In 2011, abercrombie kids, the line of clothing Abercrombie & Fitch targets towards young people aged 7-15, advertised a swimsuit top called “Ashley.” I was described as a “push up triangle” top, which is essentially a padded, push-up bikini top (designed to push breasts up and out, drawing attention to them). Due to controversy over the garment, the company removed the phrase “push up” on the website, even though they continued to sell the bikini top, and the top continued to be padded and push-up

discussion questions

Complaints were made that the push-up bikini for young girls over-sexualized their bodies, pushed for premature awareness of their sexuality, and taught them to focus on accentuating parts of their developing bodies in specific ways. Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not?

Should young girls wear bikinis? Or push-up bras or tops? What do you consider an acceptable age or stage of development for girls to wear clothing that accentuates their sexual attractiveness?

In what ways are boys and young men’s bodies thought about in terms of clothing and appropriate expressions of sexuality and attractiveness? How is this similar or different from girls and young women?