Well, its official, you can safely add Mary to the list of young girls with a tainted body image. Today was supposed to be a “girl’s day out,” full of back-to-school shopping excitement and giggles. The fitting room crushed this woman’s dream of mother/daughter bliss.
Mary is only six years old, but has been blessed (or cursed) with hips and a bootie. She isn’t heavy or overweight, but built like an athlete: Solid through and through. I found myself picking out jeans for her to try on at a local department store. Since she wore a size 6/6x last year, I picked up size 7 and headed to the fitting room. Mary is very modest, so I waited in the chair outside her room. To my surprise, she grunts, “I can’t get these things up!” ”Let me see,” I replied in my concerned yet disbelieving voice. Sure enough, they were stuck mid thigh, and there was no way they could go any higher. Huh.
Mary was horrified that the jeans with coveted purple sparkly hearts wouldn’t make it home and safely tucked into the bottom drawer of her dresser. Actually, we were forced into the Plus Size section of the girls department, which is a place of shame and horror for a somewhat vain little girl. “Do I look fat?” Mary asks. After regaining the breath that was sucked from my lungs, I said, “Of course you’re not fat baby. Some girls are just shaped differently.” She gave me the “Sure mom, whatever you say” look. It hurt my heart.
What kind of a world are we living in where a little girl worries about her shape and how the latest fashions will fit her? I just want to give a shout out to children’s clothing manufacturers who are chipping away at the self concept of our youth. Sheesh, like I needed more help on that front!
Not-So-Peacefully out.
