Wordful Wednesday – Would you let your kids play with this?
On our recent holiday in Majorca, I was horrified to spot this beach ball, emblazoned with Playboy motifs, in the childrens’ pool. Two children, aged approximately three and seven, were playing happily with this ball, advertising an adult magazine. I later noticed a matching lilo in the pool.
Is it just me, or is this wrong? I certainly would not buy my daughters anything with a Playboy motif on it, nor would I even let them play with such a product. I cannot understand why any parent would condone this!
Last year, when Hubby and I were decorating our daughters’ bedroom, I was looking for new bedding. I searched online for childrensbedding and was dismayed to come across Playboy items in my search. On closer inspection, I realised that this was no mistake. These items are actively being marketed to children. I am outraged at this! Indeed, there is a plethora of Playboy merchandise being marketed to young girls – cushions, pencil cases, jewellery, bags, purses, etc. It’s an absolute disgrace that Playboy are targeting this impressionable audience, and it’s equallydisgraceful that retailers and parents are condoning this!
As a mother of six-year-old twin girls, I am depressed that the World we live in seems to condone the early sexualisation of girls. In recent years, I have witnessed young girls wearing clothes that are, IMHO, inappropriate for their age – e.g. crop tops, hipsters, high heels, padded bikinis and t-shirts with sexual innuendo on them! There have been reports of high street stores and supermarkets selling padded bras and thongs for little pre-pubescant girls! There have even been reports of shops selling pole-dancing kits as toys for children!!!
What’s your opinion on this? Are you as outraged as me? Or do you think I am over-reacting? Have you witnessed anything else that illustrates my point? Or have you bought your daughter something similar and feel that it is just a harmless fashion trend?
The Wordful Wednesday meme is hosted by Seven Clown Circus.
“Wordful Wednesday is like Wordless Wednesday, only WITH words. It’s for those of us that can’t contain the chatter, but in a good way.” Seven Clown Circus.
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Brought to you by Mamma Kerr: Annette: Mommy blogger, mum of twins from Scotland. |
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1Are you as outraged as me re the early sexualisation of girls? http://www.mammakerr.com/2010/08/wordful-wednesday-would-you-let-your-kids-p
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2I wonder if it were a parents beach gear? And they just let their kids use it. I’m stunned that a search of childrens decor would turn up playboy stuff, that’s insane! But I don’t think the beach gear would bother me….not for little little kids. For teen girls, yes, it might bother me a bit.
3I don’t like seeing anything that sexualizes young kids. Kids have to grow up too fast nowadays as it is, even without having inappropriately themed toys, clothing, etc. pushed at them.
4Yes, that is pretty tacky. And who buys that stuff??? LOL
5People see the bunny as a stand alone image and forget that it represents the Playboy brand, Hugh Hefner and jazz mags! The genius is that it’s marketing a historically male product at young girls, personally I think that mums should be more vigilant and teach their daughters they’re better than that symbol.
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