Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco

Subject: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:45 am

If anyone feels as outraged as I do about this, then a suggestion... I've jsut phoned Tesco Customer Services and have asked them to explain their justification for selling items that turn 7-yr-olds into sexy objects.

They say it was developed "after talking to parents" so I've asked them to tell me how many parents, were they equal numbers of father sand mothers and how many children they had, in what age groups and of what sex - in other words did they get the go-ahead from equal numbers of fathers and mothers who had seven-year-old daughters.

This is the company that was forced last year to remove form sale a Pole Dancing Kit for pre-teens - they actually thoguht lap-dancing was a reasonable playtime activity for small girls!!!

Now they're selling padded baras, described by a fashion expert as designed to push forward and expose the breast tissue, for children... they are stocked in the children's underwear section next to vests for 7-8 year old age range. Tesco claim they are for girls who are developing - what, at 7???

You can contact their Customer Service Centre at
Baird Avenue
Dundee
DD2 3TN
UK

Any mother here feel relaxed about a Tesco store near their daughter's school? With all the local pervs standing there watching the little girls fingering the plunge-bras?

laura

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/14/nbra114.xml

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:03 am

Never heard of tesco but wow, I am appalled! I would never allow my SEVEN year old to wear such a garment thats just messed up on so many levels I just can't begin to express myself.

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:10 am

They have jsut started having food stores in the USA - called something like Fresh And Natural iirc?

They are the biggest supermarket in Britain - more than £1 of every £8 spent in shops goes to Tesco. They make profits of over two BILLION pounds this last year (anyone notice that recession?). They have bought up possible shop-sites and although not building on them they refuse to sell them because it mgiht let competitors buy them. There is one town which has four Tescos in a ring round it and now only half a dozen small shops left in the mostly boarded-up centre. People without a car have real problems.

They also sell very very cheap clothes, partly because they have some of the worst sweated-labour from China, really without conscience, in my opinion (she added carefully for any lawyers reading!)

I don't like them anyway, you can tell - but they are cheap and so they get a lot of people shopping there. They are cheap because they don't pay their suppliers a living wage in many cases, and so many people on a low budget feel they can't go anywhere else to shop - actually they could because if you shop carefully and buy more ingredients rather than frozen ready-meals then you can shop more cheaply elsewhere than at Tesco.

But this is really sick. Really really sick.

They'e planning to build a new store jsut now near a school in a town in England, so I wonder what will happen with that planning application. I've had so many emails from friends, this is really turning into something big.

laura

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:22 am

Don't even get me started.....

Unfortunately, Tesco was by no means the first to sell padded 'first' bras, but I fear they will be the most contraversial, as it seems to have only now hit the news.

I have long been appalled by the children's (and yes, at 7 or even 14/15 they are still CHILDREN) underwear and especially bras I have seen available in countless shops. My daughter reports (with disgust and bemusement, thankfully) that some girls in her year at school (she is 11, and this was last year, and she's one of the oldest in her year, so her peers would have been 9 or 10)) were wearing padded bras, and yet they had NO signs of development at all. What kind of Mother thought that was appropriate????? Sadly, there seem to be those Mothers that do, which worries me far more than the shops supplying them - which they will do while there are obviously Mothers/parents buying them. Are they mental???

I know girls are developing a hell of a lot earlier now than they used to (I had the teeniest of first bras when I was about 13/14 - just fabric, and from Tammy Girl!) yet my friend's daughter, who is about to turn 12 in a couple of weeks, already has bosoms nearly the same size as me. My little girl, at only 11 has first signs of development, though not enough to require a bra of any description. She freaks out at the thought of wearing ANY kind of bra, but that's another story! I understand the need for first bras and appropriate underwear, but NO child needs a padded push-up bra.

We lament the way children grow up to fast, but who is aiding and abetting this process?? As parents we have the right to say NO, and - radical idea - NOT to buy these things! My daughter had a school disco last week, and I was shocked at the way some of her friends were dressed for it. Now, I am no prude and like to think of myself as fashionable and up-to-date and funky, but some of these very young girls had more make-up on than I would wear for a night out, mini skirts, high-heeled boots etc! I am sure they didn't buy these items themselves, and their dress was obviously legislated by a parent or carer of some sort...... so who is really to blame?

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:27 am

Quite right, Domestic Goddess - it is we who have power over the shops. Only we often don't realise it or use it.

