Have *Tesco* abandoned the Let Girls Be Girls campaign?

[WiggyW]

As reported in The Sun today, Tesco have launched a school micro skirt for age 9 girls, how can this be in line with their signing up to your Let Girls Be Girls campaign. and their spokesmen comment on this just shows them laughing in the face of it - see below.

Quote - Parents have criticised Tesco for selling a school micro skirt for nine-year-old girls. The "Hitch and Stitch" skirt is just 29.5cm long - a third shorter than normal school skirts. Parents and child experts say the design "overly sexualises" girls. Asda's skirts for nine-year-olds start at 41.5cm long. Sainsbury's start at 40cm. Last night a Tesco spokesman said: "Ultimately it's for parents to decide what is appropriate for their child."

[SweetnessAndShite]

Good point. Boot them off. They don't deserve the publicity. Bah!

[Ilythia]

[shck] seriosuly? wankers.

yes we all know teen girls roll up their waistbands and wear their skirts this short, but that's not the point, they roll them up because they know adults don't think it appropriate for them to have mini skirts on, well, apart from tesco's buyers, obviously.

[MrsBadger]

remind me again, have BHS signed up?

oh hang on, yes they have

[SweetnessAndShite]

Are these retailers just giving the campaign lip service to gain publicity for themselves? Would seem so... but perhaps we are being naive to expect anything more.

[GypsyMoth]

whats the point of the skirt tho? most schools have regulation length! but here,9 year old leave lower school and move to middle school,which is more like secondary,so is definitely regulated,length wise

[MrsMorgan]

My dd has two of those bhs (they are from the tammy girl range) skirts and yep they are shorter than i'd like, but if i'd got the normal length ones then she'd have rolled them over anyway

The problem is that the schools don't seem to enforce their own rules. Dd's school states that a skirt can be no more than 10cm higher than their knees, but they don't enforce this at all.

[MrsMorgan]

But that is a teen skirt though pixie.

I can understand that primary age skirts should be alot longer than that, but as I said above, alot of teens wwant to wear their skirts shorter, and will roll them over anyway, usually making themselves look ridiculous.

[BelligerentGhoul]

Suurely that 'hitch' one would be allowed by most schools anyway? Surely most parents wouldn't be stupid enough to view it as an appropriate school skirt?

Of course these companies sign up for the publicity and to pay lip service (cynical emoticon) - how does the campaign now work to shame them when they break their own pledges?

[GypsyMoth]

i think teen behaviour starts younger anyway these days

[BelligerentGhoul]

My post was completely incoherent. I meant would NOT be allowed. And I do know how to spell but seemingly can't type!

[Meglet]

Why have GAP refused to sign up? They're the one of the few that don't seem to have any thing dodgy in there.

I am still being shallow and boycotting them though .

I had a wander round the girls dept in Primark, it was all hideous.

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello. We've just started a thread about this in Site stuff because Radio5Live have asked us to share MNers' thoughts on the skirt with them this afternoon.

Do please pop over to our thread and let us know what you think...

[TheFirstLady]

I saw this in BHS the other day and was quite aghast at the idea of a 10 year old wearing it. Doesn't really fit with the Let Girls be Girls campaign IMO.

[SomeGuy]

so is this a lot of media bollocks?

The 'Fashion Academy' range is apparently for 9-16:

www.clothingattesco.com/Fashion-Academy/icat/fashion-academy

But these rather skimpy shorts are for 13+

www.clothingattesco.com/Girls-New-In/Fashion-Academy-girls-belted-shorts/invt/ap020518b&bklist=icat,4,buylists,featuredproducts,fashion-academy

As is the skirt, as is this rather short skirt:

www.clothingattesco.com/girls/Fashion-Academy-girls-jersey-swing-pinafore/invt/ap020610&bklist=icat,4,buylists,featuredproducts,fashion-academy

Whereas something like this pinafore is for age 3-9 www.clothingattesco.com/girls/Fashion-Academy-girls-jersey-swing-pinafore/invt/ap020610&bklist=icat,4,buylists,featuredproducts,fashion-academy

and this, signifcantly longer skirt is 3-9

www.clothingattesco.com/girls/Fashion-Academy-girls-jersey-pleat-front-skirt/invt/ap020618&bklist=icat,4,buylists,featuredproducts,fashion-academy