Now, specially designed bra for 9-yr-olds as kids reach puberty earlier

London: A bra, specially designed for girls as young as nine, is going on sale at UK’s biggest retailer as youngsters now reach puberty at an increasingly early age.

The design that has been developed in a partnership between Mumsnet and Tesco has been driven by demands from mothers that it “should not look remotely sexy”. According to international research, young girls now reach puberty around a year earlier than they used to 20 years ago, at nine years and ten months, which is being linked to eating more and obesity. However, mothers insist that this should not be seen as an opportunity for retailers to cash in with sexualised clothes and products due to which the modest Tesco Fleur bras have been designed in partnership with a panel of mothers who are members of the Mumsnet website and discussion forum. “I would like to see first bra styles that reflect the need for modesty as well as an element of attractiveness that is appropriate for girls of this age, for example, pale colours, pretty prints, thin straps. I do not want anything that looks remotely sexy or titillating,” the Daily Mail quoted a mother as saying. The bra that has been at 5 pounds comes in two styles – a crop top sports bra in sizes extra small to medium and a traditional soft triangle shape from sizes 28AA to 34B, with the first bra being non-padded and non-wired, in soft cotton for comfort. “Our decision to work with Mumsnet was about reaching out to more parents and asking them directly what they wanted,” Jan Marchant, design director of Tesco clothing, said. ANI