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Strollerderby
JC Penney pulled this shirt when parents complained.
It’s been a banner year for inappropriate girlswear. Padded “push up” bikini tops. Butt-perking shoes. Tops declaring the importance of beauty over brains. Now Halloween season is upon us, with girls’ costume options ranging from (sexy) alien to (sexy) zombie. This trend is horrifying — but it’s not really surprising.
Attractiveness has always been the prized virtue of females in our society. It’s been a constant struggle for girls to get as much credit for being smart as being pretty. But this has been complicated by the triumph of the “bad girl” archetype. As explicit sexuality (i.e., porn) has become more accessible and accepted, its aesthetic has seeped into the mainstream. In the past, there were demure “girls next door” and prim “ice queens.” Now, nearly every female celebrity works an overtly sexy look.
Little girls want to look like big girls — especially the ones they know are celebrated by the world at large. They are eager to define their identities according to what is expected and appreciated. Which is what makes the increasing flow of messages that oversexualize girls and undermine their intelligence so disturbing and so dangerous. When a mom on the TV show Dance Moms complained about her 9-year-old gyrating on stage in fishnets, the coach countered, “But she loves it!” How can a parent combat the flow of products AND a daughter’s appetite for them?
They’re three and four respectively, but US Magazine seems to think Suri Cruise and Violet Affleck are ready to do battle against one another.
Their weapons? Fashion, naturally.
With Suri’s high heel fixation, we knew something of this sort was coming. But really, US, you couldn’t find some people old enough to make their own fashion choices – heck, old enough to understand why polka dots don’t go with plaid – to pick on? Continue reading »
I guess having eight kids must give you some kind of insight into the children’s clothing business but just because you’ve changed a lot of shirts, undies and onesies, doesn’t qualify you dress kids professionally. Continue reading »
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