Blog Post 5

Hannah Dickie

2/26/15

Blog Post #5

Too Sexy Too Young

            In today’s society girls are being introduced to the idea that they are supposed to look a certain way at a very young age. They should have that skinny little body, the perfect hair and smile and always look pretty. In The Rise of Enlightened Sexism by Susan Douglas she talks Toddlers and Tiaras a TV show on the TLC network. In this show young girls some still in diapers are sprayed tanned, teeth bleached, hair and makeup done all to be judged on how they look. The young girls think this is normal to and most of them are very proud of how many trophy’s they have won because it makes them pretty. Many of those young girls are begging to think all that matters in life is how you look which is sad. They aren't being taught the concept that it’s not what’s on the outside that counts it’s what’s on the inside. In one episode I remember watching one of the girls (who was probably barley three years) was dressed up as the prostitute Julia Roberts played in Pretty Women. She was on stage shacking her butt and dancing kind off provocatively for a three year old. The crowd filled with not only women but old men also was cheering laughing and clapping for her making her think this was okay. I mean really how is that okay? The little girl had on thigh high boots, a midriff tank top shirt and a very tight little skirt. This was teaching not only that little girl but all the little girls at the pageant that it’s okay to act this way as long as you’re going to get something out of it. In another episode a little girl dressed as Dolly Parton but this time the little girl had padded breasts and butt on so it made her look like she was Dolly Parton. What was the mother thinking though? Did she really think this was okay to put breasts on her three year old? This is just showing these young girls that if you don’t like something on your body just get surgery to make it the way you want it. I don’t agree with this show at all I think that once a girl is able to decide pageantry is something she wants to do then she should but moms should not be allowed to dress their three year old up as thirty year old women with barley anything on just to win a crown bigger than their kid.

            In the class discussion this we also discussed Abercrombie and the message their sending to children. I don’t know if you've ever been in their but they literally have pictures of guys with no shirts on and girls barley dressed hanging on their walls. Not only that but their clothes are three times smaller than they should be meaning a small in Abercrombie is like an extra extra small at any other store. It’s not only that they sell to older teenagers they have a children’s store that sells pretty much the same stuff as the one  for adults except it’s in children’s sizes. There is no way a seven year old needs to be wearing the same shirt as an eighteen year old. I used to shop in the kids store for jeans because of how short I am and they were the only store where I could buy jeans that didn't drag all along the floor. They had belly shirts in there for little children and there is no way their shorts could cover anyone’s butt and they were supposed to be for young children. One skirt I did buy there didn't even last me from the begging of summer to the end because it was so short and tight. Stores are pretty much marketing sexiness to young children only the children don’t understand this they just want to wear what everyone else in their class is wearing. Pink a branch off Victoria’s Secret is doing the same thing selling push up bathing suits and bras to young girls. It’s almost impossible to go into Pink and find a bra that doesn't have some sort of padding in it. Why do girls so young need this? Why does anyone need this? Does anyone ever really buy push up bras for themselves, I doubt it girls buy it with the attention of attracting boys. It’s a problem that girls so young are being taught that if they don’t have big breasts by the time their like fifteen they need to buy s 50 dollar to push up what they do have to make boys like them. In the end most things are done to please the males in society and this really needs to change.