A woman sparked an online debate after she revealed how she was left shocked by a picture of a 14-year-old girl posing provocatively in a racy swimsuit.
The Mumsnet user described how the Facebook picture showed the teenager taking ‘a Kim Kardashian bathroom selfie’ while wearing a one-piece that ‘covered only half the boob and pushed up [her] t***’. She added: ‘[It’s the] kind you would see on a lads mag. It’s just awful.’
The woman later shared a photo of former Made In Chelsea star Kimberley Garner, 27, in a similar swimsuit to give fellow users an idea of the sexy cutaway style.
Users were divided over whether the poster was right to be ‘shocked’ over the way teenage girls dress today. Some agreed that children ‘are growing up too fast’ but others argued teenagers have always wanted to push the boundaries.
Provocative: A Mumsnet user revealed how she had seen an image of a 14-year-old posing in a racy swimsuit similar to this won worn by former Made In Chelsea star Kimberley Garner, 27
Shocked: The woman explained that she had come across the image because the teenager was a friend of her niece. She added that she was left horrified by the selfie
Writing on the online forum, the original poster explained how she had seen the picture on Facebook because the girl was a friend of her 14-year-old niece.
She wrote: ‘I thought to myself how can her parents let her dress like that, maybe they aren’t on Facebook, but low and behold her mother is and has liked and commented on that photo plus others.’
She ended the post by asking: ‘Is this what teenage years are like now?’
Some users were quick to point out that teenagers dressing provocatively is not a new phenomenon.
Over-reacting: Some parents pointed out that children have long tried to provoke a reaction from their parents with their clothing and shared descriptions of what they wore as teenagers
One wrote: ‘I don’t think teenagers tend to dress that outrageously these days when out and about, when I was a teenager it was all low rise jeans with thongs poking out the top and net tops.’
Another agreed: ‘I’m early 30’s, when I was a teen it was all crop tops, low slung jeans to show the top of your thong and a navel piercing. Girls who didn’t have/weren’t allowed crop tops and thongs would fold up their vests to make one and borrow underwear from friends.’
However others said the difference is that images of these outfits are now being shared on social media.
Bigger audience: Others pointed out that teenagers who dress provocatively today place themselves at risk when they share images of their outfits on social media
‘Yes, teenagers have always shocked their parents, but is this a race to the bottom?,’ one asked. ‘Miniskirts, nose piercing and crop tops are one thing, but showing side-boob or cleavage on social media is too much for a tween.’
Meanwhile other parents said they would do their best to intervene if they saw their children dressing in a similar fashion.
One posted: ‘My dd [darling daughter] has photos of her friends dressing similarly. I would not like it if it were my dd either. Not a lot i could do about it but would try to discourage it.
Another wrote: ‘I would be horrified to see a 14 year old in that, and the mother needs her head examined. Won’t be long before she’s doing naked selfies for her boyfriend, and he’s sharing them with his friends. Also sadly the norm.’