Kiddie Bras?

Once upon a time, I was a shopper with a capital "S." I cruised through the malls and shopping centers, looked at stuff rather aimlessly, knew what was in and what looked cool and what was what.

After I had a "career," shopping became something I did mostly on vacation when there was time, and eventually shopping segued into an unwelcome task I did when we needed to buy something. Over the years I lost touch, more or less, with fashion, and with new stuff in the stores, even the supermarket. With my list and an eye scanning for the next item, I ignored all the new products, never knew until we downsized and no longer needed housekeeping help that "wipes" and "swifters" had taken over. Never knew that you could actually buy "rubs" instead of making them yourself. Dimly realized that faux sheepskin had taken over. Fleece was uber alles, tailored jackets were old fashioned and dated you--ah the things I came to realize slowly. One had to "exfoliate" before slathering on the fake tan glop.

I should really take a month off and visit the stores to see what is actually out there that (other) people are buying, but that would take time and I would probably buy stuff I didn't actually need.

Currently I am in the market for a storage bag for out of season clothing and not much else, but I was perusing the ads today, because Christmas is a day of leisure at our house, with the gifts opened on the eve, and a fairly simple meal planned and nowhere to go except out for a nice walk and of course there are new books to read. Anyhow, I was reading the flyers that arrived today like it was Sunday, because the next week is also a huge shopping week with everyone ripping thru their gift cards, and I was looking at the Kohl's ads, because I got some cool slacks there this fall, and I looked at the kids stuff, because a young guest coming soon might need a winter jacket and that's where I found kiddie bras, as in brassiers. I looked again, thinking I had segued into the juniors or teens, but nope, I was still in the kids ads, right next to boys 8-20.

These didn't look like "training bras," the 30 AAA faux-bra, they looked like real bras. For little girls? I confess mystification. Does puberty start at eight, nine or ten these days? Are we feeding our daughters weird hormones? This is scary stuff.

Or worse, even, do little girls want to wear bras?

I know this sounds like tut-tut-tut, what is the world coming to? Good question. What is the world coming to?