This makes me want to cry... [Archive] - Baby Bargains & Baby 411 Community

SnuggleBuggles

04-03-2008, 01:31 PM

(Also because I believe you have to keep them hungry; if they are wearing nail polish at 3, what are they going to want to do at 13?)

I don't really have a strong opinion either way on this but my SIL and brother have a different attitude...let them do this stuff when they are young so they get it out of their system. If they feel like it is OK then they won't need to "rebel" or whatever when they are older. Their kids are 15 and 14 and it actually seems to be working. They were allowed to dye their hair funky colors when they were younger but now don't really want to. (They live in Oakland, CA so there is a bit of a different level of acceptance for hair and clothes, even in young ones.)

OP_ you are right, at that age they shouldn't be worried about that stuff!

Beth

egoldber

04-03-2008, 01:52 PM

This is why I am soooooo happy Sarah remains happy to watch Teletubbies and Sesame Street with Amy instead of Hanna Montana and HSM.

ETA: I don't think there's anything "wrong" with those shows, I just think it encourages little girls to grow up even faster in a world where they are already growing up so fast anyway!

ellies mom

04-03-2008, 02:13 PM

My DD has beautiful curly hair, she doesn't get to watch Hanna Montana and she still wants Hannah Montana hair. It just breaks my heart.

JillSP

04-03-2008, 02:18 PM

I don't really have a strong opinion either way on this but my SIL and brother have a different attitude...let them do this stuff when they are young so they get it out of their system. If they feel like it is OK then they won't need to "rebel" or whatever when they are older. Their kids are 15 and 14 and it actually seems to be working. They were allowed to dye their hair funky colors when they were younger but now don't really want to. (They live in Oakland, CA so there is a bit of a different level of acceptance for hair and clothes, even in young ones.)

OP_ you are right, at that age they shouldn't be worried about that stuff!

Beth

Oh, my kids can do gender-neutral rebelling, but we aren't doing "girl" things (nail polish, makeup) until we are at an appropriate age. I have the benefit of being at the tail-end of more than 4 dozen first cousins and some of them have grandchildren older than mine.

Based on my observation of my gene pool, if I keep tight leash on the girl stuff there is at least a chance my girls will turn out OK. I'm not saying they will turn out OK, it is just that there will be a chance.

If I let them get sucked into the age-compression vortex, there is pretty much no hope. It is the girl-specific stuff at inapprorpriate ages that I object to. Doing wacky stuff to their hair is negotiable.

Sugar Magnolia

04-03-2008, 02:34 PM

Did I read correctly...girls as young as 6!?!

Oh my.

boolady

04-03-2008, 02:35 PM

citymama

04-03-2008, 02:49 PM

s_gosney

04-03-2008, 02:53 PM

This topic is on my mind a lot too as my dd has started getting into all things girly herself. She's always commenting on how her friends will love/ be so impressed with her new dress, etc. To see her and the other 4 y/o girls talking, you'd really think they were much older. And those girls have enlightened her as to the greatness of Hanna Montana, HSM, too. <sigh> It's so amazing how powerful peers can be at such a young age. Because if you saw me, you'd see that I'm not her inspiration to look all put together every day! :)

Even worse though, last weekend dd announced that she and I were going to get married because we loved each other, so I needed to get in my wedding clothes. Oh and that she is the princess and I am the queen. Fine. Then she proceeds to tell me that we need daddy to get married with us too because we need a prince to "do everything for us." :47: I'm pretty sure I have no one but disney to thank for that one (which I try to shield her from but can only do so much) because there sure is no man around here doing everything for us. I love dh, but he's no super man/knight in shining armor type. ;)

Anyway, rant over. I'm sure this issue will just get harder as dd gets older. It is really hard to know how to deal with it...come down really conservative until a later age or let them experiment all along.

