Overly Airbrushed Julia And Christy Ads Banned

[Pearl]

Topless, but she has nothing to hide. I was topless a lot when I was ten and are still be when I'm at topless-beaches. It's a pity really that a female chest is so taboo that even a ten year old is sexulalized just for being bare chested.
I read threads about these pictures and the posts written by those who opposed them and those post were actually the most shocking ones. They compared a ten year old with porn-stars and prostitutes, that is taking it too far and an insult towards the child.

As an American, I feel dirty looking at those photos. But I would guess a European would feel OK about it due to the relaxed attitudes towards the human body over there.

But then again, this little girl is being dolled up and is posing to look like a 20 year old. And when a 20 year old model shows her chest, its sexual. So the same thoughts would go through people's heads when they see a kid posing like a 20 year old.

And why is a fashion magazine aimed at grown women featuring a child to model off clothes?

 

[AGirlLikeTheSea]

As an American, I feel dirty looking at those photos. But I would guess a European would feel OK about it due to the relaxed attitudes towards the human body over there.

But then again, this little girl is being dolled up and is posing to look like a 20 year old. And when a 20 year old model shows her chest, its sexual. So the same thoughts would go through people's heads when they see a kid posing like a 20 year old.

And why is a fashion magazine aimed at grown women featuring a child to model off clothes?

I'm European but American views seems to force it self into Europe, the attitude towards nakedness seems a bit mixed. I'm looking forward to the day female chests are not sexualized, one of the stranger thing is how our nipples are taboo while men can show theirs. Why?!
There are other cultures like African tribes that don't have that point of view, where nakedness is more natural and breasts are for babies. Finland has the sauna culture which has also been adopted here in North-Norway, whole families can sit together naked and nobody bats an eyelid at it.

I'm glad I can look at these pictures of this kid and see a ten years old instead of a 20 years old seductress, the make-up don't make her look older in my eyes and I've seen kids out in hot summer days with less clothes on.
These photos reminds me of the American child pageants, I used to envy those girls when I was a kid because I thought "lovely dresses, beautiful hair", not "sexual" as I was forced to think.

There's something else that really bothers me about the reactions against the pictures, it's the meaning that are put into a girl's clothes, hairdo and make-up. I experience sexual harassment nowadays because I like to dress up in Gothic Lolita style (a lot of men believe that women dresses up for them) but also from I was around the age of ten/eleven I got sleazy comments.

There is so much emphasis put on a girls behaviour that if a female do something simple as crossing her legs someone will comment that she's trying to be sexy.
As a kid your mind is not on "sexy" but "Pretty" or "colourful", still I remember getting comments from adults warning me from acting slutty. I didn't even knew what that meant.
Everything feminine is seen as sexual, why?! It's so upsetting.

 

[yolland]

^ I found this post interesting, not so much because of the questions about "sexualization" as the attitude towards personal adornment. I don't say my feelings here are necessarily representatively "American" but, personally, I've always been a bit puzzled by and find it hard to relate to the desire to physically make onself into a work of art or a beautiful object; I don't condemn or criticize it, but it does seem strangely self-alienated and even fetishistic to me. Obviously, there's a continuum involved here--we all make decisions every day about what to wear, and presumably we all own certain items that we perceive as "sexier" or "more professional" or whatever. Still, there's a difference between strategically tapping into a culturally-defined image vocabulary that's out there and widely understood, and on the other hand seeking to make an aesthetic spectacle out of yourself, which is what child beauty pageants read like to me--with the disconcerting twist that these are competitions organized, run and judged by adults, not free-form creative children's play. I guess where the perception of "sexualized" comes in is that it's almost exclusively girls who get turned into spectacles, objects, in this particular way; little boys are not generally expected to enjoy being posers, so it appears that a certain set of assumptions about what girls are "good for" underlies it (or as you put it, "a lot of men believe that women dress up for them"--which realistically is an indignation only someone from a society which is both highly individualistic and highly consumeristic would feel).

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Topless, but she has nothing to hide. I was topless a lot when I was ten and are still be when I'm at topless-beaches. It's a pity really that a female chest is so taboo that even a ten year old is sexulalized just for being bare chested.

