A girls’ T-shirt sold by Spanish retail giant El Corte Inglés sparked widespread outrage after shoppers noticed a message many considered deeply inappropriate for children.
Keep reading to learn more.
A t-shirt reportedly featured the words “Small ones are more juicy,” being sold for children has prompted furious reactions online.
One commenter wrote, “Brand should start taking accountability for their BS and stop RIGHT NOW.” While another added, “I can’t believe I was blind to all this before. This is totally not done seeing this T-shirt on an actual child just made me realise how atrocious this is.”
The retailer eventually pulled the item from its website and shelves, but according to mom blogger Kat, the controversy might never have gained such momentum if parents hadn’t spoken up.
Kat spoke about the controversy with a media outlet. She said, “I want brands to let kids be kids.”
Kat Had Almost Forgotten About Her Viral Callout
Kat had posted a video about the shirt on September 1 after another mother, Abril Valdez, sent her a screenshot of the design.
But with children of her own to care for, Kat said she had almost forgotten about the video.
Then Valdez got back in touch.
The story had reportedly “spread like crazy across Spain,” and El Corte Inglés had removed the shirt from its website.
Kat’s reaction?
“That moment gives me goosebumps,” she said.
“I cried.” She was also quick to point out that the outcome wasn’t solely because of her.
According to Kat, parents “across different countries and languages” came together because they all agreed that the design was inappropriate. “It was amazing,” she said, adding that seeing her videos translated into different languages on Instagram felt “surreal.”
She was particularly grateful to Valdez, describing their collaboration as “two moms who had never met” working together to create “real, tangible change.”
Being A Boy Mom Didn’t Stop Kat From Speaking Up For Girls
After the shirt was removed, Kat shared some of the messages she received from other parents.
One comment from a mother named Claire particularly affected her, it said “You may not have a girl, but you sure are a girl mom.”
Kat said the sentiment resonated because she has always felt strongly about speaking up for girls, even though she doesn’t have a daughter herself.
Her Instagram account, focused on what she calls “Momvestigations,” features numerous examples.
She has criticized everything from girls’ clothing with sequins that can reveal patterns when moved to brands selling crop tops and tennis skirts aimed at toddlers.
In one case, Kat argued that the decorations could encourage other children to touch a girl’s clothing or body. In another, she questioned why certain garments appeared unnecessarily revealing for very young children.
Another mother, Lauren, summed up the sentiment by telling Kat that “she was a girl before she was a parent.”
“That stuck with me,” Kat said. “It was so true.”
Kat Says Children’s Clothing Should Be “Innocent” And Appropriate
For Kat, the El Corte Inglés controversy offers a lesson to clothing companies everywhere.
Her first message to businesses is that it’s never too late to admit a mistake.
If a company discovers that a product has crossed a line, she believes removing it and acknowledging the problem can ultimately earn back parents’ trust.
But her bigger hope is that questionable designs are caught before they ever reach store shelves.
“Let kids be kids,” Kat urged manufacturers.
“Clothing for children should be innocent, protective, comfortable and appropriate.”
She’s Also Questioning Why Girls’ Clothes Can Be So Different From Boys’
Kat has also drawn attention to differences between boys’ and girls’ clothing.
In a recent video, she compared shorts marketed to five-year-old girls with longer “quick dry” shorts made for boys.
“This is what Old Navy thinks your five-year-old should be wearing to go down the slide,” she said while holding up the tiny denim shorts, which she felt looked more like underwear.
Some commenters argued that the difference made sense because boys are naturally bigger.
Kat disagreed.
She pointed to the height and weight ranges listed on the clothing tags and argued that the measurements didn’t explain the difference.
“It’s just the amount of fabric they’re given that is different,” she said.
So why does she think this happens?
“I think a lot of it comes from girls’ clothing following the same trends as women’s clothing,” Kat explained.
“But girls are not women.”
“They deserve to be comfortable and protected, just like boys are. Let’s let them be little while they’re little.”
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