The Bod Squad Shops This Weekend

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The Bod Squad Shops This Weekend

Special Report - October 21, 2009
Over 22,000 moms and their daughters will go shopping this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 23 and 24) at Old Navy, Gap Kids, Children’s Place, and Lands’ End to thank the four retailers for selling “age appropriate and modest clothing” for little girls age 12 and under. The shopping event is part of a national initiative led by best-selling author and speaker, Dannah Gresh, and three other moms from Pennsylvania, who created “The Bod Squad.” According to the group’s web site, the “Bod Squad” is a “group of moms and role models who are incensed by the world’s pressures to grow up too fast.” The four mothers, including Gresh, are the authors of The Secret Keeper series of books and speaking tours, which are aimed at teens and tween girls, and address issues such as modest dress and sexual purity.

“We’re just one group of moms who are incensed with the fashion industries’ attempt to take our little girl’s childhood away,” says Gresh, best-selling author of And the Bride Wore White, in a press release. “The messages our girls get from the fashion industry are destructive. We want to push back at that.”

Part of the initiative involves an online “Bod Sqad Petition,” which has over 22,000 signatures so far, and will be presented to the Council of Fashion Designers of America later this month. The petition states: “We believe that the fashion industry is pressuring little girls to grow up too fast! The findings of two years of study by an American Psychological Association (APA) task force state that clothing, which makes girls appear older, and the associated marketing efforts are linked to eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. Ironically, this early sexualization presented to young girls also has ‘negative consequences on girls’ ability to develop healthy sexuality.’ We would like to request that industry leaders send a message to the fashion industry that we want to purchase age-appropriate clothing for our little girls and would like the fashion industry to evaluate the clothing they design and the messages they send to our girls through advertising.”

The four retailers that will be targeted by shopping moms and their daughters this weekend were chosen by petition signers based on the following criteria: 1) a family-friendly environment (no sexual ads or posters on display at the store); 2) affordable; 3) sold and promoted age-appropriate clothing for girls 8 to 12 years old (no clothes that make them look like teens); and 4) also offered trendy and fun clothing. Of the 100 retailers that were nominated, Old Navy, Gap Kids, Children’s Place, and Lands End won the most votes.

“We really just want to say thanks for letting girls be ‘little’ while they still can be,” added Gresh. “We love what Old Navy, Gap Kids, Children’s Place and Lands End have done. They have proven that shopping can be fun, and clothing can be trendy without robbing little girls of their childhood.”

The “Bod Squad Shop Til You Drop” event is scheduled for October 23 and 24. To sign the online petition or download printable thank you cards to leave at the four retailers, visit the web site.