Toddlers and Tiaras

How old would you guess this girl to be? I can guarantee your guess wasn’t six years old. This is child pageant star Eden Wood. She has stared on several episodes of Toddlers and Tiaras. If you’ve never seen this show, I honestly wouldn’t recommend it, especially if you have a daughter. The show is about pageants, but not just your normal “isn’t my kid cute” type of pageant. This is extreme pageantry. Most of the moms on the show participated in pageants themselves when they were younger. These moms are fierce and in control; and they’re in it to win it. Most of their time is committed to buying their little showgirls supplies for their next pageant. Eden’s mother Mikie Wood had invested roughly $70,000.00 in her daughter’s pageants and publicity. She says that if Eden’s career takes off and she’s not stuck in some small town then it’ll all be worth it. For Mikie’s sake, I hope so! If you’re really serious about winning these extreme pageants, you’re daughter needs to be the best! There are many awards a girl can win in a pageant apart from first place: she can win prettiest smile, prettiest hair, best talent and the list goes on. However, for a girl to win these titles, she has to have the right supplies! Most girls have many extensions or wigs. Many girls get spray tanned regularly (even at home!). Most girls also invest in a good solid pair of flippers (fake teeth. These aren’t just a pair of dentures like your grandfather has, these are sparkling white, perfectly straight and molded to the child’s mouth.). Sometimes the pageant girls even get padded bras to give off the image of having breasts! Some of the girl’s headshots (such as Eden’s above) make the girls look like dolls. Sometimes they don’t even look real! And when they do look real, you certainly don’t think that she’s a six-year-old child! She looks much older than six. Pageants have been long debated over whether or not they are morally right for women. With pageants like Miss America or Miss Universe, the idea is that it’s not really a beauty pageant (there’s talent and the question and answer portion too!) However, Toddlers and Tiaras show pageants of girl’s so tiny that their parents actually carry them on and off stage. Even at age six, I don’t think the winners are picked because of their answers of  “world peace.” The stakes are high and the hemlines are higher for these girls. Some of the outfits really make me uncomfortable. My parents wouldn’t allow me to wear belly shirts even in high school but on Toddlers and Tiaras it seems to be ok. People might say, well the girls are so young, its not sexy, it’s cute. Will if still be cute when that girl turns into a teenager and starts thinking for herself? What other world could she possibly know other than makeup, money and beauty? I’d be scared if I saw that girl walking around the hallways of my child’s middle or high school. I personally don’t think that even a $5000 cash prize for best pageant girl could convince me into turning my daughter into somebody like that.

Jackie Barthuly

Growing Up Too Fast

In the past we’ve all seen funny quotes or idea on Facebook that we can like. I’m assuming everyone has seen the one about how Disney has given us bad influences as children? “Jasmine was in a forbidden relationship with Aladdin. Snow White lived alone with seven men. Pinnochio was a liar. Robin Hood was a thief. Tarzan walked around without clothes on. A stranger kissed Sleeping Beauty and she married him. Cinderella lied and snuck out at night to go to a party. These are the stories our parents raised us with and then they complain our generation is messed up?” It’s true; our generation is a little messed up. And these really are bad influences… I think this might be why girls get so excited when they meet a boy. A few years ago I went to visit my cousins in South Carolina. My cousin Gia had her fifth birthday on that trip. She had a pool party (which actually was a Disney Princess party, complete with pink castle cake and all) with al her little classmates invited (boys and girls). Every gift she opened she screamed how she loved it. When a boy gave her a gift, she screamed, “Oh thank you, I love it! I’m going to marry you!” Oh the simplicity of a five year old’s brain… Her mother did explain that she couldn’t get married at age five to all of her classmates. My cousin is the cutest little girl, and she’s absolutely beautiful. However, she is spoiled and a little too grown up for her age. Also on my visit to South Carolina, of course we went to the beach. On our way out the door, I went to get her and she was dressed in long jeans! I asked her why, and she said she didn’t want boys to see her leg hair. I was astounded! Leg hair? At age five, she’s worrying about leg hair…? I found out where her inspiration came from when her mother admitted to have shaved Gia’s legs before. She sees mom getting rid of her leg hair so why shouldn’t she? I tried explaining to her that girls don’t really have to shave their legs until at LEAST age twelve but Gia wasn’t having it. She then rubbed my legs up and down and said, “see, you don’t have any leg hair!” Gia then had her legs shaved so we could finally go to the beach. I can see where she would want to be like all the other girls. And I feel bad! Five year olds shouldn’t be shaving! That idea is ridiculous. But she’s only five, why wouldn’t she think, well if everyone else does it why shouldn’t’ I? I can’t even think of a solution. She already has this image in her mind there’s no going back unless every woman she met stopped shaving her legs. I can almost guarantee her mother won’t and now she’s already almost nine. Little girls grow up too fast.

