I am not sure, if it tops the breast feeding baby doll for small girls.....

It's part of A&F's marketing strategy to gin up controversy & it absolutely works. This has been a topic of "reporting" both on tv & the internet, as well as discussion boards. All this air time is FREE advertising for A&F. Will that little striped bikini sell? You betcha... like hot cakes!

When I was a flat chested 10 year old in the 50's, would I have wanted that padded push up bra? Absolutely! And I would bet that there are plenty today in that age group that will want it. Difference is ... today there are mother's who will oblige & have equally immature thinking.

I've never seen the breastfeeding doll, but it doesn't sound all that bad to me. My little daughters "nursed" their stuffed animals. :-)

As for Abercrombie's, I remember when they were a respected retailer selling high-end sporting equipment and clothing. I still have one of their fly rods. I don't know why they turned to sleaze some time ago, but it's unfortunate.

Alisande, sleaze SELLS. It's ALL about $.

Well, yeah, that's the obvious answer, and it did occur to me. But as a native NYer I've seen a lot of similarly elegant stores that didn't sink to that level. I guess A&F's financial situation must have been pretty poor. Too bad they didn't go out of business.

My dd is that age range and she will not be getting it. I'm really sick of trying to find age appropriate clothes. It seems I have to shop between seasons or out of season to find shirts that cover the shoulders or shorts that aren't cut up above the butt cheeks. Even sandels often have a heel or are just thongs.

When I walk by the Aber. store in the mall, excessively loud music is BOOMING out the door and there is a larger than life photo of a hunk of a young man with his jeans falling off. I don't like the message it sends to young people.

Socks12345, you forgot to mention that in addition to the booming music and half-naked hunk outside the Abercrombie stores, they also have gallons of that AWFUL cologne pumped into the air as you walk by. You can smell it from yards away.

Yeah! And I see kids at my elem. school wearing Aberc. clothing. I got their catalog a couple times years ago. Yikes.

Sad to say, it couldn't be much worst than "old" ladies squeezing themselves into tops and shorts that look much better on the younger people. See alot of that in AZ ==white shorts, and tight or sleeveless tops. Oh yes those veins do look so good!!!!!! Can you tell that is one of my big peeves! Some sleeveless tops are really nice.

UGH the cologne! There's an Ambercrombie and Fitch a few blocks from my work in downtown Seattle and I hate walking by that place! *GAG* The amount of cologne pumping in and out of that store is disgusting and always makes me feel sick.

I would understand why a 12-14 year old would want padding in the bikini, heck...girls have been stuffing their bras forever. But younger than that is creepy.

Did I hear something about Aberzombie & Pitch (surely not ending in a word relating to a female canine?)!

o j

The same people who enter their girls in the little miss beauty pageants will be in line to buy bikinis w/ padded tops for their 7 year olds.

I just had a thought. I dressed my daughter in smocked Polly Flinder dresses till she was ten years old and in 5th grade. How times have changed. .

Padded bras have been in the girls area of department stores for years. Right next to the bikini panties and other inappropriate attire. Don't think A&F should be singled out.

Lily..... DD didn't own jeans until she was in the fifth grade. She wore cords with an elastic waist and twill sport pants with preppy knit tops through the fourth grade.

DD was tall and leggy and it was hard to even buy shorts for her that didn't make her look like Daisy Duke. LOL We have a lot of crazy memories of trying to find clothes that fit her long legs at that time.