Why can't girls just be girls?

I recently came across this on the Babble Blog about a new line of Lingerie for Girls.

While I understand that every little girl wants to look like her Mama I can't help but wonder when will

                                 This                                         Become This?

             

                                               

What kind of message are we sending young girls if to look beautiful and dress-up they must where something that doesn't cover them up?  That shows off their bodies in such a way that they are taught that this sort of dress is the only way to be beautiful from the time they are 4 years old?

According to Scholastic.com the Image-Esteem connection can be made as early as 3-4 years of age.  They state that "Although forming one's self-concept is a lifelong process, how the child feels about himself in the early years (positive or negative) can set a pattern for the rest of his life."  That being said the feeling that a young girl needs to wear something so riské to be beautiful at such a young age could lead problems for the rest of her life.  


I see my own niece, at 3 years old, and I can't imagine ever wanting her to be someone who MUST look perfect and desirable and sexy all of the time and I worry that that is what items like the above are demanding.  

From jewel-staite.net

Why can't girls just be girls?  Why do they have to be sex kittens?