Jackie Barthuly

Disney Princesses...What Are They Really?

Disney is especially famous for using the "prince finding his princess" analogy in their movies, but what is a princess? We've always known princesses as these thin, beautiful, long-haired beauties with no flaws and endless amounts of money and clothes. These women are always popular, kind, and wonderful to every living and non-living thing in their path. Thanks to Disney, this is now the goal that most women strive for, even though we all know it is impossible (or really darn hard) to achieve.
An example of this is as easy as looking at the story of Cinderella. Now Cinderella was a girl forced to work as a maid, but happened to be able to snag her Prince Charming by showing up to the dance looking perfect and leaving all mysterious-like. This kind of thing rarely happens in real life and no one can use the help of a fairy godmother to get all the things they want in life. This is completely unreal.
Whatever happened to being yourself? To loving you for being you and offering the best of you to the world? Most men, at least the ones that I've known, are attracted to strong confident women that are not afraid to be themselves. Being an individual is what makes the world go 'round. Without individuals, we would all be carbon copies of each other and nothing would be exciting or fun. Trust me, as a twin, I do know that being a carbon copy of someone else is boring and really takes a toll on your own life.
If I could be a beautiful Disney princess for a day, I would pass. I would rather be myself and enjoy life as it comes. No young girl should aspire to grow up and be perfect as a princess.

-Maggie M

Glamorizing Pregnancy

      I was flipping through channels the other day and landed on MTV. I let out a sigh as I saw that the popular show "Teen Mom" was on. A girl, looking to be about 16 years old, was fighting violently with her mother. Five seconds in and I could not watch anymore. Then I thought about why this show was so popular. I've seen it advertised on magazine covers and commercials. WHY?? I decided to clench my teeth and bare it awhile longer.
     "Teen Mom" centers around a few high school girls who mistakenly got pregnant. In most cases (I guess this is season three?) the girls decide to raise the baby while the MTV filming crew follows them around. The show presents the struggles of having a baby at a young age and the responsibilities that come with it. I understand that part. However, these girls are spoiled, materialistic, immature brats that purposely make everything in their lives more dramatic than it needs to be. MTV is smart because, as we all know, drama is like moths to a flame. People loveeee it. According to CNN specialist Melissa Henson, "MTV chooses to focus on the girls' volatile relationships with the babies' fathers or their new body piercings and tattoos. That makes for better TV". 
      Teen Mom has a cult following that has somehow concluded that it is cool to pregnant. Girls that got pregnant by their trashy, irresponsible boyfriends are famous and rich. Maybe getting pregnant could be their chance for fifteen minutes of fame. So, I wondered, has pregnancy in teenage girls increased since the air of the show, Teen Mom? Fox News asked the same question. It turns out a lot of teen pregnancy stories were presented to MTV since the air of the show in 2009 (after the popularity of "16 and Pregnant", another MTV show) "And despite the spike in teen pregnancy storylines, statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that while the number of teen pregnancies in the U.S increased from 435,427 in 2006 to 445,045 in 2007 – they decreased by 2 percent in 2008". Rates now are the lowest they've ever been. 
      Teen Mom is glamorizing pregnancy, but with proof that teenage pregnancy rates are not increasing, maybe the show should stand for what it is-crap television. Hopefully young girls will realize that it is not cool to raise a child when you still are a child.



