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The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

Panties in a bunch over sexy teen lingerie

Lace bras, bedazzled underwear, low-cut tanks and skin-tight yoga pants are staples for the lingerie giant Victoria‘s Secret (VS). But what if I told you that these sexy items are no longer targeted just toward women, but also young girls and teenagers?

Victoria Secret’s PINK Collection is an assortment of brightly colored, racy, flashy and essentially over-sexualized clothing for young girls. How exactly does VS make these grown-up looks so appealing to a younger crowd? Well, the answer lies within visual stimulation and societal pressures on young girls to look not only older, but sexier.

The PINK Collection includes not just loungewear and underwear, but everything from hair accessories, swim suits, bedding and school supplies. The powerhouse PINK brand is symbolized by a small pink drawing of a dog.

Smart move, VS. Well played.

What young girl isn’t instantly drawn to a cute little puppy or can’t identify with the bubble gum pink coloring or the adorable creature? Their yoga pants adorned with leopard or zebra print trim. Just add a dash of hot pink lace and rhinestones to a simple pair of underwear and, sure enough, teenage girls everywhere are begging their mothers for a trip to VS instead of Target or Kohl’s for their undergarments.

I don’t think a little color and rhinestone embellishment will hinder a young girl, but VS has daringly crossed the line from young and sassy to mature and trashy with a new lingerie item. A pink colored bra is now a pink push-up bra. Not only are the styles sexier, but also heavily more padded and made to enhance a young girl’s body in a sexual manner. The underwear is no longer composed of cute lace styles, but now have risky slogans written across the backside, such as, “You Want This,” “Hot Stuff” and “Be Mine”.

Obviously VS’s main objective is to remain marketable and profitable, but where does this leave the mindset of today’s youth? Not only are young girls being constantly reminded through various media outlets, including the merchandise at VS, to be sexy and that being sexy is achieved through their style of dress, but that this is what is desirable by men.

Sexy is hardly ever equated with a woman’s intelligence, ambition, family values or success. Instead women are thrown into an isolated category that revolves around appearance. And now, even girls as young as eight years old are being sucked into this unfair category and essentially being forced to succumb to society’s views.

Let’s be honest. While a woman who is mature in both her sexuality and intelligence is able to make a more mature decision about how she dresses and physically presents herself to the outside world, a child and or teenager is unable to do the same. VS cashes in on the peer pressure to fit in and ultimately be accepted. VS gives the message that they are cool. They seem to be saying, “This is the clothing that your friends are wearing. This is the clothing that will make you desirable, and we want you to have it so you can have all those desires fulfilled.”

So here I go stepping on my pedestal and urging parents, particularly mothers, to let their daughters know that being sexy is not solely associated with outer appearance and that dressing your age is important. Enough of letting a little PINK dog dictate your daughter’s thoughts and choice of dress. Let a new outlook attempt to flourish through clothing that is still stylish, but also respectable.

Trust me, ladies. An appropriate choice of dress is much more demanding of not only attention but also respect. Go ahead and splurge on a pair of cute yoga pants or a swimsuit. But young girls should remember to let themselves stand out from the crowd and let their uniqueness shine through.

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