up our little girls. I do not. It's just wrong and completely inappropriate. Let them be young. Violet is soon going to need a bra for the rest of her life. Why start when she doesn't even need it? And why sexy?
It saddens me.
Its moments like this that make me grateful for having boys. Btw, totally agre with your view point.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely agree with you on this one!
ReplyDeleteUgh. Ugh ugh ugh.
ReplyDeleteYou know how I feel on this. My goodness.
I was in 5th grade and got a cotton, almost sports bra. Heck - it was almost a tanktop.
*sigh*
My gut tells me that it was a girl who wanted to "show off," but I have no idea where she would have gotten it - and, yeah, it makes me sad that someone might have given it to her.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that she went someplace & purchased it for herself?
I'm, obviously, far removed from the psyche of a 9 year old girl . . . but I'm trying to put myself in her shoes - as I can't put myself into a grown-up's shoes where that might be a good idea (unless, maybe, she has a split parent situation, and she talked her dad into it?)
Egads. I'm becoming more and more terrified as my almost-5 year old girls get older...
ReplyDeleteI'm going to play devil's advocate here. I recall getting my first bra was a somewhat traumatic experience (especially since I was the first in my group of friends) so I'm guessing that perhaps the mom (or stepmom, which has its own set of devil's advocate explanations) convinced the girl to buy one by saying she could choose the prettiest one. And we all know how girls like sparkly, pretty things, right?
The padded thing? A close friend of mine is so tiny she doesn't need a bra. But she wears a padded one to cover her nipples. I'm sure there are 9 year olds out there that are self-conscious about their nipples showing, even if they don't need a bra, per se.
Just my two cents. :-)
That's horrible! I dread all of that, but seriously? My kid isn't getting some cutesy fancy stuff. Plain old cotton. PLAIN OLD COTTON. No padding. Ay ay ay.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on some of the things, except this girl truly doesn't need one. She wasn't wearing another one, so I could tell. I like a padded bra, too, for a small woman. But I hear what you are saying.
ReplyDeleteViolet and I have since talked, and it was hers (the girls). It's what she usually wears. It is a split situation, but still. Violet has another friend who has the typical white, plain training bra and I really think that's ok. But I'm being all kinds of judgey, I know.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Branson. It's a little scary sometimes, parenting, isn't it?
ReplyDeletelol, thanks Karen. But your boys will get you, just wait! :)
ReplyDeleteViolet and I talked about this, and that's what she'll be getting she knows now. But I'd rather she didn't realize that blue satin one was an option.
ReplyDelete[...] here I was all Judgey McJudgerson about bra’s and 3rd graders. [...]
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