Hollandsworth is not the only one who sees these girls as being hypersexualized. Psychotherapist Nancy Irwin says,” These little girls are being trained to look and act like sexual bait.” (Irwin 493). She also says that the parents are putting their young girls in pageants to gain fame and fortune, mainly blaming them.
In the article “Toddlers in Tiaras” by Skip Hollandsworth the author uses many ways to get the reader to know the rhetorical situation and also how his argument is structured. The analyzation of exigency in the article is what happens in the world of pageants and how it negatively affects young girls. Telling girls that you have to look and be a certain way instead of yourself. The purpose of this article is to inform you that young girls are being exploited as women. The girls are being overexposed and hypersexualized because of the pageantry.
From age eight to age twelve, Lola is pictured as a quiet young girl who obediently follows her mother’s orders, however when Lola turns twelve she begins to reject traditional gender roles, refusing to remain passive and timid, specifically around men, as she finds herself being able to “look boys straight in the face when they stared” at her. At the same time, Lola begins to reject traditional beauty standards as “[She] cut[s] her hair short –flipping out her mother yet again– partially I think because when she’d been little her family had let it grow down past her ass, a source of pride, something I’m sure her attacker noticed and admired” (25). Lola does not want to be seen as an accessible and sexual object. She realizes that the traditional beauty standards of long, silky hair which her mother raised her to fit into from childhood are actually what sexual predators target: a young, sexually appealing girl who is too young to be able to fight back. Lola rejects these beauty standards in spite of her mother and cuts her hair short, defying the values of her mother as well as proactively eliminating herself from the target pool for sexual predators.
A good lesson for a lot of children to learn. I did notice that this book does stereotype the female and male sex roles. It is always interesting to learn how different cultures see the gender roles. This book also shows its readers that beauty is only skin deep, the real beauty comes
The freedom of being able to change Barbie’s clothes into her various wardrobes sold gives the young children playing with her the sense of individuality. Although Barbie has brought a lot of controversy to the table within the years it has been on the shelf, her portrayal has not changed because after all she is just a doll,
Our womanhood is a trait that cannot be hidden, but I urge you to consider this; Why should we apologize for it? Is it because accepting being a woman-identified-woman means accepting those innermost desires and urges that our male counterparts mistake for weakness? I speak, of course, of Audre Lorde’s definition of the erotic. The erotic should not be confused with the pornographic. It is not an exploitation of women 's bodies, it is a celebration of the power inside us.
In "Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect", Stephanie Hanes makes the argument that Disney princesses and modern day media influence young girls in negative ways. Hanes suggests that sexualization is everywhere including cartoons. She points out that any detail such as Ms. Piggy showing cleavage, leads girls to assume that doing so is okay and natural. Furthermore, Hanes asserts that allowing girls to see themselves as sex objects is a contributor to depression, eating disorders, and many other health problems for young girls.
“Feminists experience equally valid, but sometimes competing desires to, on one hand, protect girls from objectifying and misogynistic versions of female sexual expression and, on the other hand, allow girls the freedom to experience and express feelings of sexual desire, pleasure, and agency,” (Peterson 293). Strong female role models are important to adolescent girls. Kids follow the actions of the
Barbie dolls extend girls an invitation to a ‘‘plastic society’’ that doesn't accept the genuineness each of us possesses. They present a role model impossible to accomplish. The characters didn't have names, they could hold a symbolic representation of society’s judgment. The girls had the first dolls just like they wanted, but they desired to cover all of the imperfections on the dolls damaged in the fire with new clothes such as the ‘‘Prom Pink outfit’’ (Cisneros). Thereupon, no one would notice the
Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” takes a sarcastic approach to backlash at society and send the reader a message about what beauty really is. In “Barbie Doll”, A Barbie doll is used to show and symbolize what society views as what a female should aspire to become “perfect”. “Barbie's unrealistic body type…busty with a tiny waist, thin thighs and long legs…is reflective of our culture's feminine ideal. Yet less than two percent of American women can ever hope to achieve such dreamy measurements.”
The topic of self confidence is a subject that is heavily discussed when it comes to girls of all ages. Journalist, Stephanie Hanes, examines the current trend of sexualization amongst young girls. In the article “Little Girls or Little Women: The Disney Princess Effect”, Hanes examines the current trend of sexualization amongst girls. She addresses the issue of desiring to become a women too soon. Hanes develops her article by using the literary techniques of pathos and logos to describe the emotions young girls feel when they see images of women with unattainable features.
Objectification is prominent and the females’ values are exclusively for pleasure and for men’s social reputation. Reputation is exclusively shown when the daughter is introduced and the emphasis voices her body. She is the "male gaze" of desire and she is “thikke and wel ygrowen” (Parker, 167 & 3973). She is a sexual product when she is described sensually.
Eliza Haywood writes the cautionary tale Fantomina in order to instruct women against pursuing their sexual desires. The protagonist, an unnamed “Lady of distinguished Birth” (41), secretly pursued her desires for Beauplaisir under the guise of four different personas, ultimately leading to the ruin of her reputation and being sent to live in a monastery. I will refer to the main character when she is not disguised as the protagonist to avoid confusion. I will be discussing female sexuality, where I will be focussing on certain aspects including sexual identity, sexual behaviour, and how social and religious aspects affect this sexuality. I will argue that Haywood uses the cautionary tale in order to represent female sexuality as distinguishable
Beauty Pageants are an important part of the American culture in the 21st century. Many women, including small children, strut down the runway, dressing up in fancy clothes and makeup and charm, with the only and clear intention of catching the judges eye. Many claim that beauty pageants are a harmless activity that contestants can get a boost of confidence from. However, the sad reality of beauty pageants sends the message that women, even girls as young as 1 year olds, should be valued for judges for their appearance, and gives unrealistic beauty standards. With shows like Toddlers and Tiaras, young girls are facing harsh realities of adults choosing which child is the prettiest, the most charming.
Barbie has a very attractive physical appearance with stylish dresses and accessories, and loved by little girls and influenced by her. The creation of Tokidoki Tattoo Barbie which has tattoo on her arm, neck, and back is not appropriate for children because it sends the wrong message about fashion and tattoos to impressionable children who don’t understand the permanency of tattoo. The off-shoulder top that feature a skull and crossbones, a hot-pink mini-skirt, are not appropriate fashion for little girls. The tattoo exposes children to tattoo at such young age where they are not capable of making informed decision.
