So after having watched that movie last week, I think that what truly shocked me the most was the 13 year olds participating in the pageants. These girls were the perfect definition of the “mid-drift” they in no way understood their bodies or their sexuality, but there they are flaunting it. The girls were talking about looking up to pop stars like Britney Spears and the like, but Britney is no perfect role model for your normal 13 year old girl. So anyways back to the pageants, I was so shocked at these girls, it was the fact that they felt that this is what it took to win. They need to look good all the time, wherever they are going and they feel this desire to flaunt themselves before millions of judging eyes. This topic got me to thinking about pageants that involve even younger girls. You know the beauty pageants that comprise young girls aged about 4 to 6. So I am sitting here comparing the two and trying to figure out if one is worse than the other. The 5 year old girls aren’t really too aware of what is happening to them, they are just following their parents and participating without any idea of the social conditions. 13 year old girls on the other hand, seem to have a higher understanding of what is going on. They are re-enacting what they have seem “sexy” women do before them. They have been socialized to this condition and this way of thinking. Where on the other hand, the younger girls are less aware of their actions and the reactions that come with it.
In this debate I was not coming to any conclusive answer when it occurred to me there are numerous institutions that these girls are passing through, all of which are sick. So first I will start off by saying that 5 year old girls should not be showcased in this manner under any circumstances especially by their parents. Their parents must in some way have been warped by society and such forces to think that this is normal. So here we have institution number one, parents who are allowing and potentially supporting such exploitation.
Secondly, we have this mass media (my second institution) which is throwing out these images of what a “sexy” woman is meant to look like. There are women like Britney Spears who are not taking any responsibility for the power that they have come across. Media and corporations are continuing to target younger and younger girls with their marketing of sexuality, and it is being eaten up. Personally, I think that little Ms. Spears and other women in her position should step up to the plate and help save these girls from these circumstances instead of encouraging it.
Thirdly, we have this institution of the pageant alone, an event that is completely based around the critic and exploitation of young girls. Some body out there actually put this out there, they created a sick and twisted event of judgements and forcing girls to flaunt themselves before they even understand it.
Now what might be even sicker than all of this, is the fact that these institutions are not being stopped, we sit here and realize all of the flaws within them and nothing happens. As a society how have we gotten to a point where we are accepting these institutions into our lives? And why is it that people who are in positions to be moral entrepreneurs are falling us miserably? We should be able to count on the people of power such as managers of huge media corporations and even Britney Spears, but they are not looking out for the better of man kind.
To answer your last question quite simply, consider this:
If there was one word that sums up western society as it is today it would be APATHY.
It should be realized that a very common occurance today is that a person’s attitudes and beliefs RARELY reflect their actions. Take for example people who “believe” Violence should not be shown on television. Does that stop most of us from watching our favorite shows like Survivor, 24, CSI, Heroes or Lost? Not usually.
As people we hold many values that we believe in, we think that pageants should not be held, we believe that there should not be exploitation of child labor in developing countries, we believe that we should do more to help third world debt relief. But those values and beliefs stop there. How many of us actually act on our feelings and do the things we do? For that matter how many of us even voted last election to decide the leaders of our rich and powerful countries? More people vote for American Idol than for the President of the United States. What has society become? We claim that we embrace democracy and freedom where as we would in truth prefer autocratic dictatorships so long as they allowed us to stay at home and watch our favorite shows. We live vicariously through dancing colored pixels and a minute few pull all the strings and do the things we dream of. Have any of us ever realized that instead of dreaming of these things we could be doing them? Sure one person may not change the tides of an election or be able to do much at all to ease third world suffering in foreign places. But if everyone of us who feels this way did get up and do our part the result would be a tidal wave of change. Our grand parents spent blood, energy, and love in hopes of giving us a better world to live in, and we take it for granted.
Think about it, think about it, and then get up and DO something about it. Words are powerful, but unless those words lead to action, they are floating around wasted, much they way most of us are ourselves.
Well Wadle,
I am thinking now what are you doing? And I just ask this because I want to get an idea of how apethetic we are? I mean how much does it take from each of us to say that we are fighting for the better of society. Looking back this makes me think of “Little Miss Sunshine” the bluntness of the little girls dance was just so halarious. We all know inside that these girls do have a thing or two in common with strippers but the fact that the writers of that movie opened that door up really shocked me. They were bold enough to make fun of our society and its flaws and that is somewhat encouraging…
Great comments on our institutions Firefly! I could not agree with you more. You ask the question “Where are our MORAL entrepeneurs?” One of the things that is obvious to me (a different age demographic)is that there is no moral input apart from religious institutions, and they are sidelined and rediculed in our society, in spite of the fact that we supposedly value all freedoms: speech, thought, press and religion. I believe it is time for “a seat at the table” for a religious voice. While not a religious institution the Ottawa Centre for Cultural Renewal at http://www.culturalrenewal.ca is a great website for rational discussion on moral issues, and a good guide for how we can ACT and not only RANT! Great blogging!
What I felt was particularily disturbing in that particular pageant sequence was how much glee was expressed by the interviewers/judges when that girl that looks mature for her age revealed how young she really was. It reminded me a little of depictions of the witch in Hansel and Gretel who suddenly realizes the nature of the tasty treats that have wandered into her sticky trap.
I like charis07’s reply about institutions and people that are trying to combat this cultural apathy and who receive so much flak from those they are speaking out against.
I couldn’t agree with you more “d walburger”! I think that I had nightmares about that exact scene, and its so strange to think about how contradictory the messages that these girls are getting from institutions. For example thier parents are saying “stay young and enjoy your youth, you don’t want to grow up to fast” and yet society is telling her that she is powerless until she has sexualtiy to flaunt because that ulitimatly leads to power. Scary? I think so. Any thoughts?
In resoponse to your comment “Charis07″ I do agree with you that thier is a lack of moral input and ideas of what is right in our society today, but for what we do have I don’t think can be fully contrubuted to the religious institutions. I personally, don’t think that thier ideologies are that much more innocent then any other institutions. I just mean to say that the religious spectrum has thier own motives aswell and are not moving with the sole interest of achieving a better society in mind.
I don’t understand how parents can put their children in the pagents that we saw in the movie. Most of the parents always say oh my kid really wants to do it, they tell me how much they really love it. Sure they do! I mean yes I’m sure some kids really enjoy it but really I think some of the parents put their kids in pagents just for the sake of being able to say my kid won this or did that, pretty much just to brag. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has seen interviews done with the parents who put their kids in pagents. I always find it interesting so see what the kid says when the parents are not in the room. Most kids are just doing it because it makes their parents happy and they don’t really enjoy what their doing. Shouldn’t a kid be able to have a normal life?! I could only imagine the parents faces if their little girl came home covered in mud from playing with their friends! I think some parents need to get a reality check and let their kids be kids!