SALT LAKE CITY Parents are expressing outrage at Target and Walmart for selling athletic shorts that, parents say, are inappropriate for young girls.
The controversy began after one parent's social media post went viral, corralling more than 6,600 likes and 2,600 shares over the last two weeks.
"I don't fancy myself a prude, but neither do I take the responsibility to teach my daughters about modesty and appropriate dress lightly. We live in a culture sexualized enough as it is; I wish I could go shopping for my tween and not have to worry about her backside or her underwear showing in a pair of athletic shorts," parenting blogger "Assignment: Mom" wrote in her Facebook post.
The mother said she tried shopping in the womens section, but couldnt find an appropriate pair of shorts there, either.
She settled on shorts in the boys section, according to Fox News, which was the first major news outlet to report on the story.
I have no ill will toward Target, and I know Im free to shop elsewhere (and I do), the blogger told Fox News.
She said she is disappointed a store like that, where so many moms shop for necessities, doesnt offer an alternative option for athletic girls who dont wish to wear short-shorts for sports.
Her post ignited a spark from other parents, who condemned companies like Walmart for selling inappropriate clothing for young girls, too.
"People are designing little clothes girls like hooker-style yup I just said it and nope I dont care who it makes mad," one mother said, according to Fox News.
In fact, a person who claimed to be a former Walmart employee criticized the retailer for its clothing collection.
"I used to work at Walmart and was frequently disappointed with how short the shorts were for little girls and teenage girls. A lot of clothes that came in I used to tell my fellow associates 'man these look like hooker clothes,' the person wrote.
One commenter said the problem exists outside of Target, according to Yahoo Lifestyle.
I went to Walmart to get my toddler daughter a pair of shorts for soccer and ended up picking them up from the boys section. For my two and a half year old! The ones in the girls section were all basically short tights, which she finds very uncomfortable, the person wrote.
A spokeswoman for Target told Business Insider the company recently lengthened its shorts for young girls amid high demand from customers.
"The trend we are seeing and that's reflected in our assortment is that short shorts are actually getting longer and there's a growing demand for shorts that can accommodate sports, movement and play," she said.
Target defended its clothing in a statement to Fox News, too.
"We offer three types of shorts for girls: short, midi and Bermuda. Over the last few years, weve actually been going longer, not shorter this is the case even with our short shorts, the statement said. We lengthened them over a year ago and have seen a very positive response to the range of length, particularly with midi and Bermuda. Weve also expanded our offerings in these assortments."
Target and Walmart arent alone in facing their backlash. Retailers like Victoria's Secret and Abercrombie have faced similar criticism in the past for selling sexy clothing to young girls.
The controversy began after one parent's social media post went viral, corralling more than 6,600 likes and 2,600 shares over the last two weeks.
"I don't fancy myself a prude, but neither do I take the responsibility to teach my daughters about modesty and appropriate dress lightly. We live in a culture sexualized enough as it is; I wish I could go shopping for my tween and not have to worry about her backside or her underwear showing in a pair of athletic shorts," parenting blogger "Assignment: Mom" wrote in her Facebook post.
The mother said she tried shopping in the womens section, but couldnt find an appropriate pair of shorts there, either.
She settled on shorts in the boys section, according to Fox News, which was the first major news outlet to report on the story.
I have no ill will toward Target, and I know Im free to shop elsewhere (and I do), the blogger told Fox News.
She said she is disappointed a store like that, where so many moms shop for necessities, doesnt offer an alternative option for athletic girls who dont wish to wear short-shorts for sports.
Her post ignited a spark from other parents, who condemned companies like Walmart for selling inappropriate clothing for young girls, too.
"People are designing little clothes girls like hooker-style yup I just said it and nope I dont care who it makes mad," one mother said, according to Fox News.
In fact, a person who claimed to be a former Walmart employee criticized the retailer for its clothing collection.
"I used to work at Walmart and was frequently disappointed with how short the shorts were for little girls and teenage girls. A lot of clothes that came in I used to tell my fellow associates 'man these look like hooker clothes,' the person wrote.
One commenter said the problem exists outside of Target, according to Yahoo Lifestyle.
I went to Walmart to get my toddler daughter a pair of shorts for soccer and ended up picking them up from the boys section. For my two and a half year old! The ones in the girls section were all basically short tights, which she finds very uncomfortable, the person wrote.
A spokeswoman for Target told Business Insider the company recently lengthened its shorts for young girls amid high demand from customers.
"The trend we are seeing and that's reflected in our assortment is that short shorts are actually getting longer and there's a growing demand for shorts that can accommodate sports, movement and play," she said.
Target defended its clothing in a statement to Fox News, too.
"We offer three types of shorts for girls: short, midi and Bermuda. Over the last few years, weve actually been going longer, not shorter this is the case even with our short shorts, the statement said. We lengthened them over a year ago and have seen a very positive response to the range of length, particularly with midi and Bermuda. Weve also expanded our offerings in these assortments."
Target and Walmart arent alone in facing their backlash. Retailers like Victoria's Secret and Abercrombie have faced similar criticism in the past for selling sexy clothing to young girls.
