Teen girls today are growing up in an online world that pushes them toward adult pressures long before they are ready. Brands know this. They study teen behavior, teen insecurities, and teen platforms. They also understand the influence they hold when they market directly to minors.

Recently, Garage released an ad that crossed a line. It was visually and contextually aimed at teen girls, yet carried mature, adult-coded messaging that many adults did not interpret correctly until someone pointed it out. If grown adults hesitated, imagine how easily a 13 or 14 year old could be confused or misled. That matters. Because Garage publicly defines its core audience as girls as young as thirteen.

See ad here: https://www.garageclothing.com/ca/p/tiny-pointelle-lettuce-edge-shorts

This is not alarmism. It is a documented trend.

Research shows that sexualized marketing harms girls at younger ages than ever before.

• Common Sense Media reports that 75 percent of teen girls feel pressure to be attractive or “sexy” to be liked or accepted.

• Studies published in the Journal of Adolescent Health show that exposure to sexualized advertising increases body dissatisfaction, anxiety, and disordered eating in girls as young as eleven.

• The Canadian Women’s Foundation found that nearly half of teenage girls feel social media pushes them into adult sexual expectations long before they are ready.

• Advertising Standards Canada has noted a rise in complaints specifically related to the sexualization of minors in marketing.

This isn’t about cancelling a brand. It’s about responsibility. If a company defines its audience as minors, it must take care not to use adult-coded messaging to sell clothes to them.

We are asking Garage to:

• Remove the ad and publicly acknowledge why it was inappropriate.

• Conduct a full review of all youth-facing campaigns, especially those distributed online.

• Adopt clear internal guidelines that prevent suggestive or sexualized content from being used in marketing aimed at minors.

• Include parents, educators, youth advocates, and mental health professionals in the review and testing of future campaigns.

• Commit to transparent and responsible advertising practices that prioritize the safety and dignity of teen girls.

We are not asking for perfection. We are asking for accountability, awareness, and a shift toward protecting young people instead of profiting from their insecurities.

I’m a mom raising two teenagers in a world that pulls them in too many directions at once. I’ve watched how targeted ads, social media, and influencer culture shape how kids see themselves. When I saw this campaign, something in me snapped. I’m not an activist by profession. I’m a parent who believes that when something feels wrong, you speak up.

I’m doing this because I want a future where my kids, and one day my grandkids, aren’t sexualized by the brands that claim to support them. I want them to feel strong, confident, and valued for who they are, not what a marketing department can turn them into. I’m not willing to sit back and hope someone else steps in.

If that makes me the mom who makes noise, good. Kids deserve adults willing to make noise.

Signed,

Nicky Burns

Concerned parent, community advocate, and someone who refuses to let corporations shape our daughters’ self-worth.