Eden Wood, Thylane Blondeau And The Sexualisation Of Children
Sometimes we parents don't give much thought to certain issues until they start repeatedly slapping us in the face. This week, my cheeks are pink from being slapped with images of sexed-up girls that are reigniting the debate about the sexualisation of young girls.
First came 5 year-old pageant princess and star of the television show Toddlers & Tiaras, Eden Wood, with her excessive makeup, spray-on tans, fake eyelashes, outrageous Las Vegas showgirl style outfits and provocative dance moves appalling Australian television audiences.
It's worth noting that sexualisation of young girls and the provision of eye candy for paedophiles aren't the only issues here. A 2007 study by the American Psychological Association linked premature emphasis on appearance with three of the most common mental health problems of girls and women: eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. NOT a road parents should be actively sending their daughter down.
Next came an outcry over the overly sexualised image of a lollipop sucking, hiked-up shorts wearing young girl in a suggestive, leggy, adult-like pose featured in this Lands End catalogue flogging school backpacks – which Momalog is working hard to have pulled. Factor in the two boys either side of her exchanging "knowing glances" and it becomes near impossible for any mother to deem this ad appropriate. Head on over there to support her cause if you too would like to see this disturbing advertisement axed.
And just when you thought the portrayal of young girls couldn't get any more provocative and inappropriate, along came the French Vogue fashion spread featuring 10 year old model, Thylane Blondeau, sprawled out on a tiger rug, wearing a full face of make-up, skimpy cutaway clothes and adult-size leopard print spike heels, staring vacantly into the camera. And another shot of her wearing nothing on top but beads covering her nipples. How in the world could that be considered an age-appropriate photo of a 10 year-old? It's so NOT!
To French Vogue I say this:
You are not marketing to paedophiles. You are marketing to women, many of whom are mothers of young girls. The idea of photographs of our daughters in these suggestive poses and in this attire (or lack thereof) being published in a glossy magazine horrifies us. These highly sexualised images are deeply disturbing. If the point of this shoot was to inspire us to purchase the featured products, boy did you miss the mark. These images are repellent.
The fashion industry's thirst for young child models has bordered on creepy for a while now, but this crosses the line to repugnant.
To the parents of these young girls I say this:
What are you thinking? Why aren't you protecting your daughter's childhood innocence instead of selling it?
The sexualisation of children – especially young girls – needs to stop. I don't want my daughter to view these kinds of images (which are becoming harder and harder to avoid) and think that imitating these sexed-up girls is appropriate. It's not. Even more importantly, I don't want young men thinking that this is what young girls are all about. It's not.
Which side of the fence are you on? Do you find these portrayals of young girls offensive?
Related Posts
2 Trackbacks
- Eden Wood
August 11, 2011 3:28 PM - Jours Après Lunes, Hailey Clauson & Urban Outfitters - Sexualisation of Children Again! | Parenting Controversy
August 20, 2011 11:54 PM
August 9, 2011
3:51 am
I just sent this piece to a friend as a talking point about women and body issues. I agree with you..it’s appalling. I am particularly disappointed with the Land’s End ad. I have purchased a ton of clothing from them over the years and they always used just regular kids doing regular things. In any case, it’s like you say…why is a women’s mag using these images? My husband has often said he finds the photos in women’s mags far more sexual than the one in men’s.
August 9, 2011
9:55 am
Thank you for forwarding this post on to your friend – the more people expressing their distaste and concern about these issues the better for getting our message heard, and hopefully taken on board. I encourage others to do the same.
For goodness sake, just let kids be kids!
I hope fathers are equally as outraged by this. How could any father support his 10 year old daughter being showcased wearing only beads covering her chest?
And I agree with your husband that photos in women’s magazines are overly sexualised as well.
