Tired of the fashion industry trying to dress girls like prosti-tots?

If you nodded (or screamed) "Yes!" you need to meet fellow, author-friend, Dannah Gresh. She is taking the fashion industry to task and if I lived close to her, I would show up on her doorstep to give her a big bear hug for doing what she can to protect our girls. Here is a snippet of a press release that describes a movement that Dannah has underway to gather 50,000 signatures from concerned mothers:

State College, PA • June 1, 2009—It started with four moms in State College, Pennsylvania and it is about to stir up the nation. Led by best-selling author, Dannah Gresh who has sold over three quarter of a million books to teens and tweens, the women are taking the fashion industry to task and calling for fifty-thousand moms to join them. The Bod Squad and calling for 50,000 mothers across the nation to join them. What is the Bod Squad?

“It’s a group of moms who are incensed with the fashion industries attempt to take our little girl’s childhood away,” says Gresh. “The messages our girls get from the fashion industry are destructive. We wanted to push back at that. We never expected the American Psychological Association to agree with our presumptions so powerfully.”

Gresh sites the findings of two years of study by an American Psychological Association (APA) task force on the sexualization of little girls. The APA task force’s report states that music lyrics, Internet content, video games and clothing are now being marketed to younger and younger girls. The smutty content of the marketing is linked to eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. Ironically, this early sexualization presented to young girls has “negative consequences on girls’ ability to develop healthy sexuality.” In experiencing sexuality too soon, they actually lose their ability to experience it in a healthy way as adult women.

“And the fashion industry is, indeed, marketing sexual clothing to tweens,” says Gresh. “Just consider the fact that Time magazine reported sales of thong underwear to 7-12 year old girls in excess of $1.6 million in the year 2003. Someone has to stop the madness.”

Gresh has the ear of Women’s Wear Daily, the global “bible” of the fashion industry. Magazine writers have interviewed Gresh about fashion and tweens, citing their own concerns that maybe the fashion industry has gone to far. Gresh, Weibel, Mylin and Anderson—all mothers of girls— were the first to sign the 50,000-Mom Bod Squad Petition on October 1, 2008. Since then, a total of 8,593 have joined at the grassroots level. Now, the petition is going to a new level with national news and media support, with which it can gain the attention of the industry it hopes to shape. The Bod Squad’s request will be for the Council of Fashion Designers of America to read the findings of the APA report, and to tell the fashion industry that mothers want to purchase age-appropriate clothing for their girls and would like the fashion industry to evaluate the clothing they design and the messages they send to our daughters through advertising. Gresh hopes that industry media like Women’s Wear Daily will cover the presenting of the petition, creating industry awareness of both the APA task force findings and consumer desire.

“We don’t want to ban anything,” says Gresh. “We will stay positive. We are consumers who just want to express our concerns. In fact, this fall we’ll be sending a positive message by initiating a national Shop ‘Til You Drop Event to thank retailers who consistently provide age-appropriate and modest clothing for little girls up to age twelve.”

Gresh says that the signers of the petition will actually vote on which retailers they want to “thank.” After the vote, the Shop ‘Til You Drop Event will be publicized for others to join in on the fun.

To view and sign the Bod Squad petition go to: www.secretkeepergirl .comwhere you can also download a copy of the APA Task Forces study on the sexualization of girls. Moms, if you have ever grumbled about the pint-sized hooker-wear that has overtaken the children and junior's departments at popular retail chains, this is your chance to make a difference. Oh, and do me a favor: Send a link to this post to all your fellow-fed-up mom-friends and let's help Dannah get 50,000 signatures on this petition!