'Mummies little college sl*t?' Fans divided over kid's line of Harvard clothes
"If a child wants to wear these jackets or skirts, it's harmless. It's only when adults start sexualising children that it becomes an issue," someone said. But others called that argument 'naive'. Please note this article contains sensitive topics.
A popular Australian budget retailer has recently launched a range of Harvard-inspired clothes for kids, featuring everything from varsity jackets to mini skirts.
But not everyone is thrilled about it. In various Facebook groups and forums, heated debate has erupted among parents about the appropriateness of the new line.
The arguments can be broken into three distinct camps; those who are concerned about the sexualisation of kids, those who think people are sl*t-shaming young girls for their clothing choices and those who believe it just doesn't matter. Let's get into it.
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"How is that appropriate for a little girl?"
The conversation kicked off when a mum took to a popular Big W Facebook fan page to share her outrage.
She wrote: "How is that appropriate for a little girl!! Mummies little college sl*t?"
Then she shared a snap of the clothes on the racks, which included mini-skirts, varsity bomber jackets and cropped white t-shirts that included the Harvard logo on the front.
A quick look on the website shows that the range comes in sizes one-seven. And a description of one of the mini-skirts reads: "This Harvard University Mini Skirt will be a great addition to your little one's wardrobe. Featuring a stylish pink and red design, this Harvard-themed skirt is made to be a comfy fit and is great for dressing up or down to create a cute and trendy outfit."
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The potential sexualisation of kids
The post has over 1.1k likes and 200+ comments, and a re-share of the post in another group received a similar amount of engagement.
Those who oppose the range agreed with the original poster that they believed the items are inappropriate for kids to wear.
One commenter remarked, "Actually disturbing to see cropped tops and 'school girl' mini skirts made for children as young as one-year-old." And someone else added, "Sexualising children is a bit f**king WEIRD."
Then another woman chimed in, writing: "It annoys me when women say, 'Don’t sexualise children - it’s just clothing'. I think we need to stop and remember it’s about protecting our children and stop making it about 'women should be able to wear what they want'! Yes, WOMEN should be able to wear what they want - not children!!
"Why a child between the ages of one-seven years old needs to be wearing a university mini skirt and crop is beyond me! And if you don’t find this concerning that society is trying to normalise the grooming of children then… I have no words. The people making these items know exactly what they are doing."
And a lot of people echoed the sentiment that these sorts of clothing lines could attract potential predators.
"We live in a world with child abusers... dressing your small child as bait is wrong," someone claimed.
A different user replied, "If you don't think this is wrong, you’re most likely not a parent and not aware of the realities of the world. There are predators literally everywhere. It is our responsibility to protect our children, particularly girls. To pretend that this outfit doesn’t connote 'sexy school uniform' is simply naive."
Then a third said: "I agree with you. I think you're aware, as I am, that many men (no, not all men) sexualise this. Sure, a kid should be able to wear this and wear this safely without drawing unwanted attention but sadly and disgustingly that's often not the case."
The sl*t-shaming argument
On the other side of the argument are the people suggesting that those who see the clothing as inappropriate are themselves guilty of sexualising children.
One commenter said: "If a child wants to wear these Harvard jackets or skirts, it's harmless. It's only when adults start sexualising children that it becomes an issue."
Then this woman wrote: "So not only as adults do we need to justify 'what we were wearing' as a potential invitation, apparently our kids do as well ? I am horrified at the thought that if my child was dressed in these, people would sexualise her and honestly insinuate that by wearing something like this it would send out a signal to someone to sexualise her."
And a different user mused, "It feels like having a problem with this is just reinforcing the ideas in your head (put there by internalised misogyny) that 'what we wear = how we’re seen and treated', eg 'mummies little college sl*t'. The broader issue is this judgement for what people wear, let alone children. I understand that school/college clothes are often sexualised, however, the issue is with those that sexualise children and shouldn’t be with the clothes they wear or the kids who are exploring fashion."
Then another pointed out: "Let’s not call little kids sl*ts for wearing clothes, okay? Sure, the clothes make me feel uncomfortable but I have to sit with why rather than go straight to sl*t shaming CHILDREN. Does the original commenter walk around a beach calling kids in bikinis sl*ts? There is so much misogyny here. It reeks of, 'girls need to wear longer skirts at school because the boys/male ADULT teachers might feel uncomfortable'.
"Side note. Stop sexualising children of any age. A stomach showing does not make it sexual. A leg showing does not make it sexual. Rape culture needs to be addressed and this post only amplifies it."
Then this user agreed, saying, "Clothing shouldn’t mean anything. That’s like saying rape victims asked for it based on what they were wearing. C'mon."
Lastly, someone emphasised that, "It's the mind of those that think dirty or badly that's the problem!"
"Don't like it, don't buy it"
And then there are those who believe that the uproar over these clothes is overblown. They point out that there's nothing inherently sexual about a Harvard t-shirt or a varsity jacket, so it's up to the individual parent to decide what they're comfortable dressing their child in.
"It's totally appropriate for some. It’s what you raise your kids to be, feel and think. And if that’s the opinion you have then maybe it’s not appropriate for yours," one woman wrote.
And another agreed, commenting: "As a parent, you have the power to choose and you determine how your child dresses. Don't like it, don't buy it. End of story." Then someone else replied, "Personally isn’t something I’d wear or let my daughter wear as I feel it’s inappropriate, however I wouldn’t judge anyone else. I just personally wouldn’t like my child wearing it."
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Originally published as 'Mummies little college sl*t?' Fans divided over kid's line of Harvard clothes
