Mom Accused of 'Sexualizing' Daughter After Asking Her to Cover up at Home

A mom sharing how she asked her teen daughter to "cover-up" at home has sparked debate online.

In a post that has gained more than 100 responses on the popular discussion site Mumsnet, user Arghteens asked if she was wrong to ask her teen daughter to "dress appropriately at home."

In the post, the Mumsnet user wrote: "15-year-old daughter has taken to wearing very low cut tops recently. She finds them comfy but they are quite revealing. I have not commented on her wearing these around the house but did ask her to cover up at dinner with her dad and brother.

"She is upset as feels she can wear what she likes and others should deal with it. I feel it is inappropriate at dinner as [it] can make others feel uncomfortable."

Parenting expert and consultant Kirsty Ketley who runs Auntie K's Childcare Service told Newsweek: "Teenagers dress more 'adult' than their age because put simply, they are growing up. When I was a teenager, I was influenced by pop stars and models in magazines. Nowadays, teens have the added influence of social media.

"It can be a minefield talking about your daughter's choice of clothing, it can have disastrous consequences for her self-esteem if not handled right."

Responses on the discussion thread were split, with some commenters agreeing with the mom that her daughter's choice of outfit was inappropriate.

One commenter said: "I wouldn't want to see the males of the house sat there with trousers showing half their butts at dinner, so no, you are not being unreasonable."

"Sounds like she is pushing boundaries and attention-seeking," said another reply: "I wouldn't give her any attention tbh."

But other commenters slammed the mom for her reaction to her daughter's outfit. One Mumsnet user wrote: "Why are you sexualizing your child?" Meanwhile, another commenter said: "She's a child, in her own home, dressing in a certain way because it's comfortable. You're sexualizing her and, even worse, implying that her brother and father are incestuous pedophiles."

One mom agreed that talking to your child about their outfit is important. They wrote: "I've told my daughter when something she's wearing is inappropriate. Teaching my kids appropriate boundaries is part of parenting."

"Really, if your child is in the home, it is their safe place and they should be able to wear whatever they feel comfortable in and when out and about, it is their confidence in their own skin that you want," said Ketley: "They will soon learn that the heels were too high, or the dress too uncomfortable, but I do think it is important to have a conversation with our girls about how society objectifies women. While dressing to feel desirable is a legitimate expression, this shouldn't be because they feel pressure to conform to other's ideals."