Are you sexy and you know it? Well, were you at age six?

You may shudder at the thought, but LiveScience reports a new study out of Knox College in Illinois indicates most girls ages six to nine identify themselves in “sexy” terms.

Researchers used two paper dolls—one in a tight, skimpy outfit and the other in trendy but loose, covered-up clothes. They then asked girls to select which doll she thought she looked like, which one she wanted to look like, which one would be more popular at school and which one she’d like to play with, according to the website.

The girls chose the sexy doll most often in answer to every question, LiveScience notes.

“It’s very possible that girls wanted to look like the sexy doll because they believe sexiness leads to popularity, which comes with many social advantages,” Christy Starr, the study’s lead researcher, tells the site.

Isn’t it about time for the XL flannels and oversize jeans of grunge to come back in style? 

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