---Liz P

Materialism for Kids

      The name of this blog is Disney Sluts. Now, what did we actually mean when coming up with such a name? Well, as a proud 90s baby, growing up with innocent cartoons and classic Disney movies, I am simply disgusted with what television has to offer children these days. With a complicated, technological world, I understand that television has lost its innocence and simplicity. However, the amount of products advertised and what kid stars wear on these shows, are examples of what our children are exposed to everyday. Kids these days just want more and more, always wanting to stay with the hottest trends. This all makes sense when you turn on the T.V. Commercials are constantly grabbing the attention of kids with the use of celebrities and splashy, fun words. Parents are so overwhelmed with other worries that they just plop their children in front of the television. left to the hands of advertisement. They are left to interpret these images, confused and wanting more. Television stars are portrayed with new, hot clothing and make-up. Their popularity appeals to children and feel as though they could become like that if they bought "this" or wore "that". Parents wonder why kids cry if they don't get what they want, well, think about what is at stake for them! They are not simply upset because of the loss of a toy or skirt, but rather a loss in their subconscious popularity. This needs to stop. Materialism has been familiar to our country for decades, however, it is getting out of control. It's not like kids are the only ones that keep wanting more. Parents are also buying new "toys", whether being big screen televisions or decorations for the house. Why? Because secretly everyone wants to fit in and be better than the rest. It is a competitive, materialistic world, we just need to make sure our kids don't get sucked into the infinite abyss that is our consumerist society.



---Liz P

Jackie Evancho: An Inspiration for Young Girls

In order to cure some boredom from the usual Sunday night, I channel surf until I find something worth watching. Tonight, I came across the singing prodigy Jackie Evancho. She is an amazing and talented young singer that would put stars like Lady Gaga and Beyonce to shame. One thing that surprises me, besides her incredible voice, is her ability to stay humble and not fall under the influence of society, which seems to be the influence of complete and utter sex appeal.
The reason I say this is because she is standing on stage with celebrity pianists (in this performance, David Foster) and huge symphonies, but yet she is dressed in a simple white dress, cut perfectly and appropriately for her old age of 11. Mind you, simple being that there is NO CLEAVAGE or even anything above the knee showing. As a person relatively concerned with underage girls parading around in clothes that are way too old for them, this surprises me. Her parents must have taken the time to teach this girl modesty and that in order to get attention, girls do not have to parade around in limited clothing and act unintelligent. Jackie is smart (she definitely knows her music) and she shines using her amazing opera-sounding voice.
She may be young, but she seems to have the right kind of mindset and a solid head on her shoulders. She first appeared on "America's Got Talent" and  won over the crowd easily with her charm and amazing voice. Despite all the fame, her family helps keep her grounded with schoolwork (never forget an education can take you places), friends, and staying a child as long as possible.
Personally, Jackie shines as an inspiration to girls everywhere showing that despite anything someone may say about you (for example, "she's too young to be able to sing like that"), you can do whatever you put your mind to!

Evolution of Beauty

     I was sitting through my Healthy American class last week while we were discussing body image and the evolution of beauty throughout time. They showed pictures of sickly skinny celebrities such as Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan. Then they stopped at Marilyn Monroe. Now, we all know that Miss Monroe was and still is a beauty icon. However, when they showed others like her such as voluptuous Christina Hendricks from t.v. show Mad Men, I started to see things in a new light and I asked myself just why has beauty changed so drastically over the years?
 
