cut it out

This Mom Wonders If She's "Overreacting" About A Kid’s Dress For Sale At Target

“I am a little bit more conservative when it comes to my kid's clothes,” she said.

by Katie Garrity
A mom was shocked at the cut-outs on a girl's dress for sale at her local Target.
Meghan Mayer / TikTok
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Target seems to be a popular store for clothing controversy. First, boy moms were annoyed that the selection of clothing they had to choose from was pretty much either trucks or dinosaurs. Then, people were up in arms over a rainbow on a shirt. Now, one mom wonders if she’s just a little too conservative after feeling weird about a dress she found in the girl’s section at Target.

Meghan Mayer asked her followers if she was overreacting after finding a dress in the girl’s section with cutouts at the hips. The dress — the Girls' Smocked Bodice Cut Out Chiffon Dress by art class™ — features several floral patterns with a puffy long sleeve. The dress is actually adorable. However, there are two small cutouts on both sides of the dress near the waistline, which has some people wondering...why?

“I am a little bit more conservative when it comes to my kid's clothes so maybe I'm overreacting but let me know what you think of these dresses,” Mayer says in her video which now has over 400k views.

“So, this is the kid’s section. This is a [size] 6-7 for reference. These are kid’s sizes ... Look at these little slits on the sides of these dresses — right at the hips on all of these dresses. I saw this, and I was like, ‘Oh, this would be so cute for Easter,’ right? And then, I see this little slit on the side. So, on a [size] 6-7 or 10 or 12-year-old ... we're going to expose this much skin on either side?”

“Like I said, I know I'm a little bit more conservative. I don't even let my girls wear bikinis but maybe I'm overreacting. I don't know. I don't think this is appropriate at all for this age group,” she concluded.

After her video went viral, the comment section had their own opinions on the dress.

Some people agreed, saying that the slits are just unnecessary.

“That dress is SO CUTE until you see the slit. Why did they have to ruin it like that?!? 😭,” one user wrote while another argued.

“Holes not needed. I agree with you!” another wrote.

But other people thought it was totally fine.

“When I was a kid in the 70s’, I wore halter tops and tube tops they were not seen as big deals. I don’t think this is scandalous,” one wrote.

Antoher user noted, “I don't think they are too revealing, but I do think the holes are ugly!”

Another sarcastically wrote, “Omg a torsoooooo 😰”

One user echoed, “Overreaction for sure. It’s super cute! Now if it was super short or low cut I would 100% get where you’re coming from.”

“It’s cute and on-trend. Not all styles are for everyone and if you prefer more conservative attire that’s great too!” one user wrote.

“It’s cute and not a big deal. Wear a tank under it if you want it, if you don’t like it, don’t get it 🤷‍♀️,” another said.

One user found a compromise and wrote, “White tank top underneath and call it a day!”

This is one of those “chicken and the egg” type scenarios, if you will. Is this dress inappropriate because of the cutouts that are “sexualizing” young girls, or are these dresses totally and completely fine until people start making it a big deal? My vote is for the latter.