But you weren't posing for your modeling portfolio topless, or in magazines or ads. I think that's an entirely different thing.

That makeup and posing and shoes definitely make her look much older and more sexualized in my eyes, sorry. I'm no prude but for me that is not appropriate for a ten year old girl. She's not sexualized just for being bare chested, it's for the sum total of pictures and the fact that she is being portrayed as older. I see no need for a ten year old to have topless portfolio pictures, since I don't believe any magazine or runway would allow a topless ten year old yet (maybe they do and I'm just out of the loop, but I would think perhaps some laws come into play there). Just my opinion And I don't see the female chest as taboo at all, but I do still see a need to keep ten year olds age appropriate and to let them have some modesty about their bodies. There's plenty of time for them to be adult, not needed at age ten.

 

[AGirlLikeTheSea]

But you weren't posing for your modeling portfolio topless, or in magazines or ads. I think that's an entirely different thing.

That makeup and posing and shoes definitely make her look much older and more sexualized in my eyes, sorry. I'm no prude but for me that is not appropriate for a ten year old girl. She's not sexualized just for being bare chested, it's for the sum total of pictures and the fact that she is being portrayed as older. I see no need for a ten year old to have topless portfolio pictures, since I don't believe any magazine or runway would allow a topless ten year old yet (maybe they do and I'm just out of the loop, but I would think perhaps some laws come into play there). Just my opinion And I don't see the female chest as taboo at all, but I do still see a need to keep ten year olds age appropriate and to let them have some modesty about their bodies. There's plenty of time for them to be adult, not needed at age ten.

I'm sorry but I still don't see the problem with a topless ten years old, I can't see why a child's chest is seen as provoking. When I look at a child I don't think "sex" no matter what and I'm glad I'm not wired that way.
I'm now reminded reading that the U2 cover for "Boy" was seen as child porn in US and therefore banned. I think it's bad enough that women are constantly defined and referred to as sexual but children?! I truly thought it was only paedophiles who looked at children that way, seriously.

 

[AGirlLikeTheSea]

^ I found this post interesting, not so much because of the questions about "sexualization" as the attitude towards personal adornment. I don't say my feelings here are necessarily representatively "American" but, personally, I've always been a bit puzzled by and find it hard to relate to the desire to physically make onself into a work of art or a beautiful object; I don't condemn or criticize it, but it does seem strangely self-alienated and even fetishistic to me. Obviously, there's a continuum involved here--we all make decisions every day about what to wear, and presumably we all own certain items that we perceive as "sexier" or "more professional" or whatever. Still, there's a difference between strategically tapping into a culturally-defined image vocabulary that's out there and widely understood, and on the other hand seeking to make an aesthetic spectacle out of yourself, which is what child beauty pageants read like to me--with the disconcerting twist that these are competitions organized, run and judged by adults, not free-form creative children's play. I guess where the perception of "sexualized" comes in is that it's almost exclusively girls who get turned into spectacles, objects, in this particular way; little boys are not generally expected to enjoy being posers, so it appears that a certain set of assumptions about what girls are "good for" underlies it (or as you put it, "a lot of men believe that women dress up for them"--which realistically is an indignation only someone from a society which is both highly individualistic and highly consumeristic would feel).

The aesthetic spectacle is just for showing ones interest in colours, shape, texture and creativity. Just like others are into sports or music.
There are a lot of style blogs that show how diverse the interest in clothes and looks are and for those who are into style/fashion and it's not exclusively about being sexually attractive. These are both men and women. This site is recommended for those who have an interest in individual style. StyleLikeU

This society is called Norway but where I live sports held a higher interest and a lot of people has the same type of clothes. You have to take a lot of shit if you dare to look a bit different. Those types I get all the sexist comments from are middle-aged men with frankly just out-dated opinions about gender.
Thankfully human societies evolves, not long ago equal rights were frowned upon and a woman had to cover up to her neck to avoid being sexually provoking. Sadly there are still societies like this.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I'm sorry but I still don't see the problem with a topless ten years old, I can't see why a child's chest is seen as provoking. When I look at a child I don't think "sex" no matter what and I'm glad I'm not wired that way.
I'm now reminded reading that the U2 cover for "Boy" was seen as child porn in US and therefore banned. I think it's bad enough that women are constantly defined and referred to as sexual but children?! I truly thought it was only paedophiles who looked at children that way, seriously.

