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There is an ongoing debate between children’s clothing retailers who are pushing the boundaries of modesty and parents who believe these retailers are sexualizing children. This conflict centers on the impact such clothing has on young girls’ self-esteem and body image. Tight-fitting and revealing clothing can send damaging messages about their bodies.

“It’s one thing that the girls’ clothes are very fitted and small, and it’s another that they’re in such direct contrast to what you find on the boys’ side. These two things send a pretty strong message about what they’re supposed to look like, dressed to be slim and to be fit,” said Sharon Choksi, a mom of two and founder of the clothing line, Girls Will Be, in an interview with CNN.

The issue resurfaced recently when Meghan Mayer, a mother of two and a seventh-grade teacher, posted a TikTok video about a dress she saw at Target. Her video garnered over 1.6 million views. Meghan was initially attracted to a smock-style patterned dress with balloon sleeves, which seemed modest at first glance. However, she soon noticed revealing holes on the waist, exposing the girl’s midriff and possibly more.

“My oldest daughter and I are at Target and there’s some cute spring stuff,” Mayer began in her video. “I am a little bit more conservative when it comes to my kids’ clothing, so maybe I’m overreacting, but let me know what you think of these dresses.”

She added that while the dress might be okay for a 12-year-old, it was inappropriate for a 6-or 7-year-old, in her opinion. Mayer asked her followers for their thoughts, adding, “Like I said, I know I’m a little bit more conservative. I don’t usually even let my girls wear bikinis, but maybe I’m overreacting, I don’t know. Thoughts?”

For reference, she displayed the dress sizes to indicate they were meant for kids and then highlighted the slits on the sides. “Look at these little slits on the sides of these dresses, right at the hips on all these dresses,” she said. Most viewers in the comment section agreed that the dress was too revealing for a young girl.

“You’re not overreacting. You’re parenting properly,” Paper Bound Greetings commented. Anna added, “No, no. There is no reason for those holes to be there. They should have pockets! Not holes!” Another commenter, HollyMoore730, wrote, “I think retailers are trying to mature our kids too fast. I agree with mom!”

However, some people felt that Mayer was overreacting and that the dress was acceptable. Dr. Robinson commented, “Unpopular opinion, I think they’re cute. 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.” Kimberly Falkowsi added, “Overreacting. Both my girls have the blue and white dress. You can’t even tell much. It’s not that big of a hole. The dresses are so cute.”

Some commenters suggested that Mayer buy the dress and have her daughter wear a shirt under it to avoid showing skin. However, Mayer refused, as she felt this would endorse Target’s decision to produce questionable kids’ clothing. “No, I’m not going to buy it and have them wear a tank top with it, because then that’s showing Target that it’s OK,” she told Today.com. “And over time, the cutout will get bigger and bigger.”

This article originally appeared on 3.1.24