Sherri
dd 10/03
ds edd 05/08

Emmas Mom

04-03-2008, 03:04 PM

I'm not sure how I feel about this. If I remember correctly I had my first perm when I was 10 or 11. Granted there was NOTHING cute about it....I think my brother dubbed me "frizz bomb". :ROTFLMAO: I've painted our older DD's toe nails before & don't think there's anything wrong with it. I think it's cute, she loves it, DH thinks it's cute. To each his/her own. Now I don't think I'd be taking either of our girls for eye brow waxes or bikini waxes until they are teenagers...if then (I find it hard to believe the 8 year old in that article HAS anything to wax, but hey....I could be wrong). I mean, I've never had a bikini wax but I've thought about it. If they want highlights (or something of that nature) when their older, well, we'll sit down as a family & discuss it. And then we'll decide. I've learned to never say never, especially when it comes to something that we hopefully won't have to deal with for years. I remember for years (before I had kids) thinking that those "leashes" parents put on their little ones were akin to treating their kids like animals. Now my philosophy is "better on a leash than the back of a milk carton" (got that from someone on this board!). I hope I can be open minded enough to talk to our girls about things like this & hopefully make them see they don't NEED this stuff to be beautiful, if their friends are doing it they either A. don't have to do everything their friends do or B. need to really look at whether or not these are REAL friends, and that I am willing to try to understand and listen to their wishes.

StantonHyde

04-03-2008, 03:08 PM

I save my outrage for the fact that young girls are now getting breast implants, lipo etc. What freaking parent allows that??? Probably people who are caught up in their own appearance issues.

I don't care about nail polish. She rarely asks for it. Right now, she just loves to wear her princess dresses everywhere. I have no issues with hair dye and styles--as part of being your own person/rebelling/whatever. I do have issues if it is that DD feels she is ugly and needs to be "fixed". I don't care about clothes as long as my son doesn't look like a potential criminal or whatever else will be big when he is 16. DD just cannot look like she is working a street corner. And no offensive tshirts! Other than that, stomp around in the combat boots with your hat on backwards.

I draw my line at piercings and tattoos. My kids can have up to 2 piercings in each ear and that is it. NO tattoos. When they are 18 and spend their own money, that's a different story. This comes largely from health care concerns with aesthetics being a close second.

God only knows what we will face when our kids are 16. DH's biggest fear is that as piercings and tattoos become the norm, what will they think of next?

mommy111

04-03-2008, 03:24 PM

brittone2

04-03-2008, 03:48 PM

I think this is all part of the movement to push sexuality and teen/preteen stuff down to younger and younger children in an effort to profit from them. I'm very anti-marketing to children, and a few books I've read (Buy Buy Baby, Consuming Kids, etc.) have discussed how the marketing companies are specifically trying to push down those interests once held by teens to children as young as 5-6 years old. Those books discuss how in many places is no longer acceptable to play with dolls when girls are as young as 7 or 8 (or they do it and keep it private from friends). At that age it is already becoming about the clothes, makeup, hair, boys, cell phones, music, electronics, etc.

I have one niece that started getting eyebrows waxed right around when she was 9-10 years old. Another niece started w/ highlights and dying her hair by 10ish (and this was going from brown to platinum blond and back again over and over, with her mom financing it all).

The other tragic thing is that frankly, I couldn't afford that type of maintenance on a routine basis as an adult. (or the time!). By starting young girls off with the concept that they need to redo/fix/alter every single thing about themselves, I think it sticks in their psyche that they need to "maintain" themselves. What happens when they hit college and beyond? Do mom and dad keep paying for all of that maintenance? How likely is it that they'll be able to afford it as a young person starting out in the world? Will they just rack up credit card debt because highlights, expensive haircuts, etc. are just the "norm" and not a luxury? Or can they not afford it and then have issues w/ no longer being able to support themselves leading the lifestyle they grew up with? My brother is going through a separation right now and he and my SIL are having major, major financial issues. Yet he's supposed to continue to pay for her monthly $150 haircut and highlights when their house is about to be foreclosed on. (and pay for her lease on her BMW SUV, etc.)

I went to a relatively expensive private university and I saw a lot of this...college aged students given very expensive SUVs, etc. by their parents, but going into professions like teaching where they were unlikely to become very wealthy. What happens once they are own their own? Do they keep the lifestyle up using credit cards? Do they let it go but feel like they aren't "good enough" or successful enough because they can't maintain the lifestyle they grew up with? Do they choose a profession that they aren't as happy pursuing simply because it will afford them the lifestyle to which they are accustomed? Or do mom and dad keep paying the bills, possibly undermining feelings of self satisfaction and independence?

