Does fashion have an age limit?

French Vogue December 2010

When I turned eight my mother bought me a box of accessories, which included plastic heeled slippers with a matching necklace and bracelet set. Aside from my barbies, those heels were my most prized possessions, I wore them any chance I got and I even tried to go to school in them! I got my first bra at the age of 10 and it was from Marks and Spencer's Angel line.

However, while out shopping in Manchester's Kurt Geiger store I saw a girl wearing a pair of shorts, which can only be described as denim underwear, with high heels. At fist look I thought this girl was my age but, as I eaves-dropped on her conversation, I began to realise that she was in fact still in secondary school (high school).  I just couldn't get my head around it, when I was in secondary school I wore ballet shoes and jeans and so did my friends!

Later on that same day I was on my way to the coffee shop and I saw another young girl, this one was with her parents, wearing small shorts which again resembled french knickers. There were too many questions, "why would her parents let her!?" "does she think she looks good?" etc. I'm not blaming the parents, I understand that when teenagers come of age they may feel that they're entitled to their say. However this shouldn't be an excuse for a 12yr to dress like a street-walker!

It hurts to sound like an old fart but I guess times have changed, with today's society glued to pop culture, its no surprise these girls can walk half naked down a street with their heads held high. Everywhere we look there is semi-pornographic material being pushed in our faces, and these female celebrities are passing it off as stylish. The pressure to confirm to an ideal can be overwhelming.

A good pair of examples would be Rihanna and Lady Gaga, who are set on becoming live sex toys/objects, whose fan base comprises of mainly young girls, it's easy to see a strong correlation. Corporate paedophilia is the only way I can summarise it!

Back in 2010, I was in the Primark children's department with my mother shopping for my little sister, when I saw a padded bra for kids and a t-shirt with 'future WAG' printed on the front. For you American folks, a WAG is a British term used to describe soccer players' wives and girlfriends. I would like to think that young girls are aspiring to be more than just a 'WAG'. Its degradation from an early age, what does it say about out society's values of women, if retailers are influencing young girls to desire to be a WAG/Socialite and to have no greater goals?

If are you reading, leave a comment and let me know what your take is on the situation.

Nifah x