I'm not "wired that way" either-it's the context , the sum total of the way that girl is being portrayed and where she is being portrayed that way. I'm not thinking sex no matter what either. Really nothing left to say.

 

[AGirlLikeTheSea]

I'm not "wired that way" either-it's the context , the sum total of the way that girl is being portrayed and where she is being portrayed that way. I'm not thinking sex no matter what either. Really nothing left to say.

The context is that it's a fashion shoot for a fashion magazine, nothing else.

 

[Cin]

I admit my opinion is far too easily swayed so have only read the original post.

But I do read a LOT of fashiony type mags and see these sort of ads all the time. I don't think anyone actually thinks makeup makes you look like the girls in the ads. It's usually fairly obvious that the girls are heavily airbrushed, have eyelash extensions etc.
The companies are selling an IDEA, you put their makeup on and FEEL more glamorous. Just like buying a gorgeous dress or wearing sky high hells, you never look like a supermodel but you feel darn good =)

 

[yolland]

A different kind of f*ed up fashion, now on sale at JC Penney (also note product description):

(Actually, they've already pulled it after getting flooded with complaints courtesy of Twitter.)

 

[Pearl]

I can get the "I'm too pretty to do my homework". Its like a tongue in cheek protest to doing what every kid hates. But the brother has to do it? That's insulting and sexist.

 

[yolland]

The line can get blurry sometimes, but there is a difference between being campily ironic and being "cute and sassy."

 

[Billy Rotten]

Cute and sassy can turn into broke and pregnant.

 

[AGirlLikeTheSea]

That's nothing compared to "humour" prints I've seen on t-shirts in Norway and UK. I would never wear a garment like that because I find them plain ugly but I have a bi friend that wears extremely sexists (towards women) humour t-shirts.

 

[mad1]

geesus, it has that sort of cutey fun look about it with no harm intended, but I bet if that Im Too Pretty tee was out in the 80s or early 90s hardly anyone would have seen it as sexist because it would be more seen as a fun fashion type statement, tongue-in-cheek as someone said. yes it might refer a bit too the good-looking women or girls who have men or young guys who would do anything and everything for them, but gawd its just for kids/teens and its just for fun, so that anyone who sees it would laugh not take it seriously!

Ive seen worse printed tops for young male teenagers in a certain shop located here, could have sworn some had words like d!ck on them with suggestive lines, almost like a statement to any girls looking and I was like . now THATS what should be complained about!

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Cute and sassy doesn't have to be stupid/superficial either. I don't like that shirt at all.

Don't think they would ever have a shirt for boys that said "I'm too good looking to do my homework so my sister has to do it for me".

 

[Billy Rotten]

More likely it would say something like, "I'm too busy winning the football game to do my homework, so my sister has to do it for me."

 

[Cin]

Cute and sassy doesn't have to be stupid/superficial either. I don't like that shirt at all.

".

This should be taught in schools.

 

[Liesje]

I have one that says "If I agreed with you we'd both be wrong". I got it to wear when I'm around my dad, since we usually disagree on everything, especially politics, yet get along great.

 

[mad1]

next thing to witness, a mother putting fake breasts and bottom on her four year old daughter, to help enhance curves under her dress - all seen in Tears and Tiaras USA.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I just saw that online

Toddlers and Tiaras | Dolly Parton Costume | Styleite

I can't watch that show, it creeps me out

 

[Pearl]

And those mothers who dress their daughters like they're 20 years old insist that they're just playing dress up with their daughters.

 

[AGirlLikeTheSea]

I just saw that online

Toddlers and Tiaras | Dolly Parton Costume | Styleite

I can't watch that show, it creeps me out

Wow, that just looks weird, well the Dolly Parton look on anyone looks silly in my eyes, it's nothing but tacky. I've never watched Toddlers and Tiaras but are aware of the program. Strangely enough Norway has a tv-channel exclusively for women were the programs are very dull (because women apparently like dull programs) and T&T is shown on that channel.