I watched Dr. Phil today and it reminded me of my better off friends and relatives many of whom have their little girls in dance schools. I attended a show with one of my friends and was astonished at the sexual, provacative nature of many of the dances (and skimpy clothes) in girls as young as five or six. This might be predictable were it occuring primarily from those raised in trailer parks. However, to see such a practice so common among the elite, professionals seems beyond simple explanation. I believe that is sexualizes kids at a young age and potentially establishes a pattern of behavior.
This can only end in tears…
Man, I’m torn. We get pictures from my brother in law and his wife of their adorable kids all the time. The kids are adorable, the pictures are over-produced, over-posed, and over-propped. By the time the photographer’s done with them, he’s leached all the cuteness out of 'em. Give me a backyard mud-puddle picture any day.
Why am I torn? 'Cause I also want to respond to Faith is Good’s snobbery (“elite professionals”?). It’ll be interesting to see which direction this thread goes (I’m guessing we’ll end up in the Pit).
Here’s your first problem…
Was this the opinion of others there, or could this just be in your mind?
Are you saying that elite professionals are not allowed to live in trailer parks?
And what are your qualifications to make your opinion more important than the parents that you mention?
Now, I do also believe that some of the clothes I see children (primarily little girls) wear are less than tasteful. I am not a father, so I may be a bit prudish…
If a little girl has no boobs, no hips and no butt to speak of, then what’s “skimpy”? There’s nothing to reveal, so who cares if her tummy shows or the top is “low cut”. I can understand if the skirt is short enough to risk a panty flash, or if the pants are tight enough that you can tell she’s an inny, but in that case, it’s only provocative to someone who has something wrong with them anyway.
I’m going to disregard the more inflammatory bits of the OP, and just say that I have noticed a growing trend for young girls to dress provocatively. Low cut tops, short, tight skirts, and worst of all (imho) with thongs and/or bra straps purposely showing. It’s disconcerting enough to me when it’s high school girls, but I’ve seen girls as young as 4th grade dressing like this.
Rilchiam, I have to disagree with this: “but in that case, it’s only provocative to someone who has something wrong with them anyway.” Some of the girls at my daughter’s high school literally dress like cheap hookers, all the way to visible thigh-high stockings under tight miniskirts and sheer blouses. I’m an old-school punk kid myself, so I’m familiar with the idea of kids dressing to deliberately shock adults, but some of this stuff is simply appalling. And the younger girls (junior high school down to elementary school) are emulating them. It really makes me want to smack their parents upside the head.
I was really creeped out by the photos of Jon Benet Ramsey (on tabloid covers in the checkout line). Not just the clothing style, but the make-up and hair as well seemed designed to sexualize, IMHO.
This whole trend just me reminds me of the great word one of our banned posters intarweb man came up with: Prostitots. that word is now permanently etched into my brain.
I feel bad about the Jon Benet thing, but her parents are in no doubt guilty of dressing her up as a whore.
I remember once I was at the hairdresser’s and a mother and daughter came out of the shop next door. As they were walking away it became noticeable that the girl, who wasn’t more than 10, was wearing shorts that were so short that her butt cheeks were literally popping in and out of the bottom as she walked. I and everyone else in the salon who saw it agreed that this was in very poor taste, and couldn’t believe that the mother would allow her to wear something so revealing. You never know how many perverts were out there looking at this girl and getting off on it.
I can’t speak for very young girls, but yeah, I’ve noticed the same thing in preteen girls.
I think a lot of it may have to do with what is available. If the general style of the day is semi-slutty clothes, unless you have a mother that can sew, all you can do is find clothes that expose you the least. As far as I know, there are no cute clothing lines out there specially designed for simple modesty (not the Amish modesty thing but just the general covering-up-the-boobs modesty).
This might be predictable were it occuring primarily from those raised in trailer parks.
:rolleyes:
However, to see such a practice so common among the elite, professionals seems beyond simple explanation.
I’ve met more than a few “elite professionals” who were common and trashy.
Money has absolutely nothing to do with how much class you have.
Lands’ End has perfectly ordinary kids’ casual clothing available. There are probably a zillion other retailers out there with reasonable offerings too. Those parents just need to stay out of the shopping malls.
I think that’s pretty much the answer. Most kids are going to want to wear whatever is trendy, and if their parents can afford it and don’t object to the clothing, that’s what the kids will end up wearing. I don’t think the parents are choosing to “dress their kids up provocatively.”
I think the parents could dress thier children a different way if they chose, but unfortunately, many parents don’t know/care what their children are wearing. Others are not able to tell their child “no”.
I see a lot of this as a middle school teacher, and the students who wear truly inappropriate clothing normally come from homes with less parental involvement–or from homes where the child is basically controlling the parents.
Yeah, you’re right. Shopping malls = trendy brand name stores, which are probably the most guilty about tarting up their selection.
Nope. I can’t let this go. I’ll try to bite my tongue as much as possible.
My husband and I just bought a nice (yes, nice) mobile home in a lovely (yes, lovely), wooded trailer park. I am a Controller and he’s a Claims Examiner. We’re not the “elite”, but we’re not working at Walmart either (not that it matters). We don’t have children yet, but I can assure you that they won’t be dressing provacatively based on where we chose to buy a home or what we do for a living. I’m sure there are people all across socio-economic and geographic lines who may have a lapse in judgment when it comes to letting their kids wear what you deem inappropriate.
Why don’t you start by complaining about the stores that carry these clothes? I’ve been taken aback by some of the styles that young girls are wearing, but I’ve also noticed that the stores are carrying more of these types of clothes than ever.
We try not to paint everyone with the same brush here. It’s all part of that “Fighting Ignorance Since 1973” slogan that you might have noticed.
I’m also wondering if some parents remember our own parents yelling at us about our hair, clothing, etc., and how uncool that seemed. And we sure don’t want to be uncool.
Aside from the whole trailer park/elite professionals silliness, as a parent I do really object to the clothes that are often sold for small children. My kids are 4 and 2, and a large proportion of the clothing sold at, say, Target is deliberately modeled on the sluttier teen fashions. I love adorable little sundresses and shorts outfits that look right for a toddler, but I hate the glittery velvet hiphuggers and teeny miniskirts (correct me if I’m wrong, but little girls are supposed to play, right? So why aren’t there any playclothes?). It’s ridiculous.
I do wind up ordering a lot of stuff from Lands End, and it is well-made enough that it lasts through a couple of kids, so it is worth the higher price. But it isn’t easy for me to bring myself to spend over $20 on a pair of overalls for a 4-yo kid, and mail-order isn’t as convenient as picking up something as long as I’m at the store anyway.
As a society, I do believe we’re sexualizing our younger kids, in that we’re encouraging them to act older and sexier than they are, and exposing them to sexual content they aren’t prepared for. I would prefer that they be allowed to grow at their own pace. Instead, we wind up with children who affect a veneer of sophistication and sexuality that they do not actually have or understand, and who are damaged thereby, especially by the people who take that veneer to be reality and treat them accordingly.
Yeah, but florescent clothes and jelly shoes aren’t provacative, they’re just ugly. 
Yes, what she said. I once threw a tantrum in Target, because I was looking for summer shorts for my then-8-year-old daughter. I found lots of glittery stuff, quite a bit of spandex, and mini skirts and off-the-shoulder blouses. Come ON - these are little kids! There is no earthly reason to make a glittery spandex halter top in a size 6x.
I thank any and all deities who bestowed weird-but-not-slutty taste on my kid. I’m not wild about the baggy jeans and the endless parade of black T-shirts, but at least she’s COVERED.