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Right, I'm not sure if this is the right place to discuss this, but here goes. As I've mentioned before I'm my grandkids' 'minder'. This has exposed me to lots of experiences, most of them good and, having raised my own kids, hasn't thrown up too many surprises. But what wasn't really available when my own kids were small was 24hr children's T.V. We try not to allow them to watch too much of it, but sometimes it rains and they're getting tired and irritable so on goes the telly. The content of the programmes is generally good, but some of the advertisments I am beginning to find a little worrying. Along with the toys and disgusting looking breakfast cereals that have been the staple of children's advertising since I was a girl myself, are some which are a bit, well...creepy. In particular there's one for a range of girls' shoes which, quite apart from being pink, bejewelled and completely impractical, have the selling point of a free mobile phone-case and lip gloss. The ad itself features girls prancing about quite heavily made-up and in clothes which are, for want of a better word, 'tarty'. This seems to be aimed at primary school kids. Now as a child I can remember dressing up in my mum's high heels and putting on her old make-up, but it was a game and I knew that it wouldn't be appropriate to go out dressed like it. This ad (and others) along with the types of clothing that I've seen available in shops (a t-shirt that said 'Looking for a Boyfriend' in ages 5-12years for example) seem to be encouraging us to make our little girls into sexual beings long before it's necessary. I can't watch that ad without thinking of those weird U.S. beauty pageants for five year olds. Perhaps I'm just turning into an old codger, but I'm really uncomfortable about the idea of little girls walking the streets dressed as if they're 19 and on their way to a nightclub.
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Into each life some rain must fall........but this is getting ridiculous.
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Oh how I agree. I am so glad to have boys and be spared the trials of shopping for suitable girls clothes. It saddens me to see little girls wearing high heels, cropped t-shirts and minimal skirts at the age of 4 and 5. I have trouble understanding why the parents are then astonished that sexual assaults happen to young girls. For goodness sake, lets go back to the days when children were allowed to be children, play in mud, climb trees, build den's and karties and learn to ride a bike by getting on it at the top of a hill and then finding out the brakes didn't work. It didn't kill me or my friends!
Fellow old grump!!!Happy Gardening,
Shirley
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Totally agree Bluemoon, and as the mother of a 7 year old little girl it is very worrying indeed! At the moment I'm encouraging her to go for the fashion of leggings under a skirt or long top - I can remember wearing those in the 80's! I can't get her to wear the lovely dresses (frilly or otherwise!) that I'd like to see her wearing though, apparently they're babyish
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Ugh, yes, I know exactly which shoe ad you're referring to. Revolting!
Thankfully, my girls (6 and 10) are more into sporty, practical clothes (for now at least) but I think it's terribly sad and wrong that little girls are bombarded with such tacky images.I was feeling part of the scenery
I walked right out of the machinery
My heart going boom boom boom
"Hey" he said "Grab your things
I've come to take you home."Comment
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Its BRATZ dolls that I cannot stand. As well as being ugly they look trampy/tarty too. I have managed to avoid them in the main so far - dont know how long that will last though.
Mind you boys toys can go to an extreme too - how can I stop my two year old hitting and kicking when toys that encourage that are freely available?Tammy x x x x
Fine and Dandy but busy as always
God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done
Stay at home Mum (and proud of it) to Bluebelle(8), Bashfull Bill(6) and twincesses Pea & Pod (2)!!!!Comment
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Bratz are just awful - but Barbie started it way back when.
The 7 year old children at school come out with 'adult' expressions fairly frequently, even if they don't know what they mean. They are learning from TV (which is the electric babysitter until midnight in some homes).
I think Hollyoaks etc are pretty inappropriate, considering they are on at teatime.All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.Comment
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I don't know what toys you mean ... but you just say NO very loudly if a behavour is unwanted. And you keep saying NO until the behaviour stops. A naughty step can be utilised tooOriginally posted by Finedon.Dandy View Post
All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.Comment
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My daughter aged 14 at the time, bought a Tee shirt with "Born again Virgin" on it. Just can't think where it might have gone, she looked everywhere.I am certain that the day my boat comes in, I'll be at the airport.Comment
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I've always encouraged my daughter to pick clothes that suited her body shape, rather than being a slave to fashion. Thankfully, at 16, she doesn't want to wear skirts up to her waist, and she refused to follow the trend of very tight hipster trousers with bulges of flesh spilling out above. Her figure is fine, and she looks lovely in what she wears, although it's usually trousers. I've never stopped her wearing make up either, encouraging her to use it to enhance her looks, rather than slapping it on with a trowel. Maybe having 2 older brothers, who were never backward in telling her what they hate seeing girls looking like helped. She bought a hoody once, with what looked like just an interesting design, but when she got it home and showed it to her brothers, they pointed out it contained the 'F' word. I didn't even have to say anything, the next week she went and took it back.
