The Problem with the Girls' Department

If you have one or more daughters, you know how difficult it can be to find nice, age-appropriate clothes for them. So much of what's available today can only be described as trampy.

Mona Charen makes the point that both liberals and conservatives should agree that we must demand decent girls' clothing be made available in today's stores. Both sides do agree there's a problem in the girls' department, but liberals tend to blame business as the cause, while conservatives blame our culture. Regardless of where we place the blame, the important question is, what are we going to do about this problem? For starters:

Never buy a sexually suggestive piece of clothing for your daughter, no matter how great a deal it may be. Remember, our goal is to keep those clearance racks filled with trampy clothing.
Complain to store management about inappropriate girls' clothing. Let them know it offends you.
Frequent stores that sell age-appropriate girls' clothing, such as Lands' End and Hanna Andersson. Put your money where your mouth is.
When you find age-appropriate outfits, don't just buy them; alert all your friends who have daughters, so they can buy them, too. Businesses will sell whatever styles make money for them.
Learn to sew, and teach your daughters to sew. It's fun, it's creative, and it's a slap in the face to the clothing stores that sell sleazy styles for girls.
Check out thrift stores for good, basic clothes.
Teach your daughters that they are beautiful inside, where it counts. Raise girls who do not depend on a mirror or leering looks from the opposite sex for their self-esteem.