Controversy as French Label Launches Lingerie for Girls as Young as Four

A French lingerie company has launched a lingerie line called "Loungerie" aimed at young girls which has been criticized over its inappropriate line of lingerie and its depictions of young girls in campaigns.

The controversial lingerie line by company Jours Apres Lunes, comes just weeks after an international controversy over Vogue France's decision to feature Thylane Loubry Blondeau, a 10-year-old model, on its pages.

The lingerie line Jours Apres Lunes, which translates into "Days after Moons" is the brainchild of Sophie Morin, and features bras and panties for girls ages four to twelve ("filles" and "femmes") and a "loungerie" line for girls ages three months to 36 months ("bebes").

The campaign shoot sees girls as young as 10-years-old complete with heavy make-up and stiletto heels, causing a storm of controversy with campaigners furious that a child so young should be displaying the sexual allure of someone twice their age.

Shocked commentators have called it "sexualisation of young girls"' who need not even know the meaning of lingerie at their age, reports Emirates 24/7.

It also seems this trend is apparent in the UK too as aged just 12, Soya Keaveney was posing provocatively in a bikini for pictures her mother later posted on the internet in the belief it would launch the youngster's modelling career, reports the Daily Mail.

Also with her mother's full approval, the pre-teen Soya donned false nails and a belly button piercing and struck glamour-girl poses for a magazine spread.

Though the lingerie collection's designer Morin boasts about being the first designer brand dedicated to "loungerie" for children and teenagers, reports Emirates 24/7.

On her web site she says her goal was to borrow from adult lingerie trends to create underwear for toddlers to adolescents.

The little girls who model the collection aimed at 4-to12-year-olds, wear makeup and sunglasses, aping grown-up styling and poses of models four and five times their age.

Marilisa Racco, fashion writer and author of Le Snob Lingerie, said that the clothing itself wasn't the problem - it was the target age and the way the girls were photographed, reports NY.

"It's cute when a little girl dresses up in her mom's clothing and jewellery and high heels," she told the Daily News. "These pictures are not cute. It's entirely inappropriate to put a 4-year-old in a bouffant like she's Brigitte Bardot in "And God Created Woman."

Luis Paredes, the publisher of the Lingerie Journal said that while Americans may be shocked, the line of clothing wouldn't cause a ripple in Europe, reported NY.

"Recently, a lot of fashion magazines and fashion brands have come under fire for using kids in their photo spreads," he said. "I think that at least here stateside, this company will come under fire as well."

Unfortunately the fashion industry's interest in a younger generation of consumers and models is nothing new, but Blondeau's seductive Vogue photographs and now Morin's inappropriately targeted kid's lingerie line have ignited concern of a disturbing trend of sexualizing girls at too young an age.

Also Read: Controversy as 10-Year-Old Model Graces the Pages of French Vogue