I think that personal dissatisfaction like this is why we have a depressed, addicted, financially crunched society sporting loads of CC debt. And now they are pushing it down on children at an earlier and earlier age, breeding that consumerism as early as possible.

Don't get me wrong, I think in small doses some of this stuff is okay, but the overall trend saddens me deeply.

ahrimie

04-03-2008, 03:52 PM

Yuck! My big concern also is how a lot of the stuff that we're getting/buying is sexualizing girls. I was looking for a swimsuit for DD last week. It seemed like all the swimsuits out there exposed a LOT of skin and were cut in a very 'adult' way. I don't care if my DD wants to dress up and 'look pretty' in a ruffled dress. I do care if the dress has a cut that approximates the appearance of boobs in a 4 year old!

this is soo true! my friend was telling me last summer how her 2 little girls (kindergarten and preschool age at the time) told her no one else at the pool had bathing suits like them. they happened to have 1 piece suits while all the other little girls had bikinis. it's so amazing (and sad) how kids that age notice things like that!

for me, it's not the noticing that bothers me.. because i think noticing differences is kind of normal. i remember noticing in kindergarten that i didn't have blond hair and it looked so beautiful to me (i'm asian so i have dark hair). but what bothers me is that these little girls dress like hoochie mamas: tight shirts, cropped tops... there are kids at my church dressed like this!

lizajane

04-03-2008, 05:11 PM

Then she proceeds to tell me that we need daddy to get married with us too because we need a prince to "do everything for us." :47:

HA HA HA HA!!! clearly, she has NO idea of what REAL men actually do!!! i do EVERYTHING around here except pay bills!

Piglet

04-03-2008, 05:45 PM

It is really sad on so many levels, I can't quite put it into words. I remember my own childhood and I was so oblivious to fashion, even though the other girls were into it. I played with the neighbourhood boys and never had close girl friends unless they too were tomboys. Am I naive to think that we might be okay since DD will have 2 older brothers around her? The few girls I know that had older brothers all were into sports and not into girly-girl fashion. Wishful thinking, right?

niccig

04-03-2008, 05:58 PM

I live in Los Angeles, and when I rarely go for a pedicure (maybe 1 or 2x a year), there are always very young girls, maybe 5 or 6, there with their mothers. I'm always surprised. Now we painted our nails at home, and I know friends' DDs to the same in a playful way, but to go to a salon and pay $30-40 for the experience - I think it's too much for a 5 or 6 yo.

Like others have said, if that's their life at 5, what will they want at 13? And the cost involved to keep up your certain look. I know image is an issue for boys, but it doesn't seem as much, and again I am thankful for having a DS. I didn't grow up in a culture where image and looks were so important, and I know I will have difficulty dealing with a girl that wants to hang out at the mall and be dressed to the nines. I see 13yo that more put together than I am!

Rayray24

04-04-2008, 02:25 PM

I just wanted to add WOW! I mean I get my dd's hair cut and we do the "girly" thing and paint our nails and I will put makeup on her (u know light brown eyeshadow, and lipgloss) but to have her hair highlighted at 6??? I can't even think about that. I know the only reason she wants the nail polish and makeup is b/c she see's mommy doing it, but she only wants me to do it once in a while. I can't even think about when she is a little older and wanting a wax or hair dye! I will probably go crazy!

~~Jennie~~:yay:

MartiesMom2B

04-04-2008, 05:37 PM

[QUOTE=StantonHyde]I save my outrage for the fact that young girls are now getting breast implants, lipo etc. What freaking parent allows that??? Probably people who are caught up in their own appearance issues.
/QUOTE]

I'm kind of on the same line as this. I don't see nailpolish as the path to hell. In fact I'm using it as an incentive for DD1 to stop sucking her thumb.

My girls have the makings of a unibrow. What am I supposed to say, "I'm sorry you are going to have to tough it out and look like Bert until you are 16" No, if she complains about it when she's 11 or 12, I'll hand her some tweezers and help her out.

She can wear mascara and clear lip gloss/balm when she's 13 and if she wants some subtle highlights at 13 she can have them too.

kransden

04-05-2008, 01:27 AM

this is soo true! my friend was telling me last summer how her 2 little girls (kindergarten and preschool age at the time) told her no one else at the pool had bathing suits like them. they happened to have 1 piece suits while all the other little girls had bikinis. it's so amazing (and sad) how kids that age notice things like that!