I watched a programme the other night on the effect of advertising on children, and I think it's definitely getting harder for them to retain their childhood. As parents we have to try to push the right buttons. I've usually had more success by explaining, in terms they understand, why something they've seen on TV is not the way they should go, and most of the time they think they've come to the decision themselves. I decided way back that the soaps weren't suitable for Vicky to watch and just didn't ever have them on in the house. The only one we do follow is Neighbours. She now reads up what happens in the others, so she can hold her own in discussions at school, but can't see the point in wasting her time watching them.I could not live without a garden, it is my place to unwind and recover, to marvel at the power of all growing things, even weeds!
Now a little Shrinking Violet.
http://potagerplot.blogspot.com/Comment
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I remember shopping for our God-daughter and we went into a shop that seemingly only sold things that were pink. I had to walk out after a short while I had a headache!
Then, some friends had a little girl and we went shopping for some clothes as a present for her. There were loads of supposedly cute t-shirts and outfits that had rather vulgar, inappropriate and crass slogans on them. I was appalled.A simple dude trying to grow veg. http://haywayne.blogspot.com/
BLOG UPDATED! http://haywayne.blogspot.com/2012/01...ar-demand.html 30/01/2012
Practise makes us a little better, it doesn't make us perfect.
What would Vedder do?Comment
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I agree with all that has been said...
two words : RESIST and EXPLAIN, for resist the fashion which has only one purpose, selling, and explain to young girls what slogan means...more than that is to explain the seductive power they will have as "young women" and what are the effects on male!!
many of those girls just don't realized what it means, and also don't realized that seduction has a sexual nature, a game which can have heavy consequences....
It is also talking about the image they want to project, about knowing who you are and, for girls, respecting themselves by understanding the signals they send with their body.Comment
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I've got a little girl here right now, she has just taken her top off and pretended she has "big boobies". She is five. I just feel so, so sad. What happened to childhood? (PS. she is allowed to watch 'adult' programmes inc. EastEnders, HollyOaks, even god forbid, Shameless)All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.Comment
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Fortunately my daughter (7 next week) hates those shoes with a passion. However she loves her Bratz dolls (or ugly dolls as me and her dad call them) We are very fortunate in living in a rural community and our children are able to be children for a bit longer than others in an urban jungle. My kids love the clothes they love, and detest the ones which are uncomfortable, but really don't have a clue about fashion. They wear what we buy them, and choose not to spend their own money on clothes, so have no choice in what they get!!!Comment
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Could"nt agree more with all the comments made. Not just children falling for the hype though. Got a neigbour who boasts her daughters role model is "JORDAN" . Dont forget people power though, as parents and adults complain to the shops, complain to the manufacturers, complain to the broadcasters , complain to your local newspapers and keep on complaining. These people have no morals where making money is concerned and will use children to get to your purse strings. Oh, sorry , a newbie here, got a bit carried away there.*Comment
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Agree with the above comments, and, as I have a 7 year old daughter, hope and pray I can guide her along a 'reasonable' path! She isn't in the slightest bit interested in her image at the moment (how it should be of course, but sadly not always the case), and I shall do all I can to allow her to remain a child for as long as possible. As we don't have television she's not subjected much to those horrendous adverts, which I think should be banned. Plenty of time for all that. I lay the blame of a lot of the ills in todays society on the telly (I appreciate that there is also good things to counteract the bad, but having just spent a week with MiL and a television, I didn't see anything which made me want to rush out and get one...).
Btw, we did used to have television, but two years ago we realised at the end of the summer holidays that it had only been on about twice, and that none of our three children had asked for it, so gave it a trial run - and it's never been requested! My sons friends do say it's 'wierd', but they're not bothered! And the TV Licence folk seem to think it impossible that anyone might voluntarily give it up.... The hours they must have spent lurking around waiting to 'catch us out'
Life is brief and very fragile, do that which makes you happy.Comment
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