Dance photos of children

[GrandmaSharkdodo]

I've had a violent reaction to a family members photos of her child and not sure if I'm just an old fuddy duddy. The girl is 13 and is a great dancer, competing at regional competitions. She's recently gone for some studio photos of her "dancing" and I think they are highly inappropriate and over sexualised. I know young teens often take risqué selfies as they want to look older, bit this was paid for and overseen by her mum. Obviously I can't and won't put the actual photos on here but this one is quite similar to one of them .. the photos are all over Instagram and are public. AIBU or is it a bit too much?

I would say those photos are completely indecent and inappropriate. If police were to find a load of those on a person’s computer, I would hazard a guess that that person would be in all sorts of hot water!

I cant see the photos so cant comment on those in particular. My 9 yo dd dances and some of the moves you see the older girls doing are a little uncomfortable, but it is just dancing at the end of the dsy

@SophieLMumsnet apologies... I didn't read the story behind the photo I posted, I just wanted to find something similar for reference.
Thanks for the responses. I think it's a fine line and in this occasion perhaps it has been crossed. I m not going to say anything to her mum. I don't want to start anymore arguments he he

Kinda confused about the idea that a child's photo shoot is about the child wanting to express any sort of desire or what they want. I did a lot of photo shoots as a kid - for dance, pageants, other things - at my mother's request and generally, they were mostly about what the photographer wanted and following their instructions. Even adult photo shoots for portfolios and work tends to be that way.

Even at 13, that's typically how it is and the idea that kids of that age, whether they have sexual feelings or not, want to express them in a photo with the adults in room - adults with entire control of the image and end result - I think puts very adult responsibility and ways of thinking on young shoulders while ignoring the major role the adults who made these images do and are responsible for them. I mean, I had picture of myself younger than that dressed as an Old West prostitute and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing in that photo shoot until I was an adult (and that was in tap, it's more the teacher/area's culture in than particular types of dance, in my experience. My freestyle and pop & lock dancing never had costumes like that, even though I was a older). Anything anyone might see as me 'expressing' in those photos is in their heads, I was doing what I was told and I can't imagine seeing an image like any of these and thinking the kids were in entire control and not being directed to act in a certain way.

I wouldn't let any of my kids take these kinds of photos or do this kind of photo shoot until they were 16+. Plenty of dance doesn't require this, but enough of them do from far earlier than 13 with the attitude that 'that's how dance is' without being challenged (and sometimes encouraged by parents) that this keeps going on. While thankfully things have moved on so there is better practice to prevent overtraining in dancing and many other sports that used to written off as 'not strong/determined/wanting it enough', the issues that come from 'dance is like that' or 'kids enjoy it and are expressing themselves' when it comes to ignoring that adults are the ones who make the photoshoots or routines or training and so on frustrates me a lot.

Kinda confused about the idea that a child's photo shoot is about the child wanting to express any sort of desire or what they want

Yes, this is what I can't get past. I don't think this any more than I think school photos are for the child to 'express' their passion for education or whatever.

Well, because once you cut through all the handwringing, I think there’s a decent chance a 13 year old would want a photograph like the first one without encouragement from others. That’s my opinion. Nothing wrong with the picture, not very sexual, she looks like a dancer to me. I can see why she might see a friend’s photo and say “Oh, Mum, can I...?” Not the end of the world.

handwringing Your views sound more and more dubious with every post, TBH, hercule.

DarlingNikita

Meh. Dancing is just like this

No , it’s not?