All my dd has is bikinis. They were just so much easier to go to the bathroom in, but I agree with you it is hard to find decent ones. We usually buy ours from the Disney Store.

kransden

04-05-2008, 01:39 AM

I live in Los Angeles, and when I rarely go for a pedicure (maybe 1 or 2x a year), there are always very young girls, maybe 5 or 6, there with their mothers. I'm always surprised. Now we painted our nails at home, and I know friends' DDs to the same in a playful way, but to go to a salon and pay $30-40 for the experience - I think it's too much for a 5 or 6 yo.

Look at it another way. You're working 40+ hours a week in a stressful job. You get your nails done as a little "me" time. You love your child, but honestly you hardly see her and she begs to go with you to the salon. So you both go to the nail salon and she gets her nails done while you get yours done. They will do a french manicure, a pretty pink or whatever crazy color your dd wants. So you both have a little fun and some bonding time. Maybe do a little lunch and stop by the store on the way home. Beats staying at home watching the tv. :) Sure there are better ways to spend your Sat. but at least they are doing something together.

Ceepa

04-05-2008, 09:25 AM

I agree with the title of the post. It all makes me so sad. :(

I had the best time having a fairly "gender-neutral childhood." I was a girl who loved my poncho and my necklaces from Avon, but the idea of having salon visits?? Are you kidding me?

Ceepa

04-05-2008, 09:28 AM

All my dd has is bikinis. They were just so much easier to go to the bathroom in, but I agree with you it is hard to find decent ones. We usually buy ours from the Disney Store.

We use a rash guard and bottoms. Easier for diaper changes like you said, but more coverage. (I'm insane about sun exposure). Thank goodness companies are now putting out really cute ones!

elizabethkott

04-05-2008, 09:55 AM

If it helps...
I teach a hs theatre class that is all girls (12 of them, ranging in ages from 15-18). We recently began a project that involves them researching issues specific to young women in American society, such as low self-esteem, weight related issues, eating disorders, teen pregnancy, abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc.
In the course of our conversations, they have expressed EXTREME distress at seeing how their younger counterparts at the junior high dress, behave, and conduct themselves. And they are appalled at what they see some of their younger sisters doing/being exposed to at the elementary school.
So there are some young women out there who take issue with the same things that are appalling to us "grown ups".
:D
They are now refocusing their project to be a way to comment on the image put out there by celebrities and the effects celebrity obsession has on young women in America.
Some days, I love that class! Other days, they're 12 high school girls, kwim? LOL!

citymama

04-07-2008, 03:00 AM

I don't see nailpolish as the path to hell.
I definitely didn't mean this as offensive to anyone! I do think there's difference between a kid doing occasional "dress-up" - nail painting or Olivia-like lipstick smearing - to imitate mom or play act or feel grown up for a few minutes. It's not so different from your kid walking around in your high heels (not that I own any!) or dad's boots.

I see this article and the Philly mag. article posted by another poster as reflecting a completely different trend . These articles tell the story of young girls feeling the need to grow up very, very quickly - many years sooner than they're emotionally ready for - and feeling the need to communicate that grown-upness to the world through their physical appearance, whether make-up, $300 hairstyles, bikini waxes or nose jobs. And it pains me to think of children having to give up their childhoods and take on the schlockiest aspects of the adult world at such an early age.

Maybe I'm being old-fashioned and nostalgic, but I'm with Brittone, Piglet, Ceepa and the others who can recall their more gender-neutral childhoods as happy times, and hope that our girls will not feel these kinds of pressures in 5 or 10 years (or sooner!).

brittone2

04-07-2008, 08:06 AM

ITA w/ your above post, Citymama!

I don't think nailpolish paves the road to hell :) I had a bikini when I was 4 or 5 (I have seen the pictures LOL).

What bothers me is the overall trend. It isn't *just* one or two grownup things for these young girls, but rather the entire trend of growing up too fast. It is the pressures to want makeup instead of toys by age 8, to not just get the occasional manicure with mom, but to get the whole menu of salon services at a very early age. For me, it is the pushing down of teen/tween interests on very young children in order to push them into more adult (and expensive!) things like electronics (MP3 players, cell phones, etc.).

