by I heard the definition of a new and insidious word today: Prostitot.
Prostitots, it seems, are child harlots between the ages of 10-14 who dress like tramps and prostitutes in imitation of the celebrity Jezebels they admire.
NEW YORK — You see them at the mall, waiting for the school bus, even in church: preteens wearing tight T-shirts that say “naughty” and low-slung flared pants that expose their pierced belly buttons.America’s prepubescent girls continue to emulate the dress styles and attitudes of their older role models: Britney, Christina and Paris. But some girls say the sexy trends have created a backlash within their social circles — and they’ve even got a word for them. “They’re called ‘prostitots,'” said Anna Miressi, a Kingston, N.Y., high school freshman who claims the term is commonly used among her peers. “It’s those girls at the mall with the tight jeans and belly shirts. They’re in between the age group of 10 to 13 or 14.”
Some call this the “Britney Effect” or “Paris Burning” — but what this trend really indicates is the lack of parental care and oversight over 
their children.
I call this effect the glorification of stupid girls posing as intellectuals and the mainstream media celebrates this “badness” so that it becomes cool to act like a rotten girl and to dress like a whore. Even Newsweek is celebrating “Prostitotution” in this week’s edition by feigning outrage while providing every salacious detail into the Prostitot trend:
My 6-year-old daughter loves Lindsay Lohan. Loves, loves, loves her. She loves Lindsay’s hair; she loves Lindsay’s freckles. She’s seen “The Parent Trap” at least 10 times. I sometimes catch her humming the movie’s theme song, Nat King Cole’s “Love.”She likes “Herbie Fully Loaded” and now we’re cycling through “Freaky Friday.” So when my daughter spotted a photo of Lindsay in the New York Post at the breakfast table not long ago, she was psyched. “That’s Lindsay Lohan,” she said proudly. “What’s she doing?” I couldn’t tell her, of course. I didn’t want to explain that Lindsay, who, like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, sometimes parties pantyless, was taking pole-dancing lessons to prepare for a movie role. Or that her two hours of research left her bruised “everywhere.”
Why can’t the mother correct the daughter’s inappropriate idolatry? Why was the child allowed to worship Lohan in the first place?
Where is the parental iron fist inside a velvet glove when it comes to providing correction and direction to a child’s emotional wanderlust and search for identification? 
Newsweek is just as guilty as MTV and Playboy and People and all the other mudraking media outlets for creating this degradation of childhood in the Prostitot Revolution.
Many parents no longer teach their children manners let alone the morality of dressing as a proper person in public. It seems today, more than ever, “Everything Goes” — instead of just “Anything Goes” — is the new mantra of the womanchild, and that distinction — with a tremendous difference when it comes to our young women — creates a tragic and a misbegotten sexuality where personhood and self-confidence are exchanged for the devaluation of our shared cultural morality in the ongoing propagation of the coarsening of our universal human aesthetic.
Those incalculable losses are eternally enshrined in the empty insinuation of celebrity and fame. At what age do you think a young woman should dress in provocative clothes? Should children ever be encouraged to look outside their families for behavioral imitation or not?
This fits in with the whole debate we have had here on the sexualisation of children.
At what age do you think a young woman should dress in provocative clothes?
As late as possible – preferably not until they understand the messages they are imparting by doing so and the possible consequences of their actions – ie understand the meaning of provactive !
Should children ever be encouraged to look outside their families for behavioral imitation or not?
I am not sure encouraged is the right word – I think overwhelmed or bombarded by outside influences – for example
When I was a child/teenager there wasnt the opportunity to do so (look outside for behavioural imitation) to the extent that there is today.
Television was restricted to the 2, then 3 then 4 channels. Films could only be seen in the cinema and usually only with your parents in tow. Blockbusters didnt arrive until Jaws came on the screen and films wer not market with all the spin offs and merchandise.