      It's sad because young girls model what they see. If they hear that so-and-so is pretty, they try and emulate her. If they see the larger kids get bullied, they know what NOT to look like in order to avoid such problems. The pressure to be thin is seen everywhere!-from billboards to television, even in their own living rooms. Parents must take credit for their children's ideas of what is beautiful. Popular television stations such as Disney and Nickelodeon need to show kids that beauty comes in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. These beliefs need to be reinforced over and over and seen everywhere enough for it to become a trend, thus evolving the ideal beauty image.
      In some cultures, such as one in Nouakchott, Mauritania, fat is beautiful. If you are skinny, men do not want you and you cannot reproduce. Women strive to gain weight and put on the pounds. There is even a hut dedicated to eating before a wedding ceremony. They think that big is beautiful because it shows that you are well off enough to never go hungry and can care for a family. Ancient fertility figurines found show that wide hips and huge breasts were the desired woman because they too can provide for a family and give birth. Now, women have no breasts, a hint of hips, and can barely stand without being blown over. Yet, men still find them sexy. Why? Those primal senses for reproduction are still there. Has industrialization and technology somehow morphed our thinking?

        So, maybe the beauty movement can start with you. Don't be afraid to show off those curves. Teach young girls that skinny doesn't always mean pretty. Confidence is key. Humans in general are beautiful people that are made to be different. Why resort to just one look that everyone strives for? It is human nature and survival of the fittest I suppose, however, it is our world that has created a society for the beautiful. They may get better jobs, always get the man, and succeed overall. However, just because someone is nice to look at does not make them better. It will take time, but our world can shift the way people see beauty with one step at a time.



---Liz P

Child Super Models

While browsing the internet I came across an article about how certain companies are using young girls to market adult fashions. Magazines like french vogue are famous for this and have been doing it for years. This magazines photographs young girls, barely in their teens, while posing in a sexual type positon, with sultry looks on their faces, and some barely wearing clothes. Even though these barely clothed girls are in swimsuits, this doesn't make it any better. There are arguments and comments on these photos saying that it is basically child pornography and that children should not be subject to selling adult items. Do these companies have no other options with appropriate age models that they have to pry on children. I guess I just don't understand the thought process behind children selling adult styled bikinis and posing with sensual looks. If french vogue is trying to appeal to pedophiles, great job! There are so many problems these days about keeping children safe and away from pedophiles, kidnappers and the like, and then we put children out there to be seen half naked by all that pray on them.
So i decided to look into the topic a bit more. After Googling child super models, i came across a disturbing and unsettling website. http://www.modlinks.com/ Take a look. Basically, this website shows little girls posing in bathing suits with the website claiming to be the "Only totally LEGAL no-nude models collection." This honestly does not sit right with me and the only thing I can think with the "only totally LEGAL no-nude models collection" is that this is super sketchy.

    
These are a couple pictures from that exact website. First of all, these pictures do not look professionally taken which freaks me out and has me worry about the safety of these girls, and second, THIS JUST ISN'T RIGHT! In this case, they aren't even trying to sell anything, it is just pictures of half naked children. What is the purpose of this website? Why is it devoted to young girls in bathing suits? and WTF?!
Another website I came across is called LITTLE MODELS. http://www.little-model.biz/
Again, the website has girls as young as 6 years old, all the way to 16 years old, posing like this.

If you continue down the page of the website, the website gives you option to look at divine pre-teens in which the website will offer you "the most petite, divine, and charming young girls that will hopefully be the pleasure of your lifetime", "we will show you elite pre-teens in a way that you will never forget", and "juicy young girls, provacative posing only, no-nude, but bathing suits and sexy lingerie." This may be the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. How can children be put through this. Where are the parents? If a child has no parents, where is the government? This is sick!
Brittany A

