Mention anything about push-up bras and make-up being marketed toward the pre-teen group and you inevitably release a plethora of comments boiling down to one thing:
8-12 year-old girls
+make-up
+push-up bras
=miniature sluts that are inevitably going to be raped and abused by the evil stranger pedophiles.
The irony is these same women will scream and fight for a women to be able to wear anything--even dressed like a slut to the nines--and not be blamed for getting raped. So if we break this down:
Over 18--Dress the way you like. It is no one's fault but the person who assaulted you.
Under 18--Your parents let you out like that? Gee, no wonder you got raped. Your parents should be locked away along with the bastard that did it. Really, what did you expect going out of the house looking like that?
Another thing I find entertaining is people frequently misunderstanding the definition of a pedophile. Pedophiles are aroused by pre-pubescent children. Child porn dealing with actual children and not teenagers has them looking as young as possible because that is what is sexual arousing for that fetish group.
So those bras and make-up that are causing heart palpitations among women need to be viewed in a new light. If anything, those items are pedophile-repellant because, quite frankly, boobs and eyeliner just do not do it for those people.
If you really want to prevent sexual abuse, stop blaming Abercrombie and Fitch and look a little closer to home. Most abuse and rape is done by acquaintances not strangers. Talk to your children if you are really worried. So much information is available that there is no excuse not to.
If you do not want your children wearing padded bras and make-up, then do not let them. That is entirely your choice as a parent. However, don't you dare try to claim that parents who let their children do that are practically child-abusers for the setting them up for abuse, rape, and teen pregnancy. You are not doing anything but expending negative energy that could actually be put towards more productive means of preventing abuse.
On a side note for those who do not believe in padded bras for children, just think about the fact that you are saving girls at one of the most emotionally-sensitive times in their life ridiculous amounts of embarassment in air-conditioned school rooms. Nothing is really more embarassing than nipples showing in front of ten-year-old boys.