is the fashion industry a respectable one?

I usually don’t write about this kind of stuff, but I must admit – I think about it often. I was watching TV and saw this documentary about the over-sexualisation of young girls (age 3-12). WOW! I’m actually speechless... what the media and fashion industry can make out to be so innocent and ‘artistic’ is actually destroying any need to feel beautiful on the inside and be confident in who you are naturally. I saw enough to be SO bothered by it that I started researching a little online, just out of curiosity... and once again, I’m completed shocked at what I’m learning. I don’t want to go into detail, but I wanted to write enough so that at least people can be aware, because this problem won’t be going away anytime soon based on the reality that the media and fashion industry has SO much power in our culture.

I read some articles and journals written after a controversy broke out due to a spread vogue published of 10 year model Thylane Blondeau. Obviously the pictures in the magazine were ‘creepy’ and a little too ‘gown-up’ looking for such a young girl. Imagine a typical vogue photo shoot of 20 year old models, and then switch the model with a 10 year old girl – although she’s still wearing the same clothes and same make-up and hair – and worse yet – she’s posing the same ways. Lots of people would agree that magazines with spreads like these desire to have models give off a sexual vibe in order to attract viewers (both male and female). The point is to appear not only pretty and stylish, but sexy and seductive... the fashion industry is not really an ‘innocent’ world. Why is it that when the model is a 10yr old, rather than a 20yr old that the photo’s are now supposed to be ‘artistic’ and ‘innocent’. Take a look at the following photo’s to see what I’m referring to... Just because she’s ten and doesn’t have a curvy figure doesn’t mean it’s okay. She is in many ways being portrayed in the same way as grown models.

People have started asking, “Is this child too sexy?” “Has this been taken too far?” In my opinion if you are even asking that question then the answer is automatically YES! One of the photo’s features this little girl model with her top off (covered by a necklace) and the photo style is called ‘implied nude’. This is NOT just artistic anymore, it’s actually very inappropriate. Why is this necessary in our society? What is the purpose of posting magazines spreads like this and photographing little girls? It’s unrealistic to think that little girls will actually buy into this (or that their parents will) and dress like these little models, wear make-up and have their hair done like this, pose like these photo’s and desire to give off a ‘sexy’ appearance... it’s SO unrealistic...

or is it?

I looked up some products being sold to young girls (ages 3-12) and I was surprised to see that these products were being sold and let alone being purchased by PARENTS (given that many of these girls don’t do their own shopping and parents give in to their children’s wants – even when they’re very wrong). I found a t-shirt being sold that reads ‘who needs a brain when you look this good?!’ What a poor message to be sending out. I found department stores selling ‘lingerie inspired’ underwear and bra’s for little girls 12 and under who don’t even have the body for these products. To me, that is disgusting and that is only TWO examples!

Reality is: The fashion industry is now targeting little girls. Why? Because they can! Because these kids and their parents themselves are buying it and they are growing up in the mindset of ‘believe everything the media says’. It’s hard enough for teenage girls and young women, and even older women to put aside the messages of the media and really push to be confident in themselves, to not base beauty off of ‘how sexy and seductive can you be’, ‘how good can you look’. So now girls who aren’t even old enough to be in the double digits are fighting these media messages. It’s everywhere. Role models these days for young girls include stars such as Nikki Minaj and Lady gaga. These little girls buy their music, see their music videos and therefore are being exposed to sexual innuendos and messages before they’ve even hit puberty.  They are getting an understanding of sex and sexuality before they’ve even started sex-ed. Classes in school (which by the way is now going to be being taught at the age of grade two – way earlier than ever before)

No wonder depression caused by insecurities – which results in anorexia, suicide etc. – is climbing. Girls have a set standard for what they need to look like and the body they need to have in order to, not just be beautiful, but be sexy before their bodies have even begun to change. Of course the fashion industry will just say ‘You’re reading into this too much, this isn’t the message we’re putting out...”WHO CARES WHAT THEIR REASON IS!! No matter their purposes, they aren’t respectable either way because they aren’t interested in true/real beauty and confidence. They are only interested in money, no matter the long lasting effects their actions will have on little girls who grow up to either hate themselves or sell themselves out.

I don’t know what the solution to this growing controversy is, but I think people better start trying to figure it out because the result of the over sexualisation of little girls is going to completely destroy the concept of ‘self-worth’, and no, I don’t think I’m over-reacting. I grew up with huge insecurities because of messages the media sent out – for me, that didn’t start until age 12 or 13. I can’t imagine growing up and being 8 years old and already feeling ‘ugly’, already craving materialistic things in order to be ‘pretty/beautiful/sexy/wanted’. It’s horribly sad... as are many things in our society these days. .. and I don’t mean to seem super negative or be a ‘downer’, but seriously... it’s something to talk about, it’s something to fix. I don’t think I want my little girls growing up in this society – the hard thing is, it’s almost impossible to keep them from all the media’s messages... so I guess it’s about time that something is changed...