This new Hello Kitty trend is hurting women in some shocking ways

The British brand Lazy Oaf just launched a new line of Hello Kitty clothes with Sanrio. At first glance, you might be like, “Oh pink! Pretty.” But then you take a closer look at this cartoony trend and start to realize, “Wow. This is really creepy.”

This jacket was apparently designed for a grown-ass woman

You might be saying, “Is plastering Hello Kitty all over everything really a trend? Or is it one brand trying to make fuck tons of money off ladies in their 20s who get high off 2000s nostalgia?” Well, last month, Nylon launched a clothing line with Hello Kitty as the star of the show, and ColourPop decided to grace society with Hello Kitty makeup.

Eternal youth is one of the seriously messed up expectations of the male gaze. Women are told to look as young as possible for as long as possible to stay “desirable” and “relevant.” For some this might be accomplished through plastic surgery or anti-aging makeup. For others, it means wearing Hello Kitty t-shirts.

Perpetrating the idea of youthfulness = relevance is damaging in so many ways. Not only does it reduce womens’ abilities to her appearance and discount older womens’ contributions to society, it also harms young girls. In crafting clothing and advertisements for the male gaze that involve tokens of childhood, you are sexualizing kids and their behavior. Straight up.

These Hello Kitty brands are especially guilty of mimicking childhood. Nylon’s photoshoot took place in a bouncy house and the models are often holding stuffed animals.

The Lazy Oaf clothing mimics childhood not only by including Hello Kitty, but by remaking childhood staples like the overalls and the ankle-high socks.

Asking grown ass women to dress like kids hurts everyone. It insinuates that youthful naivety is the most attractive state a woman can have and insinuates that babies are attractive. That’s fucked up.