When one or two authors of the kid marketing books went undercover at the various marketing conferences, they found these companies are *deliberately* targeting younger and younger children with teen/tween products and services. This is what bothers me. For me, it isn't about whether a mom chooses to paint her DD's fingernails or not, but it is about the overall trend which is that girls should want and feel the need for all of these teen/adult products and services.

I grew up with 4 older brothers. I collected tadpoles and crayfish in the backyard creek. I don't remember even being brand aware before 5th grade or so? In high school, grunge was in and my friends and I wore flannel shirts and jeans ;) My neighbor and I played Barbies until we were in 6th grade.

I don't think it is the individual haircuts, manicures, etc. that are a problem. My issue is the push of increasingly younger children into adult interests by savvy marketing people and the society that follows that marketing.

MartiesMom2B

04-07-2008, 08:50 AM

I hope you didn't think that I took offense to that. I do get where you are coming from. I skimmed the first article and I thought it was geared more towards the tween age (11-12) and age around the beginning of middle school when I did start to experiment with light makeup (except for my purple wet n wild lipstick) and getting horrendous 80's perms and trying to feather out my hair. Under that age it's

I do have to say that I do draw lines. DD1 has a 6 year old friend who is enamored with Hannah Montana has "play" makeup. I do try to limit the time that my daughter spends with her because I feel that her friend is trying to grow up too soon and informed my daughter that she needs a boyfriend when she's in highschool. But I will let her watch H.M. once in a while and she does like High School Musical. She also loves My Little Pony, Sesame Street, and this morning insisted on watching Barney.

However, Beth, I am guilty of letting her have her own on playlist on DH's Ipod and letting her watch shows on it too. ;) There's only so much of kid music that I can take in the car on a long trip.

brittone2

04-07-2008, 08:57 AM

However, Beth, I am guilty of letting her have her own on playlist on DH's Ipod and letting her watch shows on it too. ;) There's only so much of kid music that I can take in the car on a long trip.

Oh, DS uses our iPods and listens to all kinds of music, including our adult music :) I guess I was trying to convey that IMO marketers are trying to replace young kids' interest in toys w/ increasingly expensive electronic products, etc. instead of toys. My MP3 player comment was about marketers pushing kids to have their own instead of wanting a toy, kwim? IMO the overall trend is that fewer kids play with toys like they used to, and are more into nailpolish, makeup, expensive electronics instead of toys, and I don't think those interests are necessarily self-generated, but are instead generated by the media's push of teen/tween stuff onto increasingly younger children.

I had the horrible perm in 5th grade, and used Bonne Belle lipsmackers and all of that stuff. I just think the trend is to do more and more of it, at increasingly younger ages. ETA: It is the whole "cradle to the grave" push of marketers to develop brand allegiance at earlier and earlier ages, and the whole consumer-drive in even young children so they'll continue to consume, consume, consume that drives me crazy.

ETA: Marketing to toddlers through teens:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/14/fyi/main2798401.shtml

Boston Globe on Protecting Children from Marketers' Clutches (viral marketing, etc. covered)
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/family/articles/2004/09/30/protecting_kids_from_marketers_clutches/

Ads and Kids:
http://www.mediachannel.org/atissue/consumingkids/index.shtml

Marketing to Tweens, "alphas" in groups
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/14/earlyshow/living/parenting/main2798400.shtml

KBecks

04-07-2008, 09:22 AM

When I just read the article you attached from the NYT, it was like deja vu, because I just read this at home last night...girls without any hair to speak of getting everything in the world waxed and getting dermabrasion, etc.

It really is sickening. Hope the link works.

http://www.phillymag.com/./articles/pretty_babies/

OMG, bikini waxing an 8 year old? It's sick. Dermabrasion on a tween?
The poor girls.

I don't have girls, and sometimes I am so thankful for it. I believe if I have a girl, she will be digging up worms and playing in puddles just like my boys. This pretty $&*# is just too much to take. I'm frankly glad it doesn't seem in vogue at all around here. Mothers save their spa money for themselves for the most part. I'm happy I see our senior high school babysitter without makeup and playing kickball in the park with her friends in the summer.

My mom took me in for my first perm at age 5 and I still resent it.

