Would you let your child wear this? Mom asks if she's ‘overreacting' about a Target dress

Michigan mom Meghan Mayer was shopping at Target when she saw an outfit in the girls' clothing section that gave her pause.

At first glance the dress appeared modest: It’s a smock-style patterned dress with balloon sleeves. But when Mayer took a closer look, she noticed there were side cutouts at the waist.

@thecrazycreativeteacher

Thoughts?

♬ original sound - Meghan Mayer

“I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, what in the world is going on here?’” Mayer tells TODAY.com. “I don’t like filming myself in public, but I was curious to see if other people thought the slits were weird."

In Mayer's now-viral TikTok video, she noted that her daughters, who are ages 10 and 7, are not allowed to wear bikinis.

“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,” Mayer, a seventh grade teacher, said.

TikTok was divided:

• “You’re not overreacting. You’re parenting properly.”
• “I think retailers are trying to mature our kids too fast. I agree with mom!”
• "I bought this for my 6-year-old. I think it’s super cute."
• "Not an overreaction at all!! Why would you want to put your kids in something that I would wear for a girls night out to drink??”
• “I grew up in conservative house, and we had cutout & backless dresses for warm weather. I think for church, no, but a daytime dress, it’s cute!”
• "I disagree. I think the cutouts are so cute and I would buy that for my 8 yr old. It doesn’t look that big once you put it on."
•  "I'm feminist and progressive. However, this is not appropriate for a young girl. It’s completely sexualizing them."

According to Dr. Deborah Gilboa, a parenting and youth development expert, this is an issue about consent.

“When you show skin, you’re accidentally giving consent for people to think about your undressed body in different ways,” Gilboa tells TODAY.com. “So I would explain to my kids, before you reach a certain age, it’s actually my consent. And I’m not willing to send a silent message to other people that I’m cool with them thinking about your naked hips or tummy.”

If your child pushes back, Gilboa says to give them the trampoline park analogy. Before a minor enters a trampoline park, an adult, who understands the risks, must sign a consent form.

“You can tell them, ‘I have to give consent for what happens to your body, just like you do. We share that responsibility,” Gilboa says. “So we have both have to be OK with your showing skin that not everybody shows.'"

Mayer tells TODAY.com that a handful of TikTokers pointed out that the dress can be worn with a layer underneath.

"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 says. "And over time, the cutout will get bigger and bigger."

Target did not immediately respond to a request from TODAY.com for comment.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

• She couldn’t make her best friend’s wedding because she just had a baby. She still gave an epic toast
• David Foster and Katharine McPhee's 3-year-old makes his onstage drumming debut — watch
• Miranda Kerr welcomes 4th son: See her sweet announcement