omg exactly finally some one gets it...this coming froma teen i dont get wat the big deal is i mean dont ppl have better things to complain about like darfur or the government

I have to disagree. I don't think a "tween" should have to worry about attracting a mate. A tween is what between the ages of six and eleven? These are still little girls, they should worry about playing with barbies and playing dress up. I'm not saying they can't have fun. Like playing in their mothers makeup or their older sisters clothes. This is stuff they can do around the house though.

I don't think girls need to grow up so fast and worry about attracting a mate. And I don't think puberty is starting to early. I think it's an excuse people are making up. I admit some girls do start at a very early age but that is still no reason for her to show off the breast that she may develop and try to attract someone. That's something women in their twenty's and teens do.

Please tell me you do not have any children!! Especially not a little girl!!

I am a fairly young mother. I have a nine year old little girl, and I have not reached 30 yet.

Let me tell you I am scared to death about her growing up now. I walk through about any public place with her, and SHE can see what is wrong with they way "girls" are dressing. Why can you not? My nine year old will ask questions like "Why did her parents let her leave the house looking like that?"

We live in an age where sexual crimes are running rampant, and you have to ask why is it not ok for a child the wear provocative clothing? Yea, lets give the crazies more to provoke them.

There is NOTHING sexual about an 11 year old CHILD, and despite what most 16 year olds think there should be NOTHING sexual about teenagers.

What has happened to our society that we can not let a child be a child. We are all in a rush to grow up, therefore we rush the younger generation to grow up also. Life is not a race! We should allow our young to be young. No matter what age puberty hits, it does not mean that the person is mentally able to cope with the responsibility it brings.

Clearly, you are not the parent of a girl - much less three as I am. My girls are all grown up now but I will tell you that, at age 11, I WOULD NEVER allow my daughters to wear anything sexually suggestive and, to this day, they don't as adults. I have never worn anything overtly sexual unless it was in the privacy of my own bedroom. Am I a prude? Hell no! Do I wear sexy clothes? Absolutely but I don't need to advertise anything to anyone and neither do my daughters. They are beautiful, amazingly sexy women who feel secure enough in WHO THEY ARE that they don't need to wear anything that takes away from who they are. You are a pig.

I personally have a 10 yr old girl and yes fashion choices for girls are a problem not only are they to tiny and skimpy and making them look much older and mature then their years reflect. If your girl of pre teen age is dressed in clothes that give her the apperance of being older and are attracting the attention of boys and men without the maturity to handle that kind of attention, I most certainly think its a problem. I have an even harder time finding clothes with appropriate coverage and are stylish because my child was born with HIPS and try to find any kind of jeans or stylish pants to fit is almost impossible. They only make clothes for Barbies that have no figure. It is just short of definite her pants will need some sort of alteration. I find clothing trends disturbing when it comes to my girl and my nieces. Clothes are getting skimpier and more slutty every year and what are we teaching young impressionable girls with these kinds of clothing choices. I want my girl to feel that she is beautiful and attractive, but I don't want her to define her worth by what size of clothes she wears or by the lack of fabric in the article of clothing she wears. I just think this is another symptom of a very unhealthy trend and mind set when it comes to what is skinny or skimpy enough. It all filters down and we are seeing problems everywhere. What as a society are we going to do about it.

i disagree with your last sentence. Although dressing a certain way can be a form of expression, we mostly dress according to the event. Clothes DO cause girls to think of themselves as sexual. A girl has very different feelings from seeing a reflexion of herself in a bikini compared to in a sweatsuit.

I recall walking into a motorcycle shop in San Bernardino to find young girls clothes. You would expect in a large shop like this one to find motorcyle gear with maybe some Fox logo and Roxy, etc. What I found were t-shirts and underwear for a 5-year-old with PORN STAR written on them. The underwear were the worst with a heart in the middle of the crotch with Porn Star. There were also sizes for tweens, but I only mention the 5-year old as an example. Who is she trying to impress, who is going to exactly see her underwear, and it kind of gives you a little insight into the adult mentality of manufacturing something like this. I won't even mention the mentality of the adult buying it for her daughter. She is not exactly at that age getting ready to experience her budding sexuality. I think it is too much too soon. There is so much peer pressure out there for these girls, and they are so way ahead of the boys. I have girls aggressively calling my sons, and they have no clue. When your tween looks like an 18-year-old, and you dress her like one, you have to accept some responsibility for the consequences. Most guys don't ask. My 25-year-old son and his friend hit on a couple of girls at the beach. When one suggested they get some beer, my son got a little more curious about ages. They were 13 years old. They looked 19. They ran. Fast.

Just because girls are starting to reach sexual maturity doesn't mean that they are mentally or emotionally ready for the stigma that goes along with dressy somewhat provactively. Children have their entire lives after childhood to be adults and to be sexual beings. Once they are grown up, they can never get their childhood back. Why not let a child be a child for a few years? During puberty, children need to be taught how to properly become a responsible, intelligent, well-rounded adult. They don't need to be shoved into being a sexual being and being looked at for nothing more than being attractive. When a young girl dresses scantily, that's what happens. It's sad, but that's just how it is and we can't ignore that.

Besides that, would you really want your young daughter being looked at and thought about in a sexual way by an older teenage boy or a grown man? I wouldn't.

A "Tween" girl is only 12 at best. Sex with a 12 year old is illegal.

