Author, speaker and modesty campaigner Dannah Gresh is gathering signatures for a petition urging clothing companies to tone down the styles they are creating for young girls.

The founder of Pure Freedom and Secret Keeper Girl ministries, Gresh hopes to collect more than 10,000 names for the "Bod Squad Petition" she plans to present this fall to the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the Apparel and Footwear Manufacturers Association.

The campaign calls on the fashion industry's two main umbrella groups to take into account a 2007 report by a task force for the American Psychological Association that found links between clothing that makes young girls appear older than they are and eating disorders, body issues and depression.

Signatures for the petition are being collected at Secret Keeper Girl events around the country, with Christian retailers who carry Gresh's materials--including And the Bride Wore White (Moody Publishers)--being invited to link their Web sited to her ministry Web site.

In addition to bringing pressure to bear on manufacturers they believe are doing young girls a disservice, Gresh and her supporters plan to reward others of which they approve. The petition drive is to be followed by Shop Till You Drop Day when signatories will do business with retailers they support.

Gresh said that the Bod Squad Petition--which has attracted media interest--had seen support from beyond the Christian community. "There are a lot of mainstream moms out there who are also really concerned about the way little girls are being pressured to look older than they are."

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