They say (or said at one point, I don't know) that 30 is the new 20...while I'm glad ladies on the wrong side of a midlife crisis can still experience all the joys of being a confused-ass girl of just over 18, I often wonder how close we are to having the effect work from the opposite side. Of course, we're not at that point in society (I hope), but unfortunately there's plenty of evidence to the contrary...and I'm not talking Barbie jobs here. It seems like the future we live in is a pedophile's wet dream. (It's not exactly a new thing either...this new movement has its roots way further back than any overpriced clothing store. Ever since the first beauty pageant, a contest to decide who is the most attractive child, was staged, we've been on this path.)
I first noticed this very disturbing trend with last year's release of "children's lingerie" by that wonderful Cyrus family (not joking, I Googled it so you don't have to...now I'm gonna be on somebody else's "crazy Google searches"-themed post) and it's only gotten worse from there. For example, Abercrombie and Fitch, in addition to a full line of thongs for children (huh?), also carries a line of swimwear for the kiddies which are...strategically padded (because apparently kids just aren't sexy enough without a push-up bikini top).
Now, anybody who reads this knows that I think padding of even the adult female form is pointless, deceptive, and just plain wrong...so you can imagine what my opinion of it for those who haven't even hit high school yet. (I want to go back in time to the executive meeting where A&F executives decided that was even the distant relative to a good idea so I can knock the idea man's Adam's apple down his throat.) Why did the world need shapely children again?
Oh, but it doesn't stop there...no, people all over the world are just laser-fucking-focused on pushing kids into areas that are way inappropriate for anybody under the age of 18 (16 in the UK and 14 in the deep South). Across the pond in England there's even a fitness school that offers children's pole dance classes...read that again...children's pole dance classes (that is also not a joke...and I'm just so sure that there's no way any creep can watch those). I can't string together a chain of expletives strong enough, and that's saying something. I'm sure there's some smart ass (and likely undercover pervert) who thinks this is a good idea because it's exercise in an increasingly fatter world, but there are literal hundreds of better ways for kids to get exercise...you know, tag and kickball and jump rope and hopscotch and gymnastics and t-ball and...you get the point. There's less than 0 excuse for that shit.
When did kids stop being kids and start being tiny people that could be real knockouts with a little dolling up and some cool stripper moves? I'm sorry, I must be on the wrong fucking planet...on my old one, people who probably get erections watching Sesame Street get jail time, not high paying jobs at clothing companies and fitness chains. When I was a kid...hell, I still am a kid about 30 percent of the time! Fuck that, if I can still have pieces of my childhood, actual children should be able to as well. I must have missed the memo that it's okay to sexualize small children in twentyleven...I'll still pass though. Maybe it's just me and how I was raised, but I don't think anybody should have a push-up bra and a Push Pop at the same time...just sayin'.
8 reasons this post doesnt suck:
And I thought leopard-print leggins and mini-high heels were bad enough. Damn! I agree that girls this day don't have to look like Easter bunnies all the time but push-up swim suits? holly cow! that's plain wrong! Even wronger are moms letting their kids buy that!
How could you possibly complain about a pervert looking at your 10y old girl if she is wearing that or dancing on a pole? crazy!
P.S. Your blog is still letting me make changes :-P
AMEN, AJ!
It's scary how little girls are dressing and acting. :(
Our landlord lives next door and has two daughters aged 10 and 12. I've warned my fiance more than once that he needs to not be so chatty with them. They flirt like CRAZY with him, but he swears that's not what they're doing. I explained that that is most CERTAINLY what they are doing. They are just old enough to understand the power of fluttering eyes and daisy duke shorts, but too young to realize how dangerous it is.
I always tell him he needs to check himself, because even though he's harmless, he could look really bad if someone saw the girls chatting him up.
It's like a slice of that Toddlers and Tiaras show, isn't it?
And honestly, what is WRONG with those Cyrus people? I am really getting kinda concerned about what ol' Billy Ray thinks is appropriate for his daughter. I suspect we'll be hearing about a tell-all book in 30 years from Mylie, and it won't be pretty.
It is fucked up, I have heard arguments that this is just another form of 'dress up' and there is nothing wrong with that, supposedly.
Not sure what type pf 'dress up' those parents are thinking is right, but it is VERY wrong to me.
Ugh. I think you know where I stand on this issue. What in the hell is going on in this world? Is it being run by pedophiles? Women with self-esteem issues?
Crazy. Simply crazy.
Well, I more or less think you have a point but it seems to me that this is more like the end of a trend where kids were primarily innocent, and not the beginning of a downhill slide. Historically, children have generally been considered, like you said, just a little regular person. And it has been common or at least accepted for girls as young as 12 to be married throughout history and in most parts of the world. Even in America it is legal for girls to get married at 14 with parental consent, and that is a throwback to times when the age requirement was even lower or didn't exist.
It was the Victorians and then a revival in the 50s of strictly interpreted morality that created our conception of kids as carefree and innocent and full of wonder. And this was only true of children with money to begin with. And for the children of past eras, sex was just the beginning of the BS they had to put up with, which included full time jobs and dying of polio.
I guess now, our society is trying to come to terms with the reasons this has been historically true, like that sex really, really sells, that kids want to be grown up, and that a decent percentage of parents wish they weren't, and the reasons that things are better now, like that we have too many resources as a culture to be able to justify letting the least powerful in society get taken advantage of. I think. I think things will get worse for kids for a while but not so bad as they used to be until society faces the fact that you can't trust everyone to be a good parent, and especially not for free. I think in 200 years, people will be getting payed to take care of their own kids (or others will be) with penalties for not doing a good job maybe then there will be some standards.
I'm glad to see I'm not alone in my disgust and bewilderment...thanks y'all!
@ Laura- You raise a couple interesting points. It's true, throughout history children have been viewed as tiny adults...I do see what you're saying...but when the average human lifespan is under 50 years as is was, they kind of are. Times are different now...or should be. I guess as long as there's a market for something some asshole will sell it.
On the parenting point...I pondered that for a while yesterday and while it galls my balls to think that people would need motivation to raise their own kids, I gotta admit it just might work. We already have welfare and WIC...it's only about 2 or 3 steps up.
I hate the way young children, particularly girls, are been sexualized. It seems obvious to me tha many parents are not functioning well. One would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to know that the marketing industry is targeting little kids and doing a hell of a good job at reeling the little sucker fish in, along with their dysfunctional parents. Let's face it. Kids don't have an income they earn. Their parents are buying them this stuff.
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