French Lingerie Firms Pretty Babies Prompt Calls To Let Girls Be Girls. - Globe and Mail (Anita Lesh) August 19, 2011.
We do live in bizarre times. . . While European lingerie firms promote their "sexual accoutrements" to a 4 to 12 year old demographic, some segments of North American society parade this same age group (and younger) by tarting them up to look slutty. In expensive custom-made "adult-like" get-ups and heavy make-up (more reminiscent of the "first profession" than identifiable with average looking female adults) they prance, swing their hips and dance in ways no toddler or preteen should. Reality TV has "normalized" such pageants through shows such as Toddlers and Tiaras. American Eagle, from its advertising pulpit promotes push up bras, Abercrombie and Fitch sells padded bras and thongs to 8 year olds. . . But then, who’s buying? The 5 year old?. Add to this scenario the fact that disposable diaper companies are now producing products for 4 to 8 year olds - not as "specialty" items geared to problem situations - but rather as "standard" customer requested fare. . . Me thinks our children are telling us something. Just possibly, just maybe we’re doing something terribly wrong with them and we don’t seem to be getting it.
While writing this blog segment, I listened to a CBC interview about the realities of Reality TV. (19-08-11). While the author of a new book on reality TV expressed her dismay on the CBC radio one show "Q", I thought that I had been harsh (in my book Beyond Discouragement - Creativity) in my evaluation of this sickly form of entertainment. It seems, I only touched on the surface. The disgusting practices of networks, advertisers and promoters is appalling. Their disrespect of human frailties and of the persons who submit themselves to such side-show freakism is almost impossible to imagine in a society calling itself free and advanced. Advertisers and promoters are telling us what is real. They "blame" us for enjoying this type of television. They tell us we enjoy, viciousness and violence and hurtfulness and hatefulness. Eventually, it seems, we get sold on this garbage. Their capacity to titillate is in total sync with their capacity to take in the multi-millions that their "shows" cause to be made. Jennifer Pozner, author of Reality Bites Back lays it all out regarding Reality TV. Its total viciousness is laid bare. In essence it proves the point I less strifently made: Reality TV is probably one of the sickest forms of entertainment since Lions raged in the Roman forum - and we seem to be taking it all in. . .
We do live in bizarre times. . . While European lingerie firms promote their "sexual accoutrements" to a 4 to 12 year old demographic, some segments of North American society parade this same age group (and younger) by tarting them up to look slutty. In expensive custom-made "adult-like" get-ups and heavy make-up (more reminiscent of the "first profession" than identifiable with average looking female adults) they prance, swing their hips and dance in ways no toddler or preteen should. Reality TV has "normalized" such pageants through shows such as Toddlers and Tiaras. American Eagle, from its advertising pulpit promotes push up bras, Abercrombie and Fitch sells padded bras and thongs to 8 year olds. . . But then, who’s buying? The 5 year old?. Add to this scenario the fact that disposable diaper companies are now producing products for 4 to 8 year olds - not as "specialty" items geared to problem situations - but rather as "standard" customer requested fare. . . Me thinks our children are telling us something. Just possibly, just maybe we’re doing something terribly wrong with them and we don’t seem to be getting it.
While writing this blog segment, I listened to a CBC interview about the realities of Reality TV. (19-08-11). While the author of a new book on reality TV expressed her dismay on the CBC radio one show "Q", I thought that I had been harsh (in my book Beyond Discouragement - Creativity) in my evaluation of this sickly form of entertainment. It seems, I only touched on the surface. The disgusting practices of networks, advertisers and promoters is appalling. Their disrespect of human frailties and of the persons who submit themselves to such side-show freakism is almost impossible to imagine in a society calling itself free and advanced. Advertisers and promoters are telling us what is real. They "blame" us for enjoying this type of television. They tell us we enjoy, viciousness and violence and hurtfulness and hatefulness. Eventually, it seems, we get sold on this garbage. Their capacity to titillate is in total sync with their capacity to take in the multi-millions that their "shows" cause to be made. Jennifer Pozner, author of Reality Bites Back lays it all out regarding Reality TV. Its total viciousness is laid bare. In essence it proves the point I less strifently made: Reality TV is probably one of the sickest forms of entertainment since Lions raged in the Roman forum - and we seem to be taking it all in. . .
