'Boyfriend jeans' for babies cause controversy among parents, psychologists

Old Navy's latest jeans style has parents and psychologists pretty ticked off.

Old Navy's loose-fitting "boyfriend" style jeans are popular with women, but some parents and child psychologists complain that marketing those "boyfriend" style jeans to young girls and babies is completely inappropriate. They feel toddlers and adolescent girls shouldn't be thinking about boyfriends or pants, especially wearing the pants of said boyfriend.

A child psychologist told the New York Daily News, "It's another unfortunate example of how sexualization is getting younger and younger."

Many parents agree. They argue the pants should just be called "loose fitting" jeans because that's how other companies market them. H&M sells a similar style under the name "loose fit jean," while Gap, who owns Old Navy, simply calls them "boy jeans."

An Old Navy spokesperson said the product name is "intended to describe only the fit, cut and style."

The co-founder of Big City Moms, a New York City-based resource for mothers, thinks parents are reading too far into the name.

"I think it's just being true to their style names," she told ABC News. "My kids don't know what the style is called. I give them jeans and if the jeans are comfortable, they wear them."

It's a good point; while it may seem strange to dress an infant baby girl in "boyfriend jeans," the baby has no clue what they're called.

Other parents were totally baffled by the issue. One dad tweeted: "slow news night? As the father of a 5 yo girl #whocares."

Despite the controversy, it appears Old Navy has no intention of changing the name of the jeans.

What do you think? Is the name creepy/inappropriate, or are people blowing things out of proportion?

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