Beyoncé Knowles and her mother Tina launched the House of Deréon clothing line in 2004 and tagged it "where the sidewalk and catwalk meet". The clothes they market display a mix of influences, from hip hop to the very stylish and feminine air of more traditional designer clothing. The brand was quickly expanded by Beyoncé's younger sister Solange and by the singer's fiancé / rumored husband, hip hop star and business mogul Jay-Z, who launched the junior line Deréon, aimed at teens and even young children. And it's here that the controversy emerged, with a glossy magazine ad for the Deréon Girls Collection that led to a lot of raised eyebrows.

The ad depicts a series of young girls aged around 7 or 8 seemingly playing dress up, using what looks like their mother / older sister's 5 inch high heels, wearing lipstick and posing in a slightly disturbing, overtly mature way. We could, of course, argue that the ads are simply about a bunch of trendy kids who can't wait to wear mommy's heavily embroidered sparkly outfits and have found the House of Deréon clothing line to be the answer to all their prayers. Mostly, however, these ads have been perceived as more than a little inappropriate, particularly the little girls' attitudes and mature posing in front of the camera.

Beyoncé and her mother and sister boast a fresh eye and playful attitude to fashion, but, the next time they decide to advertise for a kids' line, they should definitely spend more time analyzing the concept behind it and refining the visual message to the point where it becomes age-appropriate. Of course, no one is arguing against kids' fashion, although a different approach would do the hip hop singer and her brand a world of good. Over-sexualizing kids has never scored any points for anyone and Beyoncé & Co. definitely have enough potential to turn things around.