Teenage magazines were few and far between and very different animals to those today. There were very few ( if any) celebrity magazines.
DVD’s, videos and the internet as we know it did not exist.
Young children were not bombarded with advertising for toys, magazines, clothes, make- up etc.
If we spent more time with our children and less time plonking them in front of the TV or video so we could get a quiet five minutes – then this might not have happened to the extent that it has.
Children quite often get snared without us knowing – they have to have the latest this, or the latest that – and of course as parents we have this need to give our children what they want ( rather than need) – it leads to a quieter life in the short term ( but builds up problems for later – and then it is too late!).
Nicola —
You’re right there is a cultural desensitization and it is ongoing and pernicious, but when will it end?
How can it end?
When the movie Taxi Driver was released in 1976 and Jodi Foster played a child prostitute — as seen in the first image of today’s post — there was outrage in the pews and in the streets!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/
It was culturally unacceptable that Jodi Foster even pretended – as a child actress — to be a hooker or to be photographed wearing those sorts of “streetwalker clothes.”
Yet, here we are, 30 years later and Ms. Foster’s attire is not only ordinary, but accepted now in mainstream culture as appropriate public dress for all young girls. Even her indicative and come-hither hat seems tame by today’s standards.
As the world expands and time compresses, we owe our children even more of our direct attention and supervision. You’re right we use the ether of the web and the comfort of the television glow to replace our direct conversation with those young minds and the evidence of that as wrongdoing is made evident in their lack of a moral dress code and in the choices of the vapid stars they dream to emulate on the surface and not the depths.
What about makeup on a young girl? Is that acceptable? Is makeup the same as clothing? At what age should a young girl be allowed to wear makeup?
I really hope this trend reverses by the time Hay is old enough to catch on.
Hi jen!
Don’t you think it will only get worse, not better?
By the time your daughter is old enough to care about fashion, Saran Wrap Skirts will likely be the dress of the day and to deny your child that opportunity to “fit in” and “to belong” will be seen as abusive by your peers.
Do you stand up to that pressure, or do you allow your morality to change with the winds and the sea in order not to stand out?
Hi jen!
Don’t you think it will only get worse, not better?
By the time your daughter is old enough to care about fashion, Saran Wrap Skirts will likely be the dress of the day and to deny your child that opportunity to “fit in” and “to belong” will be seen as abusive by your peers.
Do you stand up to that pressure, or do you allow your morality to change with the winds and the sea in order not to stand out?
I have the same views on make up as I do provacative dress – as late as possible.
As you know I do not wear make up – so my girls never saw me going through that whole make up routine/ritual of *putting on my face* . My eldest girl is very similar to me in that respect – the youngest is ( and always has been) far more *girly* and dressy and far more make-up aware – although most of her energy and time is spent on her hair rather than on her face.
In a nutshell – I think the keyword is time. For various reasons we spend less and less time with our children; be this because we are working – it takes two salaries to get a mortgage as well as pay for it , as well as pay for those other essentials such as holidays, TV’s and all the other trappings that society deems sucessful members have.
I think the shift towards possessions = sucess is one factor and also the shift towards outer/surface beauty and self esteem. This starts in the classroom – with which brand of pencil case or trainers you have – and the peer pressure to keep up with the other children or be excluded or even bullied for the wrong type of shoes.
I have the same views on make up as I do provacative dress – as late as possible.
As you know I do not wear make up – so my girls never saw me going through that whole make up routine/ritual of *putting on my face* . My eldest girl is very similar to me in that respect – the youngest is ( and always has been) far more *girly* and dressy and far more make-up aware – although most of her energy and time is spent on her hair rather than on her face.
In a nutshell – I think the keyword is time. For various reasons we spend less and less time with our children; be this because we are working – it takes two salaries to get a mortgage as well as pay for it , as well as pay for those other essentials such as holidays, TV’s and all the other trappings that society deems sucessful members have.
