I guess I’m just not a fashionista mom…

I wandered into BabyGAP on my lunch break yesterday and ended up scoring quite a deal on some toddler clothes for Miss L. In all I got 4 dresses, 2 pairs of pants and a gift onesie for a friend for $45! I wanted to exclaim and share my deal with others, either here on the blog or on twitter, but after visiting gap.com, I got sidetracked.

You see, I’d never paid much attention to the “comments” feature on the site, which allows you to leave feedback on individual items, but as I read through the comments on the dress I purchased, I saw some crazy in the comment threads.

Now, I assumed all of the comments would be like this:

They’d reference an accurate fit. Or quality. Just normal comments like you see on all of the rest of Gap/Old Navy/BR in the adult clothing sections.

But then I started wandering and saw some of the more unique comments, and it made me question how much of kids fashion is really putting them in cute pieces of fabric in public and how much is really about dressing up a big doll.

Now I’m not going to lie and say I don’t enjoy buying cute clothing for Miss L, because I do. But as I see more and more kids clothes look like adult clothing, I wonder if it’s all to dress real life Barbie dolls and not really to dress the kid under the clothing.

Reading these comments, I saw lots of references to moms stating how skinny their kids were (in a braggy way, not in a statement of facts sort of way), and how well things are tailored to fit and visions of “Toddlers and Tiaras” came to my mind. Moms who can’t be in beauty pageants putting their kids through it. Are baby outfits becoming the same way? Putting kids in outfits that we can’t wear? Helping kids look like teenagers and tweens look like Hollywood starlets?

I don’t know the answer… I just know that I’m the mom that bought 4 dresses that, according to the reviewers, look like potato sacks on their children. And that I’m going to stop reading about how the mini skinny jeans are the best thing ever for 2 year olds…

10 Comments

Sugar Scientist

May 4, 2011 at 4:18 pm

I’m sure Miss L will grow up much happier and well-rounded as a result of a mother who willingly dresses her in “potato sack” clothes because they’re inexpensive but still cute. I really hate to think about how these girls will grow up when their mothers/grandmothers are already bragging about how slim they are at a mere one year of age, when they’re still supposed to be a little chubby!

Cathleya

May 4, 2011 at 4:20 pm

Hope those little girls have the # to a good eating disorder clinic in their area…

Layla

May 4, 2011 at 4:22 pm

It is seriously creepy that anyone would even notice what their toddler’s butt looked like in jeans.

Layla

May 4, 2011 at 4:24 pm

Oh, and that they would title a review about a 1 year old as “hot stuff.” Seriously. creepy.

Michelle

May 4, 2011 at 4:24 pm

I’m sure the fact that my sister is a tom-boy factors into how she dresses her kids. Her oldest daughter, 5.5 years old, is a total girlie girl and loves picking out her outfits. She always tell me that she likes my shoes/shirt/skirt/jeans/whatever, even if I’m just wearing a plain black shirt. She just notices that stuff. But her other daughter is 1.5 and I love that she dresses her like a toddler. No fancy skirts or outfits. Just practical clothes that a 1.5 year old should wear. Sure, girls clothes are really cute and it is tempting to dress them to the nines all the time but there is something kind of creepy about people dressing “up” their kids. And creepier yet, making comments about how the clothes make their butts look good. WOW. That is sick!

HamiHarri

May 4, 2011 at 5:56 pm

I looove dressing up Clara. She has a few pairs of “skinny jeans” that I think are adorable on her. BUT I do not dress her in these things so she looks like “hot stuff” – ew!

I do think it can be adorable to dress little ones in the latest trends/fashions, as long as they are still able to be kids, and do kid things while wearing them (gazing at themselves in the mirror does not qualify as a “kid activity” in my opinion).

I think I tweeted you yesterday asking you what style/brand of shoe you send Miss L in to daycare. I asked you (and other Mom friends) not to keep up with the latest styles and trends (although there are some seriously cute kid shoes out there – babies in high heels a la Suri are not some of them!), but to glean insight into brands/styles that are durable for sandbox play. As I learned yesterday, Mary Jane style shoes are not one of them!

And I’m not going to lie, I do want Clara to have some of the cutest outfits when she is aware of what she is wearing. I was raised by my Dad, and while he did get a few cute dresses, he dressed me 100% in a practical way. Frugal and conservative where his guidelines, I’m sure. I remember being a toddler and wanting Levi jeans, not my cotton elastic band pants (more often then not in green and or blue :p)

But, I really don’t think your post is about following the latest styles, but instead perhaps, it is about SOME of these latest styles.

I saw this photo a lot in my pin-feed yesterday:

http://pinterest.com/pin/18124763/

I’m not going to lie, it totally creeped me out. Yes, at first glance it might be cute. But look at her pose etc. When I looked at the boards that other “re-pinners” had pinned this photo to, I wasn’t surprised to see other somewhat ick-ish (imo) photos of young girls. So, all this is to say, I’m not surprised as those comments/reviews left. Obviously there are lots (too many!) of people who find this type of thing cute/important in their toddler’s lives… Otherwise, there wouldn’t be tv shoes such as Toddlers in Tiaras.

Mrs T

May 4, 2011 at 9:42 pm

These comments scare me. I want my kids to look cute but some of those are over the top! And I agree, it does conjure thoughts of Toddlers and Tiaras. Yikes.

