Today I discovered the show Toddlers and Tiaras. I had heard of this show before from my reality-TV obsessed roommate, but refused to be persuaded in watching this show where the 3-year-old girls reminded me of real-life chuckie dolls (the whole idea of the show disturbed me). However, after watching an episode on TV today, I was hooked; and not because it was a good show that I had to keep watching, but because I was in such horrific shock of how psychotic the moms of these toddlers were and how they expected these young, baby girls to wear make-up, to get self tanners, and even get waxes! On the episode that I watched one mom revealed that she only wanted to have a daughter so that she could put her into these beauty pageants. Searching online, I even came across an interview from ABC News where one mom admitted to giving her 8 year-old daughter daughter botox:
This unhealthy body image that is being presented to these girls at such a younger age is only paving a life of insecurities and depriving these small children from living an innocent childhood where these body issues should not be something that they are constantly thinking about. However, marketers have used this strategy of promoting these body images that young girls should supposedly have, to sell their products. In this advertisement for Calvin Klein, these “tweens” are being portrayed as having an older and more reavealing body image that it perceived as being a body that they should also have.
Calvin Klein Ad
This article I found online today depicts how more and more companies are targeting the “tween” market and providing them with these provactive images that bestow sexual images upon these kids at such a young age. These unethical practices are making younger children more self-concsious about their bodies and are only creating vulnerability issues that will continue to grow along with these kids.
2 responses so far ↓
celinegrootes // Mar 11th 2012 at 10:02 pm
Wow that is so wrong, that mothers only want to use their Kids so they can win in Beauty Contests. Its so wrong I can even find the words to describe this. These Kids one day will have low self-esteem just because their mothers have pushed them so far when they were too little to be able to do anything against it. Good job on putting the spotlight on something so disturbing.
simrattatla // Mar 14th 2012 at 9:16 pm
I completely agree!! It absolutely disgusts me when the mothers say that they talk about this with their daughters and allow them to make the decision when they are obviously pushing their children in the direction that they want! A child is not going to disagree with their parent as a parent is a figure that teaches you from right and wrong. It’s completely atrocious.
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