When I started reading “Parents, don’t dress your girls like tramps” written by CNN writer LZ Granderson, I was intrigued. He published a piece following the recent controversy surrounding Abercrombie’s push up bikini for girls.
Now I understand Granderson’s point of view. If girls are trying to dress like women, or too provocatively for their age, it is a huge cause for concern. Companies like Abercrombie and Bratz creating products for girls too young to even start thinking about wearing a bra, is not helping. And parents have a responsibility to teach their kids what is appropriate and what is not.
But the title itself, using the word “tramp”, didn’t sit well with me to being with. Let’s not call any girl a tramp. Also, the way in which he starts his piece, which was likely his intention, Granderson ends up sexualizing this girl himself.
“Her beautiful, long blond hair was braided back a la Bo Derek in the movie “10” (or for the younger set, Christina Aguilera during her “Xtina” phase). Her lips were pink and shiny from the gloss, and her earrings dangled playfully from her lobes.
You can tell she had been vacationing somewhere warm, because you could see her deep tan around her midriff thanks to the halter top and the tight sweatpants that rested just a little low on her waist. The icing on the cake? The word “Juicy” was written on her backside.
Yeah, that 8-year-old girl was something to see all right. … I hope her parents are proud. Their daughter was the sexiest girl in the terminal, and she’s not even in middle school yet.”
Such an elaborate description…was that his point? That it’s easy for young girls to be viewed as “sexy”?
Or maybe it’s Granderson who is being inappropriate in his perception? This could have been his intention – to invoke an uncomfortable feeling – that young girls dressing much older for their age cause others to perceive them in an inappropriate way.
Bottom line, we as parents should be mindful of how our children are dressed and the message they send. It’s our responsibility as parents to protect our kids and ensure that they grow up with a positive self-esteem and body image. We need to teach our daughters to respect themselves and dress appropriately.
What do you think?
1 Comment
Thoughts flicker across our synapses light heat lightning.
What was Mr. Granderson thinking when he saw the young girl whose manner of dress became the seed for his essay? Did his thoughts linger too long there? Did visual cues cause a visceral surge in him that he recognized as desire? And did he rein himself in and then use the knowledge of what he’d experienced to produce a thought provoking piece of journalism? Did he think immediately of his daughters and the wide world of influences that bombard them every day?
Whatever his fears or hopes it won’t matter in the long run. We are all surfing this break together. Common sense is not common. Parents are stressed and often absent and time flies swiftly into the next decade. Peer pressure is real. Sex sells and corporations know it. In time there will be liquid crystal clothes that switch instantly from opaque to transparent, synched to the driving rhythms of techno music throbbing in clubs. Norms change over time and we are swept along on the wave crest. Some will drown, others will revel in the thrill of the ride, all while looking over their shoulders for the next wave.
It is up to each individual to figure out what is best for their children and do their best to instill in them the values they think will help them survive.