Zara shopper finds a ‘disgusting’ outfit in the children’s section. Then she asks how the design was approved: ‘This IS weird’

A shopper who posts on TikTok as Bridgette Hartt shared a video filmed in what appeared to be a retail store, holding up a neon yellow, tie-dye bikini set she said was made for a child. On-screen text in the video stated, “I’m absolutely disgusted by Zara’s swimsuits this season. This is designed for a CHILD!” Hartt posted the swimsuit clip with the caption “@ZARA wtf is this?! #zara.”

Hartt, whose hand in the clip showed light blue nail polish and a silver bracelet, displayed the bikini top, which appeared to have small blue floral embellishments. She pointed to the thin string ties on the set and said, “This is absolutely disgusting and disturbing. A string bikini, and this for a 6 to 7-year-old from Zara.”

The camera then focused on a white price tag attached to the swimsuit. The tag showed “TALLA / SIZE / TAILLE” and listed the size as “6-7 AÑOS/YEARS” and “120 cm.” Below that, the article number “ART.: 4354 / 630 / 539 07” was visible, along with prices listed as “US $ 32.90” and “UK £ 18.99.” Hartt closed by saying, “Disgusted.” The TikTok video has gained 11 million views, 606,400 likes, and more than 10,400 comments.

Earlier kids T-shirt was pulled after similar complaints

The Independent had earlier reported that Zara had earlier pulled a children’s T-shirt from sale after mothers on TikTok called it sexually “suggestive.” The white shirt read “the perfect snack” and “the strawberry: a small burst of sweet joy.” On the back were two halves of a strawberry, with text that read “take a bite,” “a burst of sweet delight, making it the perfect summer snack,” and “the strawberry: a small burst of joy.”

The report stated that a “snack” is a term informally used to describe a person who is sexually attractive, according to Oxford Languages. TikTok user Laura Wilson said she came across the item while browsing at the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent on Saturday, August 10. 

Wilson said, “I am not one to be overly sensitive about clothing, and this was in the girl’s section. Just wait till you see what’s on the back. If you have bought this for your child, you need serious words with yourself, in my opinion.” She added, “I’m so shocked. ‘Take a bite,’ is it just me? Or is this just not OK? I would never have my girls in this T-shirt.”

Wilson said the T-shirt was for a six- to seven-year-old and called it “very suggestive.” She said, “Where it says, ‘The perfect snack,’ this is very suggestive. You say, ‘That’s a snack,’ and that is quite suggestive of an attraction. That’s how I took it anyway.” She also said she would never have her daughter walking around with “take a bite” on the back of her T-shirt.

A Zara spokesperson said: “There was no intention for the use of the word ‘snack’ on this T-shirt to imply anything other than the traditional meaning of the word, as evidenced by the image of a strawberry on the garment.” The spokesperson added, “However, we now understand that some individuals have interpreted the term differently.” The company said it had removed the T-shirt from stores and its website and apologized “for any misunderstanding or offence caused.”

Viewers of Hartt’s later swimsuit video were split. One commenter wrote, “Why are people disagreeing?? This IS weird…” Another wrote that “the fact people are disagreeing with u scares me..” Such scrutiny of retail products isn’t limited to clothing, as when a Target shopper did the math on two marker packs and found the sale one was the worse deal. 

One commenter said people telling others not to buy the item missed the issue and wrote, “the point is why us this type of merchandise being produced in the first place!” Another wrote, “everyone in the comments defending it have completely missed the point.”

Other commenters disagreed with Hartt. One wrote, “u making it weird.” Another wrote, “acting like we didn’t wear bikinis as kids.” A further commenter said, “the swimsuit isn’t the problem, it’s people.” For Zara, the scrutiny doesn’t stop at the design, as a Target shopper recently faced a pricing issue with a Mario backpack. 

One commenter also disputed calling the set a string bikini. They wrote, “First of all this is not a string bikini? And I used to wear these types of bikinis when I was 6-7 years old I looked so cute and no one ever looked at me weirdly cause I was a CHILD trying to swim !! Hope this helps.”