Fake Breasts For Your Toddler
Toddler and Tiaras has always pushed the line of good taste. Whether it be makeup or sexy outfits or some kind of dance usually seen in a strip club, the toddlers on Toddlers and Tiaras have always pushed that edge between pageant and child porn. This time though I think they have gone way too far. When Maddy was allowed to wear fake breasts and a fake butt for her Dolly Parton recreation I was pretty much disgusted. Who would let their daughter do that? The girl is four years old. This is the kind of mom who would be envious if her child came home one day and said she wanted to be a stripper. What are you teaching your child? What kind of lesson do you think a 4 year old is going to take from this?
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My Grandma made me a Jessica Rabbit Halloween costume when I was in the fourth grade, and she put padding in the boob part. And it was awesome. I received nothing but compliments from everyone. But I also didn't have purple eyeshadow smeared all over my lids. Or actual cleavage, of course.
ReplyDeleteAnd that was back in 1988, when the world was a (seemingly) far less fucked-up place, so...
I'm pretty creeped out by that kid and how she's not doing anything but her routine. I mean, someone is asking you a question, kiddo. What have they done to her?
ReplyDeletesomeone I know had professional photos taken of her daughter. She had her hair "done" make up on and was wearing jeans and a tied up oxford shirt over her belly near where her boobs would be if she weren't 9. Everyone on facebook (where she posted it) was saying "oh she looks so pretty" I didn't post because I like to keep the peace but the kid was in a sexy pose beside and it creeped me out! This is the same girl that I said earlier one day told her mom she wants to be a stripper when she grows up and the mom thinks it's funny. *face palm*
ReplyDeleteThere are females out there with boobs and butts, they're called women. Let's allow children to be children and stop making them targets for pedophiles.
ReplyDeleteI think that doing something every once in awhile with your kids that is silly, ala Ida's costume on Holloween, is one thing. But these kids often have to do Pagents EVERY WEEKEND. And when its full glitz that means: spray tan, fake teeth, eye brow plucking, and more make up than I wore to Prom.
ReplyDeleteI think these women are instilling dangerous seeds for the future self images of these little girls. The seemingly innocent but not really things that go on in the kid pagent world are insane. They are being taught (even if its not with the intention of harm) awful things about sexuality and how it sells, about beauty and what it means and how being the most unnatural you that you can be will win prizes. UGH
And the worst part is these women dont get it. I swear ignorance and parenting are the worst combination since the stick of dynamite and the match.
btw, I will ALWAYS have Jon Benet flashbacks when I watch Toddlers and Tiaras :(
ReplyDeleteWow. That video is really, really disturbing.
ReplyDelete@Jasmine
ReplyDeleteI agree with your entire post!
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ReplyDeleteThey are hand-feeding their kids to pedos.
ReplyDeleteI find it to be sick and demented behavior for parents.
I just don't get it.
I watched a few episodes of that show with my five year old. Her response? "Mom, those girls are like...BRATS!" Then she said she'd never want to do pageants because she didn't want her eyebrows plucked...lol. I love my kid :)
ReplyDelete@Sue...LOL...so cute. Straight from the mouths of babes. You can't get anymore honest.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to get into another Christina Milian argument, but this is related to what I was commenting about over there. These tiny little girls are being taught that dressing in provocative clothing and wearing a lot of makeup and acting flirty is great and will result in "prizes." They see women tottering around in provocative clothing and acting as if this is normal behavior. Then we wonder why so many kids are hypersexualized.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was about 5, my mom entered me in the Little Miss (town we were living in) Pageant. I was the first runner-up. The mother of the girl who won caked a ton of Avon slap on her face, did her hair all up, and put her in short-shorts and a bikini top to do her baton routine (this was in 1975). She encouraged her 5 year-old to blow kisses to the judges and sit in their laps. My mom was horrified at the spectacle, and that was the beginning and the end of Texshan's not-at-all illustrious pageant career. I did get to ride on a 4th of July parade float and got a sweet Holly Hobby outfit to wear for the event, though. So it wasn't all bad.
Our youngest child, a girl, is a competitive cheerleader. They wear skimpy uniforms when competiting, but we have a dress coverup they have to wear when not on the floor. And pants and jackets for cooler months. I know when we are at competitions there is probably some pedo scumbag taking photos. This is my daughter's only sport since she was four years old (now 13) and we spend a lot of money to do it because she loves it so much. She is very good at it, which helps boost the self esteem of this Dyslexic child. I am not horrified by this, so I guess I am just more accustomed to all of the makeup and outfits than most of America.
ReplyDeleteWhat Jasmine said, all of it.
ReplyDeleteWhile part of me is shocked the parents went this extra step and added "breasts", I guess I'm also not really that shocked at all. Sigh.
And Texshan - this is not the same as your comment that Milian is dressing like a "slut". An adult woman (with or without children) can dress how she wants. To dress her CHILD as a sexualized woman, however, is a completely different matter.
What I found most horrifying was when the mother said that she wasn't going "to compete her" daughter - as if she was some animal, not a breathing, human child.
ReplyDeleteRQ, I didn't say it was the same. I said it was related to it. In the sense that there are appropriate ways to dress and inappropriate ways.
ReplyDeleteAnd again, yes, an adult woman (and man) can dress how they want, of course. But how a person dresses sends a message to other people. It's up to each of us what we want that message to be.