Parties Without the Clowns

This past weekend I was invited to a party of sorts and since I had nothing else to do I decided to go, simply for the social aspect. After the long haul out to the middle of nowhere, about 45 minutes from a decent, normal sized city, I arrived at what they called the "party trailer." Never having been there before I definitely did not know what to expect, but some of the things were even more shocking to me that what you would normally find at any weekend party. The simple fact that there were girls as young as 14 at this party helped me make up my mind to only stay for the 20 minutes that I did. I remember asking a friend about these 4 girls who looked extremely young. Finding out that they were freshmen and sophomores in high school made me wonder what the hell were they doing in a place this like. Their parents can't just be ok with this idea and then again they probably don't know what the exact situation is. 15 year old Rachel, I assume, said she is spending the night at Becca's. They might rent a movie, have pillow fights and stay up late drinking soda and eating candy. Of course, why would her parents have to worry. Why would their baby girl tell them she is going to a sleepover when really she is out in a trailer, drinking and acting like a slut with people who are ages 20-27. I found this appalling. I couldn't help but laugh and look at them with a confused look on my face.
Not only did the fact that they were there bug me in general, but how did they get there? Like I said, this place was in the middle of the country. These girls do not have their license, and therefore someone older would have had to give them a ride. Since the youngest guy I could find there was 19, this made me suspicious. 14 and 15 year old girls, riding an hour with a college boy to a party in a trailer. What are they thinking and what is this guy thinking. Easy targets? If you saw the way they were dressed, I would say yes.
The disgusting part of this situation isn't necessarily the fact that the girls were at this party in the first place, but the way that they dressed to come to this college party. I know the trends in high schools these days are a bit scandalous, but I'm pretty sure high schoolers should not be wearing mini skirts with their ass hanging out, hooker boots and low cut off the shoulder shirts, with no coats.........in 30 degree weather. One guy at the party made a comment to me about why I don't have more buttons on my shirt undone as if to be a tease like the rest of the girls who were there. THEY ARE 14! First of all, i was disgusted by the thought that this guy was being "teased" by 14 year olds, and second, I told him, I am not immature, I am not 14, I don't need to show off my body for attention.
Anyways, the point I am trying to make is that at 14 I was actually at sleep-overs, drinking soda, and watching movies. Teens these days need to stick to age appropriate activities, stop trying to grow up so fast, and wear clothes that make people respect them.

Brittany A

Too Much Seen on Halloween

In honor of this past Halloween, I would like to bring up a simple question...are Halloween costumes too slutty?

Yes. Halloween has been a staple in the world of drinking and partying for many years, but the costumes seem to always be the thing to take the bowl of Reese's. Unfortunately, these costumes are starting to affect how our children are dressing. I remember being a kid and going trick or treating with some robe-like costume and having it just drape all over me, covering my whole body. Now, some kids have costumes that are too short, require things like fishnets (umm..excuse me?), or show just a little too much skin.
I understand that if a 20+ year old woman wants to wear this sort of thing, hell I wish I could, but our children definitely need to learn that this is not acceptable behavior for kids who still rely on their parents to tuck them into bed at night. I've walked through the Halloween isles this year, still shaking my head. Most costumes are luck to even cover the knee! If I was a parent, I would be terrified to even bring my child to buy a costume.

Maybe this is the problem though. Some parents are just willing to let their kids dress however they wish and be a friend, rather than stand up to their child and be their parent. Kids need to hold on to their youth as long as possible, and with these costumes it is going to be super hard to do so. Since I am only in college, I obviously do not know how to lecture a parent or even be one myself, but I do know that trying to hold on to one's youth is important to a happy childhood. These kids need to focus on eating as much candy as possible on Halloween and also not worry about how far they can sit down without their costume going up just a little too high. I mean, would you let your kids dress like that?

-Maggie

Barbies vs. Bratz

In this week's reading, we covered the history of Barbie dolls. A lot of what i gathered from the text was that Barbie was encouraging little girls to be bimbo sluts. I can see where that might be an idea... Beautiful blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, perfect plastic skin and a body to die for. Barbie is always in the newest, hippest outfits and always a pair of high heels! I had Barbies when I was little, and I admit, I would kill to be Barbie! She had everything, a dream house, a boat, an airplane, a cat and a dog, and Ken!!!!! Everything she could ever dream of. I don't really see it as a bad thing that a little girl should aspire to be beautiful, in shape, successful and have a loyal lover. I would like to direct your attention instead to another doll that came along in 2001. Bratz. Four dolls were released: Cloe, Jade, Sasha and Yasmin. I think they sound like strippers. I wouldn't be surprised if they released a doll named Candi or Bubbles, or something of that sort. Have you ever seen a Bratz doll? Let's look at Bratz and Barbies together. The first image is of a Barbie Teacher play-set I personally had when I was little. The second is a Bratz play-set entitled "Girl's Night Out" that is pretty general (i.e. not a vacation set, or something limited and special).

