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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to find the cover photo of a young girl on Smalltalk-magazine's summer issue 34 just 'wrong'

67 replies

Ocktober · 18/07/2013 20:36

www.smalltalk-magazine.com

A very young girl dressed up like a grown up, striking a model pose with nail varnish, lipstick, adult sunglasses and jewellery? Let children be children and all that. There's enough pressure on young girls to conform and be 'pretty' without family magazines endorsing the trend. I have emailed them my view.

OP posts:
Justforlaughs · 18/07/2013 20:39

YANBU in my opinion. I really don't like the way that some children are dressed like mini adults. I'm sure that there are worse things, but I still don't like it.

OwlinaTree · 18/07/2013 20:42

No that's a little girl playing dress up. Not a sexualised image imo.

LilacPeony · 18/07/2013 20:44

What she is wearing is ok for dressing up, but the sultry pose not so much

Sparklymommy · 18/07/2013 20:46

I think yabu. My daughters wear nail varnish (age 4 and 10). Have shades and lots of little beaded necklaces. My 4 year old has an abundance of bags and toy phones/cameras that make up a large part of her play.

The picture is not sexual. It's a little girl playing grown ups. All little girls play mummies, they emulate their own role models, their mothers. It is adults twisting the images in their own minds that make it inappropriate.

kinkyfuckery · 18/07/2013 20:50

Just a little girl playing dressup IMO

GrimmaTheNome · 18/07/2013 20:55

No, its not sexual (the OP didn't say it was), but I don't much like it either. Nothing wrong with a bit of nail varnish IMO, or dressing up - but those don't really look like 'dressing up' clothes to me. She'd have to drop most of those accessories to actually run around and have fun.

catgirl1976 · 18/07/2013 20:59

YANBU

I don't like it

Don't have a DD but if I did she would not be buying that magazine

LastTangoInDevonshire · 18/07/2013 20:59

YABU - she's just a little girl dressing up. Nothing sexualised or strange about it at all.

catgirl1976 · 18/07/2013 21:02

The OP didn't say it was sexual

It is still not how a little girl should look or be encouraged to aspire to look. Which is what that cover is doing

Why couldn't she be dressed up as a doctor or pilot?

pictish · 18/07/2013 21:04

I sometimes think it's gone too much the other way, and wee girls aren't allowed to just enjoy being girly any more.

cantdoalgebra · 18/07/2013 21:07

This image is not of a little girl dressing up. Her pose is not natural. YANBU. I would not touch this sort of stuff with a barge pole.

BridgetBidet · 18/07/2013 21:09

Little girl playing dress up. The pose isn't sultry. Also in the context of a family magazine. There's nothing wrong with it.

SecondRow · 18/07/2013 21:11

I get what you mean OP but I surprise myself by not actually being particularly outraged by this one Wink. The home page of the magazine makes it clear it's geared towards advertisers, a free magazine offering exposure of your business or whatever to discerning parents. So it's all about consumerism, making the cover pic just what you'd expect. If you look at more earnest parenting magazines, I'm guessing you'll get kids grubbing around in sand and stuff on the covers.

kelda · 18/07/2013 21:11

Looks fine to me. I don't have a problem with girls dressing up in girly clothes.

squoosh · 18/07/2013 21:11

I don't think it's overly sexualised, not that the OP said it was but I'm not a fan of that 'little girl looking like a jaded adult' look.

NoComet · 18/07/2013 21:14

Nothing wrong with the outfit, and props. DD2 would go round collecting a total coordinated set of clothes and accessories.

In the present climate I would have chosen a slightly smilier, little girl pose, if I was the editor.

Remotecontrolduck · 18/07/2013 21:15

It's fine, you're reading too much into it.

Some girls dress in pink and still want to be doctors and pilots. Just because they're 'girly' doesn't mean they're a stupid bimbo wag.

littlewhitebag · 18/07/2013 21:17

It's lovely. There is nothing wrong with that image at all. All children try to mimic adults. That is how they learn. Her clothes are appropriate as is her hair. She is not wearing loads of make up. She looks like she has borrowed her mums jewelry and accessories.

squeakytoy · 18/07/2013 21:20

it is a child dressing up.. I do wonder about some people who have so little to get on with in their lives that they can be outraged about seeing something like this..

were you not once a child yourself? did you not pretend to be a grown up?

its normal.. absolutely innocent and normal..

IneedAsockamnesty · 18/07/2013 21:30

She's playing dress up, that's exactly what children tend to do

Dorris83 · 18/07/2013 21:40

Ha ha I think it's sweet, I think you might be reading too much into it.

SmalltalkMag · 08/08/2013 14:33

Hello
As the editor of Smalltalk Magazine I would just like to say that when considering this image for the front cover it never crossed any of the panels minds that it would be considered anything other than a little girl dressing up and pretending to be a grown up, simple as that.
It is considered by many that role play and dressing up can be of great benefit to a child's development.
I think that reading the rest of the comments on this thread really speaks for itself.
Ocktober: We do take your comments on board and respect your opinion and apologise if we have caused you any upset.
Thank you all for your interest.
To keep up to date with Smalltalk Magazine like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter.

VitoCorleone · 08/08/2013 14:40

Get a grip Hmm

DialsMavis · 08/08/2013 14:43

In the past I've been accused of looking for things to be offended by, but this doesn't offend me in the slightest. It's a little girl playing at dressing up...

MarmaladeTwatkins · 08/08/2013 14:43

I don't like it either.

Of course, we all played dress-up when we were children but here, I don't much like the moodly glare into the camera and the pose. I don't even know why. It's a bit precocious and annoying more than anything.