KBecks

04-07-2008, 09:27 AM

I save my outrage for the fact that young girls are now getting breast implants, lipo etc. What freaking parent allows that??? Probably people who are caught up in their own appearance issues.

I don't care about nail polish. She rarely asks for it. Right now, she just loves to wear her princess dresses everywhere. I have no issues with hair dye and styles--as part of being your own person/rebelling/whatever. I do have issues if it is that DD feels she is ugly and needs to be "fixed". I don't care about clothes as long as my son doesn't look like a potential criminal or whatever else will be big when he is 16. DD just cannot look like she is working a street corner. And no offensive tshirts! Other than that, stomp around in the combat boots with your hat on backwards.

I draw my line at piercings and tattoos. My kids can have up to 2 piercings in each ear and that is it. NO tattoos. When they are 18 and spend their own money, that's a different story. This comes largely from health care concerns with aesthetics being a close second.

I am with you.... the thing that makes me nuts about these stories is that some mothers seem to be pushing these treatments on their daughters? How unhealthy is that? The mom of the 8 year old wants that bikini wax, not the 8 year old --- the poor girl! What is this going to do to her self-image?

I'm not that worried about finding balance in our family, we may allow some things, we may pay for a little, but if the requests are too much we'll have no problems setting limits and expectations.

mommy111

04-07-2008, 09:36 AM

We use a rash guard and bottoms. Easier for diaper changes like you said, but more coverage. (I'm insane about sun exposure). Thank goodness companies are now putting out really cute ones!

That is what initially annoyed the heck out of me re bikinis, I am a freak re sun exposure and was trying to find a swimsuit with as much coverage as possible.....and realized that whereas last year I was able to find rash guards with pants for DD at fairly mainstream places (Disney store), now I can only get short sleeve rash guard shirts with shorts, not the swim pants, unless I go to a horrendously expensive specialty website. Not meaning to hijack the post, but where do you find your rash guards? (we've looked at Carter's and Disney with some success but no swim pants there)

KBecks

04-07-2008, 10:35 AM

Look at it another way. You're working 40+ hours a week in a stressful job. You get your nails done as a little "me" time. You love your child, but honestly you hardly see her and she begs to go with you to the salon. So you both go to the nail salon and she gets her nails done while you get yours done. They will do a french manicure, a pretty pink or whatever crazy color your dd wants. So you both have a little fun and some bonding time. Maybe do a little lunch and stop by the store on the way home. Beats staying at home watching the tv. :) Sure there are better ways to spend your Sat. but at least they are doing something together.

I think this kind of thing is perfectly OK, as a treat, once in a while.

Where I think it can get dangerous is if mom is hauling her daughter to the salon every week or twice a month, or if mom and daughter's only together time is about shopping and salons. And unfortunately, I think it can get that superficial for some families.

It's very important for moms and daughters to explore other interests together, there is so much more to life. As long as it is in perspective/balance, shopping and salons are perfectly acceptable now and then.
---------------
The bikini wax on an 8 year old still freaks me out. I can't help but wonder about how this impacts a young girl's feelings about sexuality. Does a mom who pushes her daughter to get a hairless crotch also expect her daughter to be a "success" with boys in high school? I don't know, but the connection comes to mind. It is so sick and sad.

EXPECTINGMAY

04-07-2008, 11:38 AM

OMG, bikini waxing an 8 year old? It's sick. Dermabrasion on a tween?
The poor girls.

These moms are insane as far as I'm concerned. It should be illegal to force an 8 yr old to have a bikini wax. I truly find it SICK!!!!! I remember BEGGING my mom for permission to shave my legs at 11 yrs old. I think she caved after about 6 months to a year.

This is just sick though. I can't even imagine taking an innocent & pure 8 year old & violating her by having someone rip at the sensitive skin surrounding her genitals. Absolutely insane!!!!! I consider this to be child abuse.

I am open to 12 yo girls having certain things done like mani/pedi & certain hair treatments but microdermabrasion is just nuts!