Laura

May 5, 2011 at 6:45 am

I think I would have reacted the exact same way that you did. Yikes.

Tamara

May 5, 2011 at 7:42 am

I so agree… I think cute clothes for kids are precious, but when young children are dressed in a similar manner to adults it’s really creepy–I love Katie Holmes, but Suri’s rep as a little three year old fashionista creeps me out.

tracey

May 5, 2011 at 9:33 am

don’t get me wrong i LOVE dressing lil miss rosies up and she’s got a closest full of adorable clothes from ON but … they’re clothes i find cute and fit my tall thin almost 2 yo well. do i care what others think about a certain piece of clothing – NO ! and if you think the comments on babyGAP are weird, try reading the ones on ON sometime …. EEK !

i also realize that i have a very small window as to the fact that i can dress rosie how I want to dress her until she realizes she can pick out her own clothes (EEK !!)

Sugar Scientist

May 4, 2011 at 4:18 pm

I’m sure Miss L will grow up much happier and well-rounded as a result of a mother who willingly dresses her in “potato sack” clothes because they’re inexpensive but still cute. I really hate to think about how these girls will grow up when their mothers/grandmothers are already bragging about how slim they are at a mere one year of age, when they’re still supposed to be a little chubby!
Cathleya

May 4, 2011 at 4:20 pm

Hope those little girls have the # to a good eating disorder clinic in their area…
Layla

May 4, 2011 at 4:22 pm

It is seriously creepy that anyone would even notice what their toddler’s butt looked like in jeans.
Layla

May 4, 2011 at 4:24 pm

Oh, and that they would title a review about a 1 year old as “hot stuff.” Seriously. creepy.
Michelle

May 4, 2011 at 4:24 pm

I’m sure the fact that my sister is a tom-boy factors into how she dresses her kids. Her oldest daughter, 5.5 years old, is a total girlie girl and loves picking out her outfits. She always tell me that she likes my shoes/shirt/skirt/jeans/whatever, even if I’m just wearing a plain black shirt. She just notices that stuff. But her other daughter is 1.5 and I love that she dresses her like a toddler. No fancy skirts or outfits. Just practical clothes that a 1.5 year old should wear. Sure, girls clothes are really cute and it is tempting to dress them to the nines all the time but there is something kind of creepy about people dressing “up” their kids. And creepier yet, making comments about how the clothes make their butts look good. WOW. That is sick!
HamiHarri

May 4, 2011 at 5:56 pm

I looove dressing up Clara. She has a few pairs of “skinny jeans” that I think are adorable on her. BUT I do not dress her in these things so she looks like “hot stuff” – ew!

I do think it can be adorable to dress little ones in the latest trends/fashions, as long as they are still able to be kids, and do kid things while wearing them (gazing at themselves in the mirror does not qualify as a “kid activity” in my opinion).

I think I tweeted you yesterday asking you what style/brand of shoe you send Miss L in to daycare. I asked you (and other Mom friends) not to keep up with the latest styles and trends (although there are some seriously cute kid shoes out there – babies in high heels a la Suri are not some of them!), but to glean insight into brands/styles that are durable for sandbox play. As I learned yesterday, Mary Jane style shoes are not one of them!

And I’m not going to lie, I do want Clara to have some of the cutest outfits when she is aware of what she is wearing. I was raised by my Dad, and while he did get a few cute dresses, he dressed me 100% in a practical way. Frugal and conservative where his guidelines, I’m sure. I remember being a toddler and wanting Levi jeans, not my cotton elastic band pants (more often then not in green and or blue :p)

But, I really don’t think your post is about following the latest styles, but instead perhaps, it is about SOME of these latest styles.

I saw this photo a lot in my pin-feed yesterday:

http://pinterest.com/pin/18124763/

I’m not going to lie, it totally creeped me out. Yes, at first glance it might be cute. But look at her pose etc. When I looked at the boards that other “re-pinners” had pinned this photo to, I wasn’t surprised to see other somewhat ick-ish (imo) photos of young girls. So, all this is to say, I’m not surprised as those comments/reviews left. Obviously there are lots (too many!) of people who find this type of thing cute/important in their toddler’s lives… Otherwise, there wouldn’t be tv shoes such as Toddlers in Tiaras.
Mrs T

May 4, 2011 at 9:42 pm

These comments scare me. I want my kids to look cute but some of those are over the top! And I agree, it does conjure thoughts of Toddlers and Tiaras. Yikes.
Laura

May 5, 2011 at 6:45 am

I think I would have reacted the exact same way that you did. Yikes.
Tamara

May 5, 2011 at 7:42 am

I so agree… I think cute clothes for kids are precious, but when young children are dressed in a similar manner to adults it’s really creepy–I love Katie Holmes, but Suri’s rep as a little three year old fashionista creeps me out.
tracey

May 5, 2011 at 9:33 am

don’t get me wrong i LOVE dressing lil miss rosies up and she’s got a closest full of adorable clothes from ON but … they’re clothes i find cute and fit my tall thin almost 2 yo well. do i care what others think about a certain piece of clothing – NO ! and if you think the comments on babyGAP are weird, try reading the ones on ON sometime …. EEK !

i also realize that i have a very small window as to the fact that i can dress rosie how I want to dress her until she realizes she can pick out her own clothes (EEK !!)

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10 Comments

Mrs T

tracey