"Kids getting older younger"
What is profitable to businesses can be harmful to young
girls at the same time. Girls as young as four become addicted to images like
Hannah Montana that they see in the media. Manicure and pedicure parties are
becoming a big hit for 5 year olds due to the celebrities they see all
transformed on the Disney Channel. For example how Miley Cyrus turns from Miley
to Hannah all done up. Kids are early exposed to products and images which send
them messages telling them they need to be more attractive, affecting their
self esteem, body image, future eating disorders, and sense of who they are.
Girls as young as six are getting highlights. This video shows how young girls
are seriously getting affected by the media and affecting their day to day
lives.
-Rachel Papaioannou
Thanks for sharing this one Rachel. I have to admit that I have some uncomfortable feelings about this. I do think that, as a society, we are engaging in the sexualization of our girls at younger and younger ages and we continually find ways to send the message that, for girls and women, you're nothing if you aren't beautiful. And you can't be beautiful without a lot of help.
ReplyDeleteI do let my girls wear nail polish if they want and they have some princess lip gloss. I like to think that they get enough additional messages about beauty and self worth to not be harmed by this type of thing but maybe I'm fooling myself a la the Third Person Perception?
Besides programs like Hannah Montana that you mentioned, I also tend to think of Toddlers and Tiaras. The children who do these pageants are all done up in makeup, fake hair, fake eyelashes, nails done, spray tan, flippers (fake smile), and frilly, lavish dresses. If a child wants to do these pageants it's one thing, but there are also children who's parents force them to participate and clearly do not enjoy it. Either way, the focus on beauty and artificial beautification methods are concerning. Even newborns can compete in some of these pageants, exposing children as soon as they exist to a culture that values and places too much emphasis on beauty. This is extremely concerning to me, however, I do not think simply letting your child paint their nails once in a while is a terrible thing.
ReplyDeleteI don’t really see any harm in letting your daughter have a party at one of these trending places, allowing them to dress up, get manicures and pedicures or imitate their favorite television stars. I think that a lot of the appeals of these parties have little to do with feeling attractive and gaining self esteem, but more to do with the mystification of makeup. I know it is common to have rules about how old your daughter has to be to wear makeup such as eye liner or mascara but wearing nail polish or lip gloss, I believe, is harmless. The parties allow young girls to indulge for a day and do things that “adults” get to do, demystifying the idea of makeup. I’m sure the girls feel prettier when they get this treatment but I’m not convinced that it leads to lower self esteem or future eating disorders. I do, however, believe the show Toddlers in Tiaras, mentioned above, does take it too far for young girls, especially with the spray tans and fake eyelashes and teeth.
ReplyDeleteI think that these young girls are getting these privileges at such a young age that it gives them less to look forward to as they grow up. The point of make up is to enhance your features or cover things up and I don't think six year olds need this at all but it is evident where they are getting these ideas from when they are watching tv shows like the ones shown in this video. I also think this is promoting the wrong message to girls since they are becoming more and more focused on appearance at a young age, they will learn to judge others and that others are judging them solely on their appearance, making our society shallow and materialistic.
ReplyDeleteI found this video very interesting. When I was younger, I remember loving to getting manicures and pedicures and using lip gloss because it made me feel special and beautiful. And I believe, to an extent, there is no real harm in young girls doing this. But, I agree with Dr. Farrar when she wrote that as a society, we are engaging in the sexualization of our girls at younger and younger ages and we continually find ways to send the message that, for girls and women, you're nothing if you aren't beautiful. And you can't be beautiful without a lot of help. I think the media is the main factor who is responsible for this. As mentioned, shows like Hannah Montana are teaching girls that materialistic things are things are much more important than they really are. I do not know if there is one real answer as to how this can be avoided, but I think parents can definitely be a solution in teaching their daughters about the important of inner beauty.
ReplyDeleteTom Verdi
ReplyDeleteI think it is so true! I think that children are being targeted more than ever through the media. The media sees it as a huge money maker but the reality of it is that it is taking away the innocence of children. I believe females have it the worst. Girls are being so pressured to uphold a certain image. Everywhere in the media there are messages about how they should dress, look, walk, talk and so on. It is diminishing the natural "innocence" of children and it is only getting worse.
I don't see anything wrong with letting young girls play dress-up and have fun with make-up but it is the message that is behind these parties. Young girls are learning at age 3/4/5 that they need their hair done and make-up on to be "pretty". As mentioned above, Toddlers and Tiaras take it to the extreme. The sad part about that show is that it is reality for those young girls. I think the make-up parties and the reality show take it to the extreme for young girls. I see know harm in letting young girls play at home with make-up and dressing up.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Shira SO much! I was actually surprised that someone else posted an opinion so similar to my own. By letting these girls partake in professional beautification processes, they literally don't have anything to look forward to in terms of makeup and pampering when they get older. I recall that I couldn't wait to go to the nail or hair salon for the first time when I was younger because I knew it was basically a rite of passage; I was old enough to do so. If kids are getting these privileges so young then what is there to look forward to? Besides that, I do believe that it leads to self-esteem issues. I don't think playing dress-up is harmful, but we have to be careful to the extent in which it is valued. You shouldn't teach your child that "the only time you look pretty is when you are wearing makeup or dressed like someone else". And as a side note, letting a 6 year old get highlights is just ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI agree that these types of parties and ideals are teaching children to grow up faster, as well as value looks and beauty as they get older. However, I don't see a problem with girls playing dress up, or playing with nail polish and makeup at a young age. I remember playing with my mom's makeup when I was younger, and asking her to paint my nails. But my mother was also good about drawing boundaries and not letting it go too far. These children are getting full blown makeovers and probably wanting to wear heavy makeup on a regular basis. I think that a major source of the problem is that parents are funding this and letting it happen. These parents are paying $50 to give their five year old daughter a makeover. This is perpetuating the ideal of doing whatever it takes to look beautiful, and perhaps that is what is taking it too far, not the occasional dress up or makeup party.
ReplyDeleteThis video shows an interesting topic. When I was younger, I got manicures and pedicures with my mom. But I didn't buy makeup until I was older. I have it now, but almost never wear it at all. I find no need to wear makeup because it doesn't feel real to me and makes me feel like I am altering myself to feel good about myself. I think I don't need makeup, and find that young girls should not be buying cosmetics and having their hair highlighted. I used to highlight my hair in college (freshman year), but stopped and since have grown out my natural hair color. Girls should accept themselves the way they are and love the body the way they naturally are made to be.
ReplyDelete