Target under fire over 'trampy' clothing

Clothing store Target has defended its range after a mother accused them of selling provocative clothing to young girls.

Port Macquarie mum and school teacher Ana Amini wrote a post on Target's Facebook page stating that clothes from Target made young girls “look like tramps”.

“You have lost me as a customer when buying apparel for my daughter as I don't want her thinking shorts up her backside are the norm or fashionable," she wrote.

Since the post on Friday night, there has been a flurry of criticism from parents who also feel Target's clothing is inappropriate.

The post isn't displaying on Facebook's page, however Target did respond to it on Monday, saying: "It’s very important to our childrenswear team to understand your individual concerns and suggestions about the range so that we can take them into consideration for future product decisions."

Since their post, over 500 people have given their thoughts about Target's range for girls.

Mieke Long wrote: "They are generally tarty and cheap looking. They are still little girls. There is not a great deal of choice any where in that age group that is affordable and tasteful but Target would be the worst."

Nicole Douglas agreed: "I would have to say that I have not bought many clothes from target since my daughter moved into the 7-14 range, much of it is impractical and a lot of it is totally inappropriate. The cropped jumpers this winter are just silly."

Their criticism isn't just about the girls' clothing. The boys' range has also received a fair bit of debate.

Kerrie Eddy said: "Most boys clothes seem to be dark with obscure prints (as in can't quite tell what it is meant to be), graffiti style prints or skulls. He won't wear them!"

However Target says they're concerned mums might have misunderstood the way the range is supposed to be worn.

Lyn Semjaniv from Target told 7News: "What might be perceived as a midriff top can be worn with a singlet underneath or shorts with leggings. The reality is about taste and perception."

Experts in the area of child sexualisation say they aren't surprised by the backlash and Target as well as other major retailers would be foolish to ignore these parents' opinions.