I really fail to understand our society sometimes; it’s so bipolar. It vehemently states that it hates something, then turns right back around and does that very thing. Take the subject of pedophilia, for example. On the surface, it would seem that our society hates it, what with the To Catch a Predator specials, and all the laws restricting convicted pedophiles. Look closer, however, and you’ll find something funny: a subtle acceptance of pedophilia, of the sexualization of children. The examples are endless, really. The first thing that comes to mind is child beauty pageants; dressing little girls up like dolls, caking makeup on their faces, and making them look like adults. Being a child isn’t about being beautiful, it’s not about being like an adult, it’s about being a kid, having fun. Have people forgotten what that means? Hell, I’m technically an adult, and I still feel like I’m a kid. What’s wrong with that? Nothing. There’s everything wrong with parading a child down a catwalk in twenty pounds of makeup. Our society should be ashamed of itself. These beauty pageants are sickening, how can it be seen as anything other than sexualizing a child, making them a sex symbol?
The parents are the biggest problems with these pageants. These people are living vicariously through their children, making them into something they never were, and at such a young age. The parents say it’s about boosting self-esteem and improving public speaking skills. Boosting self-esteem? Please, beauty pageants can cause eating disorders and depression by putting intense pressure on a child to look pretty and to constantly succeed. That is not a healthy environment for a child. I fail to see how a parent can paint up their child like a clown, parade them around for perverted men and women to judge and can think, “Yep, nothing wrong with that!” I think the parents are the true root of this problem, allowing their children to be sex objects. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand their neurosis, but I’d really like to. Perhaps one day I’ll be lucky enough to sit down with one of these parents and ask them why they put their children through this. Why put them in an environment ripe for eating disorders, depression, and body issues? Why put them under the perverted eyes of judges? It’s not right.
Another big influence on the sexualization of children are the products constantly being put out by a wide variety of companies. From toys to clothes to makeup, it’s all making children sex objects. There are makeup ads targeted at children, trying to make them into mini-adults. There is also the problem of dolls that young girls play with. Forget the implications that a Barbie doll has on an eight-year-old, turn your eyes to the Bratz dolls. These dolls are the most tactless toys I’ve ever seen. Huge, red lips, face smothered in makeup, scantily clad, a half-lidded, lustful look in their eyes; honestly, these toys look like prostitutes. These children’s toys look like something you’d find in the red light district. What are even worse are the Bratz babies. These look exactly the same as their counterparts, except the size of a baby. Now babies are being sexualized? For a society that claims to hate pedophilia, we sure do like it when it’s advertised to our children by a corporation. I think that’s because we think corporations can’t be twisted, they can’t be sick enough to make children sex objects. The real pedophiles are people like the creepy old man who lives down the street, not the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, right? Okay, in his defense, he may not actually be a pedophile, but he’s making these products because he knows our society is. He knows that we eat that shit up. We claim to want to “protect the children!” Do we? No. If we did, this corporation, MGA Entertainment, wouldn’t be making two billion dollars a year. Now, I’m sure their Bratz line isn’t the only thing bringing in this cash, but I’m sure it brings in a good portion.
Another big influence on the sexualization of children in our society are the clothing lines being put out. There now exists a padded bikini for prepubescent girls that act as a push-up bra, giving them the appearance of having breasts. How is it okay to make an eight-year-old child think she needs to show off her breasts? Why would a corporation want to implant an idea such as that in a child’s head? It’s twisted. Not only are there these bikinis, but there’s also thongs marketed for children. It’s bad enough that there are thongs being made for children, but they also have kid-friendly messages on them such as “eye candy” and “wink wink”. Okay, there’s no subtlety there at all, this corporation (Abercrombie and Fitch, by the way, who made both the bikini and the thong. Didn’t expect such a big-name clothing provider to be so perverted, did you?) is basically saying, “You’re child is eye candy, they’re a sex object.” Then they have the gall to say, “The underwear for young girls was created with the intent to be lighthearted and cute. Any misinterpretation of that is purely in the eye of the beholder.” Come on now, A&F, you’re making this too easy. How can this be misinterpreted? Your underwear, sold to young girls, says “eye candy” on it; there’s only one way to look at that; you’re saying my potential daughter is a sex object. That’s twisted. There’s nothing “cute” about the sexualization of a child.
Now, you may be thinking, I’ve never bought that, and neither has my best friend, or my cousin, so it must not be that big of a problem, it’s the minority of people who sexualize children. Yes, it may be a minority, but it’s still a huge problem. If it weren’t a problem, then companies such as Abercrombie and Fitch wouldn’t targeting your child as a sex object, they’re expecting you to buy thongs for your young daughter, thinking that it’s perfectly okay. Before these were put out, there was a room full of people that knew the American public would happily turn their child into a sex object. The people at MGA Entertainment knew that the American public would turn a blind eye to a baby doll that looks like a prostitute. They can defend themselves all day by saying they had innocent intentions, but they know that they put out a product that profits off the sexualization of children, because sex sells. For us, it doesn’t matter if it’s an adult, a teenager, a child, if it’s sexy, we’ll buy it. It should matter, though. A child as a sex object and an adult as a sex object are two different things, and there seem to be many people who don’t see that. Because of this, the problem will grow, and one day, we won’t think twice about this problem; it will just be accepted. There is a way to reverse this twisted social norm, though. It’s actually quite easy; don’t buy the shit. Don’t buy this twisted shit that these corporations put out. Look at the free market as a government. Look at your dollar as a vote. What you buy is what you’re voting for. When you buy something, you’re essentially saying. “I like this, and I want more.” That’s what the corporations hear when you buy their products. If you don’t like the problem, simply don’t buy the crap that adds to it. It’s your money, not theirs, do what you want with it, not what their advertisements tell you to. Not what your children tell you to. Not what your sister tells you to. Buy what you want to, and what you think is right. Use your brain. Think critically. If we each do this, we can collectively end the sexualization of children, or at least make it so it’s not a problem.
Why have I seen nothing but crap movies in the theaters anymore? Out of the hundred movies that will come out this year there will only be a few good gems in the pile of crap that is Hollywood. Why is this? I think I know; it’s because movie making is a business, therefore, money needs to be made. Movies cost a lot of money so a lot of money needs to be made. Because of this, producers and directors and writers only stick to ideas they know will work, like a movie based on a comic book or cartoon character people almost forgot about. They write plots that always work and never challenge the audience because doing otherwise would be a risk. If you make risks, there’s a chance of losing money, and Hollywood doesn’t want that. They want to be safe and boring.