@Gina -- Humans are actually animals, too. We're certainly not vegetables or minerals, at least. And it's honestly not as if the Westminster Dog Show is any more ethical than Little Miss San Jose. ANY contest that requires the winner to maintain physical perfection sucks, because it's always going to involve a certain level of exploitation.
ReplyDeleteJust my two cents.
Oh, and I still don't think that Christina looked all that trampy.
:-P
It's not the dresses and makeup that bother me...it's the fact that the parents are SO SERIOUS about it, and in turn, the kids are serious about it and it's not as much fun as it COULD be for a little girl to get to dress up like that. I would have LOVED to wear that shit when I was 5 (including the fake boobs. I distinctly remember dressing up as a "grown up princess" and putting tennis balls in my bathing suit to wear under a dress) but I was also taught that although makeup and stuff like that can be fun, they are superficial things and not as important as, say, being smart. Not that I turned out all that bright either, but some of us just get the short end of the stick, you know what I'm sayin'? *LOL*
ReplyDelete@Texshan- I think there are distinct differences in women dressing sexy and wearing what they like and children BEING FORCED to don outfits a Denny's day shift hooker wouldnt wear.
ReplyDeleteI personally think a woman dressing to please herself and her own sense of what she views as sexy is an amazingly empowering thing. I think if Milian (since you mentioned it) was walking with her daughter in those shoes and her daughter asked why mommmy was wearing them and she answered that they make her feel really good that day, that it can be as simple as that.
I think shielding children by not admitting to sexuality is wrong. Studies have shown that NOT teaching kids about sexuality simply leads them to more sexual behavior that often leads to STD's and pregnancy, simple because they werent educated or talked to about their sexualities.
I think that its different when a child is FORCED to wear outfits and then judged on how good they look and rewarded (or not) with cash money or shiny trophies.
I think that the little daughter of Christina Milian's COULD learn about personal self esteem and wanting to look good FOR YOURSELF from her mom explaining why she wore those shoes or wears anything sexy for that matter.
Basically, sexuality is there and isnt going to go away, no matter how many women dress or dont dress in hot red strappy shoes. Take the sexy strappy shoes away and there are still sexy feet, do we lop those off too?
I was raised to believe your Mind is your greatest asset and we raised our daughter that way. She graduated with honors from College. Now I get to help raise my granddaughter the same way. Yet, my younger sister paid for College with the scholarship money she won in "Beauty Pagents". She was over age 17, when she started in them.
ReplyDeleteWas that a child on that video clip or a robot?
ReplyDelete"I think shielding children by not admitting to sexuality is wrong. Studies have shown that NOT teaching kids about sexuality simply leads them to more sexual behavior that often leads to STD's and pregnancy, simple because they werent educated or talked to about their sexualities."
ReplyDeleteJasmine, I totally agree with this part of what you said. I never intimated that children shouldn't be told about sex. My mom told me about it -- without the cutesy euphemisms -- when I was 6 and she was pg with my brother. I would far rather a child learn about sex in a responsible, straightforward manner than remain ignorant. That leads to bad stuff.
Some people sure seem to be reading much more into my comments lately than I ever thought possible.
ETA: also, Jasmine, I find it interesting that you equate dressing sexily to feeling good, having high self esteem, and being empowered. I think what is really the issue between us is that I don't equate dressing sexily with any of those things. My self esteem and feeling of empowerment aren't based on being regarded as sexy. When I see women dressed provocatively, especially in what I perceive to be an inappropriate situation (i.e., out in the daytime with their toddler), I tend to think she is desperate for attention, similar to those photos of AnnaLyne McCord up there. Why did she take off her sundress in order to bicycle around in a bikini? Was it to feel more empowered, or to gain attention? Which do you think is the more likely answer?
ReplyDeleteAfter my daughters preschool graduation ceremony, the teachers said to go find your parents. My daughter came over to us, reached into her dress, and pulled out two of my discarded shoulder pads, which she had worn as BOOBS! I almost died, I was horrified.
ReplyDeleteI try really hard not to comment on my friend's daughters appearance. I will compliment them on their intelligence, character, any sweet thing they have done. I will tell them they look lovely, but only because I spend the rest of the time boosting their self esteem on things that have nothing to do with looks.
ReplyDeleteLOL, Lana's mom!
ReplyDeleteThe parents of the children on all these shows are the creepiest factor of it all, for me.
ReplyDeleteThe parents of the children on all these shows are the creepiest factor of it all, for me.
ReplyDeletePutting fake boobs on any kid is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, be it for a child-whoring pageant or a Halloween costume. Christ, it seems like common f-ing sense to me! I just don't get what kind of parent would ever think this crap is ok. They must have IQs of 11 and morals of Skid Row pimps. It should be illegal for people like that to breed!
ReplyDelete@ecua -- Meh. You've never liked me anyway. ;-) If another commenter had shared that Halloween anecdote, you'd probably be fine with it.
ReplyDeleteYou know what? That costume never corrupted me. I knew the basic facts surrounding sex from about six onward, I was never tempted to lose my virginity at any early age, every intimate relationship I've ever had has been healthy, I've always used protection, I learned as a teenager to spurn the advances of disgusting men, and I presently have NO desire to whore myself out.
So, really, I suggest you concentrate on ways to turn your *own* progeny into perfectly chaste and/or sexually-educated people, and can your judgmental attitude and passive aggressive behavior.
These parents are so unsophisticated that they don't even know that each and every comment they make reflects extremely poorly on them.
ReplyDeleteThey have some notion their child is so special that they will be offered their very own reality show.
Tragic.