I think the following is an important reminder to us not to be complacent in the face of trends and events that demean the human spirit and exploit those who do not know better. It is too easy to be carried away with the mindset of the time because something appears harmless. As the unfortunate example below demonstrates, pushing things prematurely can have devastating consequences.
Plastered across the pages of newspapers, magazines, and the television screens were images of a gorgeous young model cut down in her prime. She was the picture of a true Barbie Doll, hair and makeup perfect, smile and expression inviting…all the promise of sexuality to come. She was but one of a growing number of young women her age who competed for a title coveted by all. And she was but one of a growing example of something that has gone terribly wrong in our country. For she was six years old, and her image was not that of a little girl, but of a young Lolita. And the disturbing factor to the whole story, aside from the sadness of a child being murdered, was that the media did not even question the shocking reality that children are being pushed into roles as sex objects at younger and younger ages.
What is being touted as young Miss America contests is little more than the prostitution of childhood. These children are not being represented as children, but as caricatures of sexually alluring young adults…before the issue of wrinkles spoils their virgin beauty. They are not represented in a manner that makes anyone think of them as adorable little innocents…they are being paraded as fantasies of what is yet to come. So the horror is not only in the murder of one of these children, but in the fact that there was no general outcry against the exploitation of childhood.
We express concern at the rise of child pornography in our country. Yet this representation of little girls is one step removed from that. When pictures are shown of young Shirley Temple, one is moved to motherly or fatherly pride of this precocious and precious little figure. There is a desire to protect her, as she represents the innocence of a child. When one views these little Miss America’s with their heavy makeup and adult hairdos, there is nothing child-like about them other than their age. The ones who “win” do not represent the essence of childhood beauty, they represent a fixation with sexual attractiveness. And if someone has a fixation with sex and youth, this is the perfect breeding ground for their fantasy, because nothing about the representation of these children denotes a desire to protect innocence.
What has gone so horribly wrong with our society that we no longer value the childishness of children, or appreciate the lack of sophistication they represent? How numbed have we become to exploitation? And what kind of neurotic messages are we giving our children in the condoning of this depiction of a child’s beauty? The offensiveness of this marketing of childhood goes way beyond words. It is a clear signal of a decaying society.