Leah Hardy in the DM about the sexualisation of children

[MmeLindt]

with comments from Justine

"Growing numbers of mothers like me are appalled at what is happening to the way our children, and particularly our little girls, are being pushed into ever more adult, ever sexier styles of clothes.

We worry how our growing daughters will learn to regard themselves, and how some adults will look at them. And most of all, we worry about how fast and how much their childhoods are shrinking."

they've transmogrified into emos, i think. or emus.

Aitch
I buy in Boden sale. Their clothes are not much more expensive than M&S then.

Who mentioned stripy tshirts? You do know about my favourite shop, KSBK?

Emos are no fun though, it's all wailing about the pressures of life and self harm.

Give me a goth any day, devil worship trumps self harm any day.

Disclaimer - this post is very, very tongue in cheek!

tell me more, mme. and but i only shop in the m&s sale, you see, so...

Stripy tshirts from KSBK.

omg i have just seen the noah cyrus pic. whats with the ganking boots - the only thing that outfit reminds me of is Pretty Woman - and not in a good way!

I take particular issue with high heels (and pointy shoes) on small children, mostly because i think it is bad for their feet and their backs, not to mention that they look quite grotesque on weenies. Little girls will have all the time they want as adults to choose their shoes. While my dd is little I will do my best to protect her little feet nad make sure they have adequate supprt and room to grow.

The silver sandels are just another reason to avoid Next (used to work there (shudders)).

I did notice it a bit when I recently took DD2 (6) to a party. I thought she looked lovely in her navy twirly dress and silver grey ballet pumps. But when all the other girls were arriving most were in spangly drapy stuff with heeled sandals. I was worried DD would feel old-fashioned and out of place, even though she was just dressed age-appropriately (so I thought). She held her own but I felt she stuck out among the wannabe teens. I don't want to alienate her from her peers, but I'm buggered if I'm going to run out and buy her a black sequinned something and strappy, heeled sandals so she can blend in. She already pesters me about wanting to be a 'teenager'.

i saw a little girl in heels in softplay
looked awful
wrong

suri cruise looks really cute - nothing wrong with her outfit IMO.

"It's not that much different from when we dressed up in mums high heels, dresses, etc. is it?"

"Is it any different to dressing up as a princess or a firefighter?"

It's completely different. Dressing up in your Mum's much-too-big clothes and shoes, or a fireman outfit is playing - role playing, make-believe "I am a firefighter" "I am a Mummy / Grown Up Lady". Wearing these grown up clothes, that fit, in your real life is dressing to create an image of yourself in RL, not playing at make believe. It's saying 'this IS me, this is what I really look like - grown up'

Suri looks cute? She is wearing high heels. High heels really hamper a small girl from running, or jumping- they stop children being children more than anything else, IMO. AND will damage her feet and tendons. I find it very shocking that parents let small girls wear high heels. (by which I mean raised heels - not just stilletos).

My DDs wear high heels because they are learning classical ballroom.

It's what they wear.

Suri is wearing ballroom shoes.

It is NOT sexy. That is like saying that ballet clothes are sexy - tights up to your thighs?! Provactive tutus?! Skin-right leotards?!

Nonsense. It's just the uniform.

Fiofio: Not sure of your point? MN is mentioned every other day in the Mail. not every article is wrong.

Noah Cyrus looks like Little Mo

she has a lot to live up to with Miley as a sister

I would not give a toss is my child wore a ballet outfit shopping and I don't mind if the small one wants to wear the dancer shoes out (not all day obviously). Why, exactly, should she not do so?

I don't think that wearing a pair of raised/high heels for a party is a problem.

The issue of sexualisation of children has been researched, and the findings show that it is damaging for young girls:

The American Psychological Association has published research linking early sexualisation to eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression in girls.

The association said its research found evidence of sexualisation in every form of media, 'as well as in goods marketed to children'.

The effects on society were catastrophic, it said, and included an increase in sexism, increased rates of sexual violence and sexual harassment, and an increased demand for child pornography.

Fiofio
I put Leah Hardy's name in the title because I know she was/is a MNetter so more people were likely to read the OP. I was aware of the MN/DM/LH 'scandal' (for want of a better word) but was not involved in it. I think that she writes good articles, and enjoy reading her work.

how can a ballet outfit be construed as sexually provocative?

anyway aren't paedophiles attracted to young children because they look like young children and not as mini adults? I don't know, I'm guessing.

fio, the upset was that mn was being filleted without consent, that's completely different from co-operating with a journalist on an article that you want out there. it's ridiculous to assert hypocrisy.

I've a teacher friend who says her school has recently had to clamp down on teenage girls pole dancing at the school talent show.

The dancing involved gyrating around a chair while dressed in stockings and suspenders provided by the parents.

It just seems wrong to me..