Can everyone see the difference here? I realize that Barbie can come in more risqué outfits and play-sets than Teacher Barbie. The reason I picked this image to represent Barbie is because this is the Barbie *I* had when I was little! I also had Barbie Airplane and Barbie's Dream House and Barbie as a vet. Bratz dolls actually come in this box. Let's compare Barbie and Yasmin, shall we? Both are beautiful, thin and curved in all the right places. However, unless it's Malibu Barbie, she doesn't usually come with a midriff-tube-top such as Yasmin does. Yasmin also just looks a little scary, certainly meaner that Barbie's charming white smile. Yasmin actually isn't smiling. Yasmin's box also says "the girls with a passion for fashion!” Exactly what fashion is that? The red-light district fashion? When I was little I wanted Barbie’s princess prom-style dresses. But I would feel like people would think I was a prostitute if I went out dressed as Yasmin. It’s true; Barbie wears permanent high heels, and Bratz (can) have high heels but are more often seen in (rather ugly) mary-jane-type clogs. I feel like based on the doll’s faces their ideas of a good time would greatly differ. A Bratz doll would say, “Let’s go to the mall big daddy, I’m ready to receive you” while Barbie simply looks so much nicer saying “Come on girls, lets go to the mall and get some shoes!” It’s all hinted in the name as well. Barbie Millicent Rogers or Yasmin the Bratz. And they are just that: a brat. It’s no wonder why younger girls are skanks. As I’ve said before, I used to be a nanny. If I think back and compare two girls I cared for, I can think of significant differences. Both girls are now freshman in high school. One girl played with Barbies and American Girl dolls. She is now on the volleyball and math team and attends a Catholic school. The other who played with Bratz dolls (she is actually where first saw these dolls), now refuses to live with her father and stepmother and has a daily outfit based on mini skirts and knee high socks. She has also dyed her hair 6 different colors. The differences are shocking. The second girl also did not have very good role models. She had an older sister who pierced her tongue at age 13. So her idea of what she wanted to be when she grew up was different than the first girl. Both wanted to grow up to be beautiful and popular but both had very different ideas on how to get there. I’m not saying if you played with Barbies as a child you’re going to grow up to be Betty Crocker. All I’m saying is that “back in my day” I played with Barbie to act out a harmless fantasy of being a veterinarian-teacher-mom-princess-flight-attendant in a dream house. I don’t think that what a Bratz doll end up to be.

Jackie Barthuly

Kids and their kids

 A response to the ideas Maggie brings to the table...

There are so many shows like "16 and Pregnant" that show young girls with a child as a celebrity. No wonder kids these days are all about sex and having kids at a young age. They want to be popular, they want to be a movie star, they want attention, and apparently according to shows like these, this is how they think they will get it. Even shows like "Dr. Phil" that have young mothers on are influencing children in the wrong way. I understand that Phil is talking to these teens who are wanting to have a baby and telling them that it is not the right decision and how much it will affect their lives in a negative way, but the fact is, that teen is still on t.v because of these thoughts that she has. She is still being a role model for young girls who will do whatever it takes to be in the spotlight. I watched this episode of "Tyra" in which girls who were 13 and 14 years old have already had 20 or more sexual partners! When Tyra asked them why they did it, they told her because they wanted to be liked and to be popular. I know when I was 13, sex didn't even cross my mind as something I wanted to do, whether it could've made me popular or not. It disgusts me to think that these days, young girls are willing to do almost anything to not feel left out.
I have to ask though, where are the parents during this? I understand sex is everywhere, but I still feel that if you teach your children morals and values from a young age, and continue to remind and counsel them in what is important in life, that they should have some sense of self-respect and dignity. Is it just me or are parents getting lazy?

