Selling adult sexuality to toddlers
High heels for infants have arrived! Heelarious was launched 14 weeks ago and has lowered the bar of female sexuality even lower. I can take a joke. The creators claim that they are in the name of good fun. I know these are suppossed to be charming, sweet and just plain heelarious (cough) but when stripper poles are marketed at Tesco in the UK and aimed at prepubescent girls and thongs are marketed to 6-year olds and the Bratz fill the shelves at toy stores, I can’t ignore the connection between these products and the larger cultural framework in which the hypersexualization of young girls is all pervasive.
For a complete reading, check out Durham’s, “The Lolita Effect.â€
Thank you for bringing awareness; I can’t explain exactly how I feel, when I see this kind of things, but i feel my blood boiling when I see this stupid “innocent fun” toys.
The worst part is that they are not really made for kids to have fun; they are made for ignorant parents who don’t understand that the children are brighter than they are to recognize what fun is and what’s not.
This is as ridiculous as the description on a Hispanic Doll I found on line: (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10086318)
“Playing mommy is even more realistic with this sweet baby doll. Girls can press the doll’s bracelet to wake her up and mix her special food to feed her. The doll really chews her food and even drinks from her bottle. Since this baby doll is potty training, she’ll also let you know when she needs to go. Girls will also enjoy cradling the doll and putting her down for a nap.â€
And a brainless parent commented:
“I got this for my 7 year old daughter and she loved it at first but then she got tired of hearing the same lines also I HAD TO BUY REAL DIPPERS AND REAL BABBY FOOD CAUSE THE STUFF SHE CAME WITHE WAS CHEAP! its a cuite doll but your wasteing your money if you buy this!”
Duh, next thing she’ll be writing on is: I don’t know why my daughter came out pregnant at 15!? But hopefully it would be, why my daughter doesn’t want to have babies too young!?
I tell you, sorry, but I just needed to vent! LOL
Love you website!
Comment by Mirna — November 14, 2008 @ 1:11 pm
Have you heard this podcast, found it through the hypersexualization of young girls link…it’s fabulous.
http://static.salon.com/mp3s/2008/may/conversations_durham.mp3
Comment by Marley — April 17, 2010 @ 6:52 pm
I think people take this situation and blow it up into something it isn’t there is no harm in your child wearing these heels for fun or out in public it is a very different thing than a child wearing a thong not the SAME and would you like for someone to tell you that it poor parenting that influenced your daughter to get pregnant at 15 no ma’am these things happen from poor decisions from that individual not because they played dress up at 4 I wore my moms heels around back when..and I’ve never worn them in my adult hood but I see no problem I think the ignorant people are the negative commenters above who remind me of a nosey neighbor always downing someone else and just waiting for something as innocent as this to come up so you can put your word in well it’s you folks who need help…
Comment by Tara — February 29, 2012 @ 3:57 am