August 12, 2011
1:34 am
Ladies! Don’t you know that it is no longer good enough to compete with teenagers to look like the “ideal woman”. Fashion is all bout you not being good enough and making up for your inferiority by buying clothes and makeup. And with all the plastic surgery and insano diets making some of that possible out there we have to raise the bar. 1o is the new 17! Just imagine how sexy men will find you in oversized shoes as your clothes drape fabulously over your flat chest and rail-thin shoulders. SO SEXY! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING sells clothes and magazines faster than jail-bait with a come-hither stare.
It seems to me that we are sexualizing little girls so that we can infantilize grown women who can then go out and buy a bottle of perfume filled with shame and self-loathing. I miss photoshop.
August 12, 2011
5:49 pm
Oh boy do I find this offensive. It makes me livid. I get mad enough at images like these featuring grown women because of the implications that a woman’s ‘sexiness’ is paramount. But to see it applied to children is unutterably worse. It has to stop. Well done for bringing attention to the issue.
Emma recently posted..Taking a break. But hopefully not a bloggy break
August 13, 2011
11:05 am
Why, oh why, are there people, mothers even, who think this is appropriate! It is totally inappropriate for our little girls to be thrust into this. Innocence and childhood are no longer sacrosanct. All the liberalism we have sought as adults over recent generations is filtering down to our children. I so want my girls to grow up with a childlike innocence of the world around them but I fear it is going to be so hard. I’m going to have to be a super mum of some extraordinary talent to ensure they grow up espousing good, wholesome, traditional values, as the world around them (peer pressure, the media, fashion industry, etc) tries to chip away at their innocence. Further, it is important that parents of boys ensure they raise their boys well to respect girls. It’s got to be a holistic approach for all our children and for the sake of our future generations.
Veronica @ Mixed Gems recently posted..When I See Mums With Prams ~ A TTC Tale
August 13, 2011
12:53 pm
You make an excellent point about the liberalism we practice as adults filtering down to our children. We really need to take a step back and look at the effects, both short and long-term, that this is having on our children. Seriously, what good can come of it?
August 16, 2011
4:34 am
A few things. I find the 2 Vogue pictures disgusting. Absolutely inappropriate. Complete sexualization of young girls, plain and simple. Being a child is so difficult as it is. Competing with the impossible and being expected to flaunt an air of sexuality before even knowing what sexuality is horrifying.
The Land’s End picture? I don’t find it that bad. Perhaps it’s because I work in a high school where I see young girls flaunting themselves in far worse ways that what’s pictured here. Perhaps it’s because I’m a mother to boys, not girls, and I don’t intimately understand a girl’s development the way only a mother to one could (given mine was so long ago.) Perhaps it’s because these images are all-too-common in our society, so the fact that I’m not shocked because I’ve seen it so often makes me think it’s not all that bad. Perhaps it’s because the advertisers didn’t intend for the girl to ooze sex, sex, sex, but rather intended for her to ooze popularity or confidence or happiness as a result of her backpack choice (or as a result of her looking so “sexy” – - who knows?). Perhaps it’s because it’s just a picture of a girl at school, not lounging in sultry poses on a leopard print couch, not shirtless, not wearing skimpy clothing.
Very interesting topic. Glad I stopped by.
August 20, 2011
8:10 pm
“these images are all-too-common in our society, so the fact that I’m not shocked because I’ve seen it so often makes me think it’s not all that bad. ”
- It’s this unfortunate reality that’s the problem. So many people have been numbed to it in the same way.
“Perhaps it’s because the advertisers didn’t intend for the girl to ooze sex, sex, sex, but rather intended for her to ooze popularity…”
Perpetuating the “popularity” stereotype isn’t helpful either.
August 19, 2011
1:22 pm
This makes me feel so sad… sad for the children who are being allowed, even encouraged, to take part in these things. Sad for the parents who for some reason think this is ok, and sad for our society that seems to value children so little that selling them in this way is ok…
August 20, 2011
7:59 pm
Very well said. Echos my own feelings about this 100%.