Is This Bra Too Sexy for Tweens?

Do you remember what the first bra you ever owned looked like? Mine was a white sports bra with gray trim from Limited Too, with fabric just thick enough to make me feel like there was enough underneath that was worth holding in place. (There most certainly wasn’t.)

Sexy, it was not.

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But that isn’t always the case. A department store in the U.K. has come under fire recently for selling bras meant for young girls that many parents are deeming too sophisticated and even sexual.

The bra in question, which retails at Matalan for £4, features a plunging neckline and molded cups and is underwire-free. It’s available in white, nude, and black. Though the bra may look like a fairly modest option for adult women, displeased parents went ahead and reported it to the Shadow Minister for Preventing Abuse and Domestic Violence, Sarah Champion.

Champion agreed, saying, “[The bra] is sold in the 2- to 13-years-old section on the Matalan website. [Parents were] concerned that the bra was too sexualized and totally unsuitable for a young girl. I bought the bra to see for myself. […] The sale of clothes like this contributes to the sexualization of children. [We are] extremely worried that this item could be used in abusive images of children.”

Provocative children’s wear is nothing new. Platform pumps for 8-year-olds, tween undies with suggestive sayings, little-girl lingerie, and scandal-causing kids’ bikinis have all made headlines over the past several years.

As far as the bras at Matalan are concerned, the brand has denied the allegations — saying that the bra’s padding is there only for modesty’s sake, and not to enhance a young girl’s figure. "We purposely ensure that our girls’ bras are not sold to specific ages but are sold in sizes," a spokesperson explained.

"They have been developed following customer feedback that girls want bras to protect their modesty at this sensitive age. The bras in question are not padded so as to enhance cleavage but are a smooth molded shape to act as a modesty and comfort layer."

They are currently still for sale online.