Prostitots, Bratz, and Barbie dolls
I pulled out five or six wallet sized photographs and presented them, a bit proudly, to my 5 year old companion. "Which outfit do you think is the prettiest?" I asked with a smile on my face, I thought she would pick the colorful ball gown type dress that I wore for my Senior Prom but instead, "I pick this one!" To which I replied with an incredulous "This one? Why?" She replied with a mischievous smile, "Because it's sexy! I see your tummy, that's sexy!" The picture she was referring to was a Sadie's picture where I wore a tank top and cut up white t-shirt over it, a la Britney Spears in her movie Crossroads. A small, very small sliver of my stomach was shown. It wasn't even that attractive! If you looked closely you would have been able to tell that it was a lack of exercise that may have made my shirts rise up a little but nevertheless, I was shocked to discover that a 5 year old even knew what sexy was.
Now the 5 year old didn't dress in revealing clothes and wear dark makeup, she was more of your 'Disney's Princess' girl but still, 10 years ago, most Kindergarteners didn't know what sexy was. Is it Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and other promiscuous celebrities that fuel this type of behavior? Is it the fault of the parents, and why do they give in to the demands of their children? Can the fault of this behavior even lay at a deeper root, maybe even biology? The media today fuels the images of what young and pre-teenaged girls want to look and be like.
Back in the day or even 15 years ago, little girls still dressed in Peter Pan collared shirts with corduroy jumpers and Mary Jane shoes. Fast forward to today and turn on the television to some talk show. Eight to nine-year-old girls are on the Maury show for dressing like little prostitutes. In fact, the clothes these girls wear would be considered improper and scandalous for the prostitutes of the olden days. There is even a new term coined for these promiscuous young girls – 'prostitots' (Wereszynski).
'Prostitots' are the young girls you see at the mall with tight jeans and belly button rings. They are around the ages of 10-14. These girls are trying to emulate their role models who are typically Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. Though Britney Spears may have started the trend, most 'tweens' consider her too old and washed up. 'Tweens' are between ages of child and teenager.
Not only are their favorite celebrities promiscuous but their favorite toy is as well. Bratz dolls have become the biggest competitor of Barbie dolls, in fact, they even outsell Barbies! The Bratz dolls debuted in 2001 with their doe eyed, collagen-enhanced looking lips, and heavy makeup. These dolls have a 'passion for fashion'. They come dressed in tight jeans, midriff bearing shirts, and a fur jacket or two. The Bratz dolls appeal for another reason as well, they look 'ethnic'. Though their race is unknown exactly, their differing shades of skin color makes them more appealing than the Caucasian Barbie doll. (Setoodeh) To compete, Barbie's MyScene dolls have started to sprout heavy eyeliner and collagen lips too. So with two brands of dolls to choose from, which will the girls choose? It doesn't really matter; both brands are sending the same message, that it is 'cool' to have heavy eyeliner and big lips. It is not a surprise that even older members of Generation Y, the 'tweens' of the Britney-era, has joined in with the complaints of the sudden surplus of 'prostitots'.
Consequently, parents have a role in this as well. It is easy for other mothers to criticize others for not watching their children but the parents most likely to give in to the demands of their children, no matter how outrageous and scandalous are the ones who work. The set of parents who both work are more likely to hand some cash over or come home with a Bratz doll then the set where at least one parent can be a stable support system for their child. It is a guilt trip for the parents who have to work long hours, they can not help but feel the need to compensate their time and love with materialistic items.
Tweens are said to dress beyond their years, but how far off is that claim? Girls are developing breasts and pubic hair at a younger year, nowadays (Kennedy). It is a fact that menstruation only happens when your body is healthy and able to bear a child, which is why severe anorexics do not get their periods. People in America now have better food and nutrition but there are a few theories as to why puberty is striking sooner. One is the better food and nutrition idea, another which connects with that, is obesity. Obesity is rampant in America; overweight girls tend to mature earlier while very thin girls mature later. This is because insulin levels are higher in overweight girls and insulin produces sex hormones. Some people blame the hormone-injections in animals that are eaten by children. However, the most interesting theory is that children are interpreting what they see on television as a signal to jumpstart puberty. According to Time magazine in 2000, media images are inducing early puberties. This reaction is similar as to how pictures of food can induce saliva (Kennedy). Whatever the case may be, when girls start to develop grownup parts, they want to look more like grownups, and when that happens, they turn to the images they see on television.
Though there are many factors which contribute to the growing number of 'prostitots', the media can be said to be the most contributing. By constantly bombarding their viewers with scandalously clad females, gyrating hips and all, they have induced a new type of children.
Bibliography
Kennedy, Sarah. "Too Young Too Sexy." CALGARY SUN 20 September 2005 11
February 2007 <http://www.fradical.com/Too_young_too_sexy.htm >.
Setoodeh, Ramin. "Barbie Vs Bratz: Which doll will win?." Newsweek 11 December
2006 10 February 2007 <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16010018/site/newsweek >.
Wereszynski, Kathleen. "Girl Culture Begets Backlash." FOX News 22 April 2004 09
February 2007 <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,117822,00.html >
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What I don't understand is that there are A LOT of people who see that the images we are all bombared by are now reaching progressivley younger audiences with bad results, and yet it still happens. Things like the Bratz dolls are obviously not a good influence on young girls if they start waltzing around in mini skirts at the age of eight. I read an article recently that said lines of toys like Bratz not only influence children and young ages to dress and act promiscuosly but to be more selfish and apathetic as well.
Peace
Tahni
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"Tell me - if no one ever hears what you say, then why don't you shout it?" -- Floater
I'm sorry, but all I could think about while reading this is an episode of South Park where all the little girls get their parents to buy them Paris Hilton's brand of clothing/makeup/etc. It ends with Paris Hilton and Mr. Slave having a whore-off, and Mr. Slave totally wins.
Nicholas Aden
Self-Promotion
By the way I think your comment was entirely inappropriate in this context, maybe you should have kept it to yourself. (And yes I do enjoy South Partk too.)
not really. it was a satirical view of this kind of behavior. It has fourth graders going about trying to have sex, even though they have no idea what it is! The fact that we can look at that with anything but disgust is beyond me. I, personally, make my friends put on more clothes when I feel they're not wearing enough, and I'm a guy. I totally agree that children shouldn't be exposed to certain things, but I feel it is more the responsibility of the parent to do this. If a parent cannot raise the child in such a way that would prevent the child from becoming a "prostitot" then the parent is unfit, the child should be taken away and taught to behave correctly.
Nicholas Aden
Self-Promotion
Although there is a big problem with the media and toy companies in what they're promoting, I think the main problem lies with the parents. With the way the economy is these days most families need the dual-incomes that are provided by both parents just to get by, this often leads to a decrease in attention they can give to their children. This leads to a less watchful eye on them and also an increased independency among the youth of today. With parents unable to take care of their children (especially as they get older), children must learn to take care of themselves for the most part. While this might increase their sense of responsibility it also encourages them to mimic the adult icons that they see all around them. (This might incidentally be the reason for the increased lack of respect I have noticed of today's youth towards the older generations.) Parents must be aware of what is going on in their children's lives and provide firm discipline and good examples of appropriate behavior so that this unfortunate trend will hopefully not continue.
Also by parents letting their little girls have those bratz dolls, I think they're sending little girls the wrong message that its okay to look and dress like a brat.
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