I had a rant while commenting on a post by the Plashing Vole the other day. I was (and still am) appalled at the increasing sexualisation of younger and younger children, especially but not limited to, girls.
Some of the clothing currently on the market that parents buy their children and/or allow them to wear is the key to this issue in my opinion. Have you seen the pants for preschool girls with “Does my butt look big in these?” or “I’m a tits man” t-shirts for boys? 
Anyway I am incensed (yet) again.
I came across the below today online as an example of a service provided where you can ‘improve’ on your child's look with just a smidgeon of Photoshop.
I am not going to credit any of these shots I am using today as I couldn’t stomach potentially helping either of these companies with their marketing.
Who would do this? The world has gone stark raving mad.
Oh Lou I am so with you on this one. Those photos are so disgusting. Shame on them. Sure use photoshop to lighten or darken an image when needed but c'mon people. Any person who can't see what that sort of image "enhancing" does is an asshat.
ReplyDeleteAs for the bibs and t-shirts. It is a whole mentality that reeks of tube top mothers and muscle t-shirt dads. I have spent a lot of time in high school gyms and have seen the younger girls there for their brother's basketball games watching the teen girls coming through with the thongs out the back of their pants and the push up bras. They watch the girls more than the guys, always looking for examples to follow. Uhhg.
Why is it so hard for people to let children be children? Why do we need to make them up and make them do and say things that, really, only an adult should do or say?
ReplyDeleteI think it really sets a low, low standard for our children and their future when we all sink to that level.
Stark raving mad indeed. I thought maybe it was just me and my wife...and we are not prudish in any way. We have a 12 year old and a 6 year old daughter. You will not believe, even out here in the conservative mid-western U.S., how difficult it is to buy just little girl clothes. Clothes that aren't too tight, or low-slung on the hips, or just plain provocative with suggestive wording.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bob, what is this crap? Why can't we let them have a childhood? God knows they are going to be adults soon enough. I am beginning to wonder if pedophiles and perverts haven't taken over the world's clothing design industry.
Sighs - I hear ya sista.
ReplyDeleteAgreed - I am disgusted with this trend of making our children into anything but the curious, original and learning individuals they are born to be.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of sick parents out there - poor kids.
Whew I wondered if I was alone on this.
ReplyDeleteI think I am right when I say that Lori, Joanne and I only had to worry about boys and neither Bob or DuPree are doin the daddy thing (yet??) so I don't envy you jadedj with 2 daughters to 'manage' through this minefield.
I saw a girl of maybe 12 or 13 today wearing a push up bra on and a t-shirt that said "You wish". I had to fight myself not to say something to the woman with her *aaargh*
Jadedj maybe I really AM a prude, I just don't know anymore.
Lou, you're not a prude, you're just like the rest of us here, holding to the same standards you have always had. It's just that world standards (and I use that term loosely) have slipped so far that those of us who do object to young children being sexualised are viewed as prudes.
ReplyDelete'PRUDES' ROCK!!!!!!!!
And, what's that poor we photoshopped girl going to think when she sees the new image, her self esteem is going to be all shot to hell. Another insidious form of child abuse.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely Lorri, not good enough even from age 5 or whatever she is. Tragic.
ReplyDeleteUtterly horrifying. It's not prudish to object because this premature and predatory sexuality they're learning leads to misery and, no doubt, means they'll never experience a genuinely equal and joyful sex life one day (not that I've got one of those either)
ReplyDeleteHere here Vole, a warped perspective before the 'game' even starts. Sad.
ReplyDelete