SAN DIEGO – A San Diego mom’s blog post is causing controversy after she wrote that she would allow her pre-teen daughter to wear Victoria’s Secret underwear.
Jenny Erickson, a self-described conservative blogger, wrote on Café Mom’s The Stir.com:
“…as the mom of a girl that is soon going to decide she doesn’t want cartoon characters on her underwear, and will be wearing a bra sooner rather than later, I’m going to have to figure out where we’re going to purchase them … it’ll probably be Victoria’s Secret.”
The store, known for sexy women’s lingerie, also has the Victoria’s Secret’s Pink line that targets college-age girls.
Erickson says she would allow her daughter to have items from the Pink line because they are “fun,” “bright-colored” and no one wants to be the girl with the ugly underwear.
Her comments have sparked an online debate among parents about whether it’s appropriate for pre-teens to shop at a store that puts an emphasis on lace panties and revealing push-up bras, according to ABC New’s Abbie Boudreau.
One commented on Erickson’s post, “Why does your child need VS underwear and bras? … I personally have bought my undergarments at vs since I was able to afford them with my own money, but I feel there’s no reason why my child has to have ‘cute and sexy’ bras and underwear. Vs is meant for adults and teenagers that want to be whores and have sex at too young of an age.”
Another one writes, ” Im [sic] sorry but teens and middle schoolers have no business shopping in a womans [sic] lingerie store. There is no reason for them to have to wear ugly undies if they dont [sic] come from VS. Walmart, Target, TJ MAXX all have lovely undies that are fine quality and more apropriate [sic] for young ladies.”
Others seem understanding of Erickson’s viewpoint.
“I don’t think there is a problem with a 9 year old wanting more mature clothes than Gymboree. I do, however, see a major problem with the several people here who have thrown the word “slut” around commenting on an article about a 9 year old!” one post reads.
” I guess the potential controversy here would be the sexualization of girls at an earlier and earlier age…which I agree is a real problem in our society…. I don’t see spending big bucks on bras and panties, not even for myself really, but I don’t have a problem with girls having pretty underclothing and if a mom usually gets her bras from VS…then [sic] there’s no reason why she should’t [sic] shop there for her daughter [sic],” another poster writes.
While some products may primarily target 18 to 22-year-olds, stores are also hoping that pre-teens are paying attention to those items, marketing experts told ABC News. According to the news agency, the pre-teen market is an estimated $30 billion industry.
Erickson’s daughter, Hannah, tells ABC News that there’s a time when a girl may want to move on from a brand like Gymboree “to the next level.”
For her part, Erickson says not all items in Victoria’s Secret are appropriate.
“I probably will not get lace for my daughter,” Erickson tells ABC News. “There’s a line between pretty and sexy and it’s hard when we’re talking about underwear to know where that difference is.”