If we don't buy the items, and make sure the shop knows why we are not buying the items, then there is a good chance that the item will no longer be manufactured...

laura

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:37 pm

Oh wow, I had no idea. This is beyond horrible and the thought that was going through my mind is this a predatory business for pedophiles. I have never heard of the store you are talking about and unfortuately believe there are idiots for lack of a better term, that want to expose our children in more ways than one.

I haven't heard of the shop here in the U.S I'll look it up, I'm curious and I will pass on the website you talked about so other people over here can become aware of what not to buy and where.

I remember the bra or should I say over the shoulder band aid I wore in the "bee sting stage". I don't like to see little girls in the shoes with a slight heel to it. Can't be good for them anyway. I really don't like makeup on them either, unless it is for the stage only.

I understand why you are steamed.

Barbara

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:21 pm

Again though, I hate to labour the point, but these items are only a concern or threat to our children's innocence if we buy them or allow them into our homes and their lives. While we as parents hold the purse strings still, we are fully in control of how fast we allow our children to 'grow up'.

Though selling these items for very young children is grossly mis-judged, (and I am by no means condoning it) I do not blame a corporation - I blame any irresponsible parent who indulges this ridiculousness. Learn the word 'NO'!!! Better still, don't even moot the very idea of heels, padded bras and make-up....

Why have 'we' become a generation of parents who blame the rest of the world, or corporations, schools, the media or ANYTHING rather than take reponsibility for the way our children turn out/what they are exposed to ourselves??

Grrrrrr. Rant over!

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:28 pm

BTW Laura - I agree whole heartedly with all your other comments about Tesco too!! They are a blight set to take over the planet it seems. It is no concidence, in my opinion, that the only towns around here that have thriving small town centre shops and independent suppliers are those that have not allowed a Tesco store to be built on it's outskirts. Long may they hold them at bay too!

We have a big Tesco Extra on the perifery of our small historic market town, and since it has been here the 'market' barely exists (it was once a well stocked bustling and thriving market, with quality goods and fruit/veg/meat fish suppliers etc) and the town centre itself is literally a ghost town. Empty premises outweigh shops still trading by about 3:1 (my rough guesstimate). In fact, shops are closing down on a daily basis. Very, very sad.

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:00 pm

This sounds an awful lot like Walmart..which I loathe. My blood pressure rises by just driving past the place.
I made a decision one day to never go back for anything.
That was about 3 1/2 years ago. There isn't anything I need that badly. It too has taken away from the independent businesses. Ugh!

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:07 am

Barb - same here. We've boycotted WalMart for some time. But honestly - we don't have any better choices around here - it's simply Target or WalMart - and Target pretends to be better but really isn't all that much better.

If you ever hear the Brits talking about ASDA - that IS Wal-Mart - owned by the Wal-Mart company. From my understanding, Tesco, while not owned by Wally World, is very similar.

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:06 pm

We have a huge Tesco Extra on a retail park on the outskirts of our small town. It is convenient....full stop! But....it is situated only two streets down the hill from the main (older) shopping area of our town. It has made Prescot (our town) a virtual ghostown. The main pedestrianised shopping street is choc-full of charity shops and real estate offices, a couple of bakeries and delis and fruit shops but they all struggle to be viable.

As a local business ourselves (newsagents) Tesco has creamed off a lot of our customer purchases as they stock magazines and newspapers. Customers will pick up their mag/newspaper when they do their weekly shop, thus leaving the small independent shopkeeper like ourselves with less and less customer base.

What is annoying is....newsagents used to have sole rights to sale of newspapers & magazines but the Monopolies Commission changed that and said anyone should be allowed to sell these items....thus supermarkets, garages etc. all were allowed to begin to sell them.

Now we lose a large customer base due to these extra outlets and when we run short of particular magazines/newspapers/stickers & collectors cards....guess who has the bulk of excess supplies.....yep, supermarkets!

And the local newsagent takes orders for specialist magazines, weekly and monthly publications....try and go to Tesco's and get that kind of specialist consideration.....!!!
We, the local independent..takes all the risks business.....give personal service to each customer.....oh, don't get me started!

Rant over!!!!!

Jacquie x

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:47 am

Coming from the standpoint of someone who does not like Tesco... I have been following this story and I must confess I laughed out loud when I heard a Tesco spokesman say it was "to protect the modesty of the wearer". *sigh*

Subject: Re: Padded bra for a 7-year-old girl?- Tesco Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:12 pm

OMG I feel slightly ill...that is just appalling.

i hate Tesco. Killing off our high streets.

And the fall of the booker agreement and the supermarket's selling of only top ten books cheaply has, in my eyes, damaged this country's literacy... *rant*
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