Ceepa

04-07-2008, 04:18 PM

That is what initially annoyed the heck out of me re bikinis, I am a freak re sun exposure and was trying to find a swimsuit with as much coverage as possible.....and realized that whereas last year I was able to find rash guards with pants for DD at fairly mainstream places (Disney store), now I can only get short sleeve rash guard shirts with shorts, not the swim pants, unless I go to a horrendously expensive specialty website. Not meaning to hijack the post, but where do you find your rash guards? (we've looked at Carter's and Disney with some success but no swim pants there)

We picked up some Lands End suits (50 UPF) last year. I bought them a bit big for two reasons: better value to wear for more than one season, a looser fit for DC. DD, in particular, has short legs so I just bought the long shorts for her and they're like little pants. LE does have capris, though, in the rash guard material:
http://www.landsend.com/pp/QuickdryingCapriPants~164092_1187.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::BFU&CM_MERCH=IDX_00004__0000000421&origin=index

LE Web page with all girls swimsuits (incl. long-sleeve rash guards):
http://www.landsend.com/ix/girls-clothing/Girls/Swimwear/index.html?seq=1~2~3&catNumbers=400~421&visible=1~2~1&store=le&sort=Recommended&pageSize=72&tab=4

My recent One Step Ahead catalog also had some rash guards but didn't look like full sleeves/pants:
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/thumbnail.jsp?siteId=117&parentCategoryId=85179&subCategoryId=117287&Nty=1&categoryId=86182&view=10000

Maybe later in the season chain stores like target, TCP will have better selection?

**Jo posted a FS code for LE yesterday**
http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=290977&highlight=lands

TahliasMom

04-07-2008, 05:43 PM

the articles are such a sad reminder of how society is trying to rob our children of their childhood so they can line their own pockets. a lot of stems from the mom's insecurities and it's such a vicious cycle. i dont wax any part of my body and I would not wish it on anyone. I shave my legs, get manis/pedis once in a while and highlight my hair. I wear makeup for work only. i tell dd it's a grown up thing for work. she does do pretend makeup with me and i have gotten her some brushes and hair stuff (all generic). ocassionally she will get her nails painted but it's rare.

yes i have noticed and complained loudly since last year, the hoochie mama shorts, halter tops and tiny bikinis. dd wears once piece or rash guards. this year i found some at target but ended up buying them from the toddler section (4T-5T's) as the ones in the girls section were tight and didn't cover the belly. yes the ones there were short sleeved and had bikini bottoms but at least they covered everything. what is the point of a rash guard then if ur belly is exposed? i am also goign to buy some from lands end!

I also shop consignment stores for dd's stores, or places like Naartjie and Hanna. I refuse to support the hoochie mama industry!

This spills over also in grocery shopping as i avoid logo stores and shop at Trader Joes, Whole Foods and farmers markets. At home I record tv so dd gets zero commercials and I migth catch one or two.

~

growing up, my family and I were probably the marketing people's worst nightmare. i was a tobmoy growing up and didn't get a fashion sense until late in college. i wasn't allowed to wear makeup until 18 and i could care less. i still resisted the trends and migrated towards the classics. I might get a piece here and there but I stay away from trends. I dont have the desire to keep up with the "johns"

mommy111

04-08-2008, 08:58 AM

We picked up some Lands End suits (50 UPF) last year. I bought them a bit big for two reasons: better value to wear for more than one season, a looser fit for DC. DD, in particular, has short legs so I just bought the long shorts for her and they're like little pants. LE does have capris, though, in the rash guard material:
http://www.landsend.com/pp/QuickdryingCapriPants~164092_1187.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::BFU&CM_MERCH=IDX_00004__0000000421&origin=index

LE Web page with all girls swimsuits (incl. long-sleeve rash guards):
http://www.landsend.com/ix/girls-clothing/Girls/Swimwear/index.html?seq=1~2~3&catNumbers=400~421&visible=1~2~1&store=le&sort=Recommended&pageSize=72&tab=4

My recent One Step Ahead catalog also had some rash guards but didn't look like full sleeves/pants:
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/thumbnail.jsp?siteId=117&parentCategoryId=85179&subCategoryId=117287&Nty=1&categoryId=86182&view=10000

Maybe later in the season chain stores like target, TCP will have better selection?

**Jo posted a FS code for LE yesterday**
http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=290977&highlight=lands

Oooh, thank you, thank you, thank you! Those are so cute! DD will be all set for the summer and maybe I can order some at the end of the summer for next year!