Bra for 7-year-olds Raises Hackles in UK

The introduction of a padded bra for seven-year-olds has provoked fierce criticism in the UK.

The "bust-booster" is sold alongside vests meant for children of seven or eight years of age and is modelled on a plunge style, designed to draw attention to the cleavage.

Fashion lecturer Davis Morris said it was "salacious" while mothers called for the £4 Cherokee bra to be removed.

Mum-of-two Julie Stephens, 36, from north London, said: "I was shocked when I saw it. For a product like this to be aimed at children is appalling."

A spokesman for the National Union of Teachers said it was an "irresponsible" decision, while the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said: "It is important that products accessible to children are appropriate to their age and understanding."

But a spokesman for Tesco defended the company's decision to sell the bras and said: "It is a product designed for girls at that self-conscious age when they are just developing.

"Designed to cover up, not flatter, it was developed after speaking to parents."

This is not the first time Tesco has been criticised for selling inappropriate products aimed at children, Daily Mail reports.

In 2006, the supermarket had to remove a pole-dancing kit from the toy section of its website after it was accused of "destroying kids' innocence."

Ms Stephens, 36, added: "A padded bra or an uplift bra aims to draw attention to a woman's cleavage. Children grow up quickly enough as it is. The last thing they need is a product like this."

The NSPCC added: "Making products for young girls which encourage them to wear inappropriate and sexually provocative clothes is irresponsible."

Source-Medindia
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