In response to Jackie...

I can definitely relate to watching a little girl go from innocent with barbies and ponies to eyeliner, short skirts, and piercings.I'm thinking, what has happened? Does middle school really have this much of an influence on kids. It's middle school!!!??? I recently observed in an eight grade classroom, and what I saw and heard, was a lot more than I expected. Again, when I was in eighth grade, there was some chatter amongst the boys about boobs and wanting to kiss a girl, but they were still shy about it and got embarassed if the girl he liked found out. Today, embarassed?? Please. These young boys are vulgar! It's not just boobs anymore, it's tits and pussy. Girls are singled out and I can tell that they all feel the pressure. Recess is all about hanging out with your boyfriend and going and making out with him where the teachers can't see you. These kids and their phones were even causing problems. Middle school boys with internet on their phones looking up pictures of "hot chicks". This is the new recess, this is the new middle school, and these are the new teen boys and girls. Makes me sick!

Brittany A

Too Much Sex?

Lately, I've noticed that a lot of students are making dirty jokes and comments of that matter towards each other. As a 19 yr-old college student, it makes sense, but what really bothers me is that kids younger than high school age are able to understand these adult jokes and even make some of their own. It's, honestly, disgusting! Why are kids able to understand all of this trash talk?

Maybe this is because of all of the rotten, x-rated television families watch night after night. I remember as a child being sent out of the room to watch something else if my parents deemed it "too x-rated" and the reasoning being that they are "mom and dad shows". For a while, it bothered me; why should I have to leave? Its not like I haven't seen that kind of stuff before! Now it hit me, they were just trying to help me hold on to my youth as much as possible, since it would be destroyed anyways in time.

Maybe it's also because of the exploitation of sex-scandals and other x-rated things about celebrities from the media. Most kids absorb this kind of gossip like a sponge to water anyways. Who doesn't want to be just like Paris Hilton and make multiple sex tapes, then show them to everybody in the free world?

Don't forget about those teens having sex and children at 15. Reality shows like Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant are great to show kids the downsides of having children at such young ages, but at the same time, I think teens are starting to think that in order to get attention, a child needs to be born. That in itself is outrageous. Becoming a parent under the age of 20 eliminates about half of the possibilites in one's life, such as going to college (at least as a traditional student), hanging out and partying, and avoiding most adult responsibilities. I've had friends even tell me that they would like to become pregnant in order to save a relationship. What is this world coming to?

Honestly, I don't understand most of society's point with centering everything on sex, but it just seems like too much.

-Maggie

Stupid Spoiled Whore

I'm a big South Park fan. Has anyone ever seen that episode "Stupid Spoiled Whore"? It's an episode where Paris Hilton visits South Park for the grand opening of her store Stupid Spoiled Whore where little girls can buy things such as thongs, the stupid spoiled whore video play-set, and Paris's new perfume, "Skanque." The female fourth graders of South Park learn that they need to party every night with a lot of different guys. They even throw a stupid spoiled whore party where bikinis and tube tops and 7 minutes in heaven are the main events.