I don't think we're overreacting at all. True, as humans we are sexual beings...God created us to be. However, modesty is important. I do not preach ankle-length skirts, but I believe it is imperative that we raise our kids to be respectful of themselves and others. Part of that lies in the clothing. We must think about if we are letting them dress honorably.

Sexuality does not equal self-confidence. Some of the most sexual people I have ever met have also happened to be the most insecure. They are just very good at playing a part, a role,

Dressing a little girl in a mini-skirt or short-shorts does not teach her that her face is pretty, that her personality is important, that her character must be strong and her virtue known. Instead it teaches her to ask, "is this pretty enough? Do you like me this way?" As women we want to be found beautiful, desirable. There's nothing wrong with that--but with what we do with that desire.

We should honor the men around us, not beg them to stare with tight clothing, low cut shirts, midriffs, short-shorts and thong-straps. We should honor other women, by dressing in such a way that does not make their husbands stare. And we should teach our children to do the same.

I for one do not want my daughter to be a sex goddess before she's married to the man who will treat her as beautiful as she already knows she is....without having to flaunt it everywhere.

"maybe we should be looking into the physiological causes for the new trend of early onset of puberty instead of railing against the fashion industry."

Physiology aside, the "early onset of puberty" is as much sociological as it is physical. The fashion industry is a large contributing factor which helps excacerbate this. I find it hard to believe that the majority of kids wearing these clothes actually realize what they're promoting, let alone understand it. They're basically marching blindly into a minefield.

Many adolescent kids are exposed to violence at a young age (though stylized violence, which is a lot like stylized sex - i.e., no STDs, pregnancy or emotional consequneces). Should we be handing them automatic pistols to help them "express" this?

While I agree that girls are maturing faster these days I personally do not agree with embracing the sexual nature of an 11 year old. I understand my girls will someday have sex- most likely before they are married, although I will not lobby for it- but I would like to stave off those urges for as long as possible. I have no problem with them wanting to attract boys while they are tweens. They are intersted in boys now, however they are still innocent and have no trouble attracting boys while wearing stylish, yet modest clothing. They wear mini skirts-just not micro skirts. They wear roxy and limited too, just not the tacky and suggestive versions. To sport a t-shirt that insults the intelligence of others or exploits their own intellectual misgivings is just another trend in the dumbing down of America. Since when is it cool to put other people down? I know that as a mother I am trying to teach my children the importance of tolerance and to treat others as they would want to be treated. Does that make me an unhip mother? I am appalled at the number of children with an abundance of attitude, lack of manners and general lack of respect for elders. Wearing shirts that say "spoiled and proud of it" or "it's cute how dumb you" are only attribute to their poor upbringing. In my opinion, it is not cute for an young girl to act like a diva. Of course, we need look no further than the parents for the explanation for their child's attitude. There are parents who are out there buying the suggestive clothes for their young girls or the market for it simply would not exist. I just believe that for a young girl to attract a boyfriend, she need not be sexy. If she is, one has to question what types of boys she is attracting, and what do they have on their mind? I am sure we all know the anwer to that.

Oh my god! Are you kidding me Palabra! You obviously don't have daughters or children for that matter or your a very sick individual.

I have never felt the need to respond to someones "opinion" before but yours struck a very wrong cord with me, that I felt the strongest need to respond! For you to think of "tweens" as sexual beings absolutely astounds me. Please find the help you so desperately immediately!

How can we be over-reacting? As the mother of a six-year old little girl (yes, LITTLE girl), I have to say I agree that the clothing can be way too risque`. If you "excuse" it or even "enable" the children to become "sexual beings" at earlier ages, then you are asking for trouble that our children aren't mentally mature enough to handle. Their bodies may be maturing, but their minds are still that of young girls. And just because you have bodies that may (or may not be, as in the case of padded push-up bras) maturing early doesn't mean that they need to flaunt it. The world has changed, and is ever changing. There are dangerous predators are out there, and this will only encourage them. It's hard enough to be safe when you are older and more aware of things surrounding you. Anyway, a tween, as well as an adult, can be just as sexy without showing innapropriate amounts of skin, cleveage, etc. There are lots of things about a female that make them attractive. If your body is all you've got, then what happens when the looks go (as they do to all of us)? I'm all for my daughter looking pretty, but I draw the line at looking trampy. I do this because I love her, and I want her to respect herself, love herself, and not to emphasize the physical appearance too heavily.

The problem with some mother's these day's Is that we don't overreact a enough. For one teenagers dress way to sexy. I feel they try all the things they see on T.V and all you see on T.V now is sex. As a mother I agree that young ladies should be just that young ladies. I stress to my daughter all the time to try and enjoy your youth and not to grow up to fast. I remember being in the nail shop and seeing a young teenage girl with a skirt on so short you could almost see her underwear and I thought that couldn't be my daughter. There is a such thing as trash and sexy, and there is a difference. Because teenage girls body grow so fast they need to no you dont have to show it off at a young age. You have plenty of time for that. Focus on school and self esteem. Sex is out of control with our youth today. It's the pressure of today's world that drives teens to go out of control. The videos, T.V shows, even the cartoons, have an effect on the kids today. We have to teach the kids that the way you dress determaine the level of respect given(especially from men). Everyone is so in a hurry to go up enjoy life and respect yourself to know you don't have to wear a dress 2 sizes to small to get attention from men. Let them see you for you because if they just see that, that is all they will look for and us woman wonder why men cheat.