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viewsSexy Babies in 4 Inch Heels.
By krrobi, Tuesday, October 6, 2009, 12 comments
~We need to replace all of these sexualized images with ones showing girls in positive settings - ones that show the uniqueness and competence of girls
~This ad for Beyoncé's House of Deréon kid’s clothing line is just one more unconstructive image sexualizing young girls. One might as well blare out…“Hey, little girls, want to come to Deréon and sex it up in 4 inch heels and ruby-red lipstick!”
If you disagree, well, stop reading this.
Haven’t we had ENOUGH already with Toddlers and Tierra’s?
Those poor babies look like dressed up pathetic Barbie Dolls.
Haven’t we had ENOUGH with the false eyelashes, Lolita colored cheeks, spray tans, hair extensions, acrylic nails and fake white porcelains? And I wouldn’t be surprised if their mamas’ weren’t stuffing Kleenex down their glittered, tummy revealing- t-shirts for a bit more booby.
What the hell is going on here? Is this
“She's a typical robot, in that she's been programmed by her mother on what to say and how to walk, except that she doesn't do either of these things as convincingly as other humans. However, she comes alive when she taps into her, um, flirty side. (Actually, "sexual" is a more accurate adjective than "flirty," but I don't want to come off as inappropriately as she does, considering she's seven.)”--Jezebel Magazine
Beyonce might very well be a triple threat to her fans, but her ads, additionally, are a threat to young, vulnerable, girls. As a mother, I do not want my sons’ to observe a seven year old girl adorned in 4 inch heels, dark red lip stick, and low rise jeans; I do not want to my sons’ to assume this it’s normal, acceptable; that this is what a girl is supposed to look like.
Hell. No.
I recall the Jon Bonet’ case well. I mean, who doesn’t watch Nancy Grace? When I initially saw her photo; I was like, No way! This girl is how old? My heart leapt from my chest; my stomach muscles tightened. Quite honestly, I was sickened and saddened. This poor painted baby was morphed into a sex object, a street walker, a pedophile’s demented dream.
Am I alone in my perception?
Clothing stores sell thongs for seven- to ten-year-old, some with slogans like “wink, wink” or “eye candy.” In child beauty pageants, girls as young as five wear fake teeth, make-up, and hair extensions, and are encouraged to flirt with the audience by batting their false-eyelash-laden eyes. The 2005 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on prime time television featured models made up to resemble young girls dressed in sexy lingerie. Magazines, television, and the internet abound with images portraying girls and women as sexualized objects. There is growing evidence that this sex-saturated culture harms healthy psychological development among both boys and girls. –About Kids Health.Com
So do you still think this is okay? If so, delete this from your computer.
Back to Beyoncé’—I’m not saying that she’s some horrible woman; it’s the ads, the heels, and the red lipstick that done me in. I mean, I love this girl; I think she’s unbelievably talented and quite seriously, inspiring and empowering to women, but these ads are just ONE MORE THING that contributes to our young girls’ self image and self worth, one more superficial, pretentious, external thing that sends a message of lies and deception. One more shallow representation that implies….
“YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH AS YOU ARE !”
Tell me; when is enough—ENOUGH? 
What Parents Can Do Today: Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls
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12 Comments
Podiatrists
Charles Savoie---often remark that high heels and spike heels are bad long term for the feet of the wearer. The real test? Do female MD podiatrists wear them? I speculate they do not.
I'm so with you on Kim, I
I'm so with you on this Kim, I know that you've raised this insane issue before . . . I still can't understand how any parent would want their child to grow up any quicker than they are already are - and to promote it in any fashion is beyond my comprehension!
I've got an 11 year old daughter who is pushing me to buy high heels - she's started secondary school (high school) and I've managed to convince her that by wearing high heels she is only making herself look older and that she has to have something to 'grow into' (and look forward to) . . . in this day and age, with teenage pregnancy so rife ~ is anyone even shocked with this kind of 'blantant advertising' being shoved down our kids throats!!!
Em, London
Keep yelling!
Hopefully you can penetrate the thick skulls of some of these parents. Maybe when parents receive the gift of a baby girl, we should also give them a life-size doll (I remember them from my childhood). One is to dress up like a strumpet and one is to nurture into a multi-faceted female who totally celebrates the attributes and assets of her gender. We could label the doll just in case they get confused. - Laurie
Sarcasm, just another service we offer. Aren’t you glad you asked?
Sigh...
I couldn't agree with you
I couldn't agree with you more, Kim. It's disgusting that parents would allow their children to be exploited like this, whether it's on Toddlers & Tiaras, this ad, etc. I think that parents need to think about the sad reality that there are a lot of sexual predators out there who thrive on this stuff. It can fuel their twisted desires. Why on earth would any parent want to potentially subject their child to this, even if it's simply through a man looking at the ad? It's wrong. It's disgusting. It needs to end.
Last weekend, I attended a fundraising event for a local non-profit who helps young girls who are forced into prostitution. The statistics were alarming. Atlanta is one of the top three cities in the country for forced child prostitution. Also, the average age of these girls is between 11-16, and they are sold as many as 10-15 times per night. They said that there is an average of 360,000 "transactions" of this type every year. It makes me want to vomit to hear this.
I don't know if parents realize the impact that these types of ads can have with predators. It can feed into their sick fantasies and could prompt them to act on those fantasies. That not only puts their own children in danger, but everyone's children. It needs to stop. I wish that parents, particularly parents with young girls, would embrace the efforts of the Dove (Unilever) company. They promote self esteem, loving who you are, embracing your differences/uniqueness, etc. for young girls who are under tremendous peer pressure to look or be a certain way. If parents want to embrace a company, Dove is the type of company they should embrace.
Great blog, Kim. Thanks for bring attention to this issue.
I just cringe!
Hey Kim,
I am so behind you but you know what - we women could do somehing about it. Beyoncé should have paid more attention to the clothing line and the advertising and that dreadul show on TLC should be kicked off the air. But we are powerful and we can make changes in the world.
Why don't we write up a petition and have the other skirtters sign it and we can send it to Beyoncé and ask her to let little girls be little girls?
All the passion that jumped off the page can be used to make a difference. Let's raise our voices and do something.
P.S. just wrote my "Hair - the play" blog so I an high on changing the world.
elizabeth cassidy -Life and Career Coach www.BranchingOutLifeCoaching.com
I agree about the petition.
Let's start with Dear
Let's start with Dear Beyonce' - it has come to our attention that...
Let's do it. Skirt would get behind this and we could get some press and make a change.
won't Mercy be so proud of us?
xxx
elizabeth cassidy -Life and Career Coach www.BranchingOutLifeCoaching.com
I totally agree
It is a sad mess...we sex up kids and wonder why their focus is off...get the petition started, I am in!
Smooches!
I'm in too
We are. If anyone hasa great
We are. If anyone hasa great petiton send it to us so we can use it as a template!
elizabeth cassidy -Life and Career Coach www.BranchingOutLifeCoaching.com
I remember reading about
I remember reading about this when she started her clothing line. She had a lot of criticism from both the right and the left which shows what a disturbing issue this is - everyone can agree how disturbing this is. But, as long as money is to be made, the only thing that will make it go away is NO SALES. What happened to Winnie the Pooh?
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