I realize that South Park may be a little bit more dramatic than real life. But it does remind me of real life. Every day I see younger and younger girls dressing more like whores. I'm all for a pair of heels and daisy dukes. I really am. But not before you hit puberty. Girls have bad roles models; it's true. When I was little I wanted to be Britney Spears. And we all see how that turned out. Thank God I did not grow up to be Britney Spears. There's a point in the South Park episode where Wendy asks her friends why they want to be like Paris Hilton. They say, "it's not just Paris: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Tara Reid, they're all stupid spoiled whores!!" If little girls are still idolizing Britney Spears... In 2011... There is something seriously wrong with society. I thought it was bad when I like her during her "Hit Me Baby One More Time" phase in 1999. In 2011, things have changed. Things need to change again. I blame the parents. Also in this specific South Park episode, Wendy says "Mom, Dad, I'm growing concerned about the role models young women have in today's society. It seems that lewdness and shallowness are being exalted, while intellectualism is looked down upon. I think young women are being marketed to by corrupt, moral-less corporations." Never have smarter words come from a 4th grader. Not until Wendy threatened her father with buying a thong did he start to care about the store. Because it's South Park, it's more dramatized than in real life. But it really is frighteningly realistic. I used to be a nanny, and I remember the first time one of my kids... “Grew up.” Oh... the shame. She was so young and innocent. I remember reading her bedtime stories and watching the premiere of High School Musical for the first time on the Disney channel. How times have changed. Maybe it's just me being an old fart, remembering the good old days and wishing they were little and innocent forever. But I can see how society is changing. It wasn't that long ago that I was in middle school. Today's middle schoolers are much different from how I was. It's a shame how some things take a turn for the worst, and how many of today’s little girls are acting like stupid spoiled whores.

Jackie

Hooker at 13

While hanging out with a couple friends, one announced that they swore they saw a hooker on the corner. She described this so called hooker as wearing a belly shirt, thigh high boots, and a mini-skirt, all accompanied by make-up that seemed painted on. After describing this sighting, the other friend remarked, "So? That's like any 13 year old these days." Sad, but TRUE! Is there such thing as being innocent anymore!? Where are the sweaters with kittens on them and pants that strap around ones' feet? Is wearing glitter no longer cool unless its included in eye shadow, and what happened to young girls and butterflies or flowers? Are they no longer accepted in the world of youth unless it is permanently inked onto the skin? I'm not just talking about the Disney influence, but the influence on youth in general, especially girls.

Magazines, television and the internet all make you believe that thin is better, and make-up is needed to be beautiful. If you don't have boobs and a plump backside, no guy is going to look at you. If you don't have long curly locks and wear size 2 jeans with a few rips or tears, you are not "Hot". I can definitely see kids movies as being an influence, especially in today's shows.

Why is there nothing different about these princesses? Can you only be a princess and be beautiful if you look like them? I know little girls, and they always want to be the princess. The pretty one, who always gets the prince. Do they understand that they are princesses no matter what? They are all beautiful in their own way.

Everybody has their own definition of beauty. Look at this little girl. She may be pretty, she may fit the common "criteria" of beautiful, but does she look happy?

Brittany A

Lost Nostalgia: Reward $1,000,000

       The other night, my roommates and I decided to bring back some childhood memories by popping in a classic Disney movie, Aladdin (on VHS, of course). It was interesting, we still knew all the words even after so many years of responsibilities and life lessons. It was nice, it was...comforting. Then, it got weird. With a more educated and experienced mind, we caught onto things that would have simply gone right over our heads as children. The gender codes! Oh the gender codes! All the Disney "princesses" had tiny waists, big tits, and needed a man's help to get through any circumstance. It never occurred to me at a young age, but, now I wonder what exactly was Disney teaching me? That I can't do anything without strong men? That I need to be beautiful in order to feel like a princess? This got me thinking about how little girls feel about themselves, not just girls growing up in the 90s like myself, but girls now, the girls facing even more pressure than ever to follow these hidden gender codes found in Disney shows.
      What has happened to the world!? I ask myself this anytime I accidently flip on the Disney channel. The main characters on these shows are dressing sluttier and sluttier, wearing more and more make-up, and getting thinner and thinner. Shows like Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, and The Suit Life of Zach and Cody are teaching young girls that THIS is how you should act and THIS is how you should dress in order to fit in and be "cool". Girls are striving to fit the standards that these Disney stars are setting. At such a sensitive age, where building your identity and trying to find a place in this crazy world is so important, television should be teaching kids what is important in life and that being different is simply beautiful.



---LizP