Ulrika Jonsson recently talked about the difficulties of raising daughters in this day and age.
She discussed the early sexualization of kids these days, "A few days ago, my eight-year-old daughter Bo came home from school with a bemused expression on her face. One of her friends was hosting a makeover party.
Bo instinctively knew that she would never have been allowed to attend. I was utterly appalled. Frankly, I would rather cut my left arm off than let my girls wear make-up.
I was horrified to discover that some mothers believe it's acceptable to invite little girls of seven and eight to a party for the sole purpose of having their hair and make-up done.I'm not stuffy and I'm definitely not prudish, but I simply do not think it would ever be right to let Bo or her four-year-old sister Martha glamourise themselves in this way.
What on earth is wrong with the world? Since when did we think it was sensible to encourage our little girls to regard themselves as sexual objects - desperate to be slim and with faces slathered in make-up?
So I was shocked but, sadly, not surprised to read that a recent survey had found that as many as one third of ten-year-old girls are worried about their body image. By the time they reach the age of 14, that figure rises to almost half.
I am convinced that we are forcing our children - particularly our girls - to grow up far too quickly. And the effects could be catastrophic.
Rather than enjoying their childhood, we are encouraging our daughters to become sexualised far too early.
Becoming obsessed with your image and your effect on the opposite sex is inappropriate for a child. It doesn't boost self-confidence; it dents it.
Makeovers for pre-teens, or 'tweenagers', and under are so popular that a beauty salon for children has opened near my home, offering pedicures, manicures and even facials. Needless to say, I will be boycotting it.
But I fear it's just the thin end of the wedge. In the States, I know they offer body waxing for girls as young as seven.
With major supermarkets selling 'sexy' thongs for five-year-old girls or tops with provocative writing, our children are becoming objectified and sexualised well before their time. It's a pedophile's dream.
Tragically, little girls are taking as their role models celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Paris Hilton and Katie Price, who have seemingly conquered the world by starving and posing.
My friends and I talk about this all the time, they have girls and I have boys. Kids these days are growing up way too fast don't you think? They know about things that we wouldn't have ever even thought when we were kids.
Source