I think the shift towards possessions = sucess is one factor and also the shift towards outer/surface beauty and self esteem. This starts in the classroom – with which brand of pencil case or trainers you have – and the peer pressure to keep up with the other children or be excluded or even bullied for the wrong type of shoes.
I’m so glad you’re not a “makeup whore,” Nicola! It’s so sad to see women so fretful of their faces they have their lips and eyebrows permanently tattooed on their faces!
There’s no reason for a child to wear makeup. Ever! Makeup can wait as can the slutty clothes. And slutty is slutty! We know it when we see it!
We must always make time for our children and for each other. We must lessen the media distractions in favor of live interaction. A virtual live chat is better than the dead watching of a show on TV.
Branding is a necessary evil. Companies need to niche their hole in the marketplace, but the unfortunate consequences can be the exploitation of minds too young to comprehend the marketplace manipulation. The parent’s have a duty to make those distinctions clear, but rarely do.
I saw an interesting show on BBC America the other day. “Castaway” — where people chose to live a solitary life together for a year. It is a fascinating concept and I wonder if it would do a child any good to be embedded into that kind of isolation.
Just as kids in the 1980s tried copying their favorite singers from various “hairbands” it seems today’s youth will suffer “fashion victimhood” by copying their favorite stars. How many young guys sought to look like their favorite member of Ratt, Poison, or Motley Crue?
Those guys weren’t the epitome of masculinity. Those guys wore more wigs and makeup than did their rock video model girlfriends.
The problem with youth is that they have no experience to see that their media heroes are often living cartoon characters — not role models.
You’re right about kids not having a platform of experience or even one of reality in order to help understand the world.
That’s why it’s good to “break the fourth wall” of their lives with parental reality. The parents know the pitfalls. The parents must train and warn their children not to fall victim to false idols or bad examples!
It’s perfectly appropriate for a parent to say to their child, “Lindsay Lohan is not someone you should admire because…” and let the child share in the parent’s reality and experience!
This is a very sad trend, a trend that I don’t see reversing anytime soon.
I think that it goes beyond just the provacative dress as well. There is a general malaise going through our younger generations, and the idolised poster children are the young, partying, couldn’t care less celebrities.
A possible reason, among many, could be that the rate of teenage pregnancies is rising. Children that have not experienced life or matured into the ways of the world raising kids of their own. Even moreso, the fact that many older parents seem to be unable or unwilling to give up on youth or mature into emotional adulthood. When I was young, my family and elders were of the style that they did not understand the music and dress of the young, it did not fit in their world. Now, people well into their life seem to act as if they are in a perpetual teenage dream. Staying active and vital and open to new things is great. I even enjoy some new music and aspects of the youth culture. However, trying to live the perpetual teenage life sends a message to the kids. That sad message is growing and maturing, standing for something and respecting yourself is overrated. Instead of parental dierection, they have friends, instead of mentors, they have partners in crime.
There was a reality show while I lived in England called Celebrity Love Island, the kind of reality show that makes Survivor look like Masterpiece Theater, (not to knock Survivor). The show took young “adults”, and put them on an island with the premise that they would “hook up”. This was a very popular show. Lots of sex, (not on camera, exactly, but close) not a whole lot of clothes, lots of no responsibility behavior, and a high lack of brains.
I was not a viewer of the show, but a story came out in the British news during it’s run that shocked me. There was a token American girl on the show, and when showed a map of the world, she could not point out the United States! But hey, she was loose and hot, so she was popular. That has to influence the veiwers, many of them in that prostitot demographic.
I am not a conspiracy theorist, but a part of me has to wonder if this is not part of a kind of psychological soma. People that live a completely oblivious life, thinking that fashion, celebrity, and a no responsibility lifstyle is the way to go. People that try to live the life of, or try to emulate the life of Britney, Lindsey, and Paris as a goal are destined to be easily controlled. People so into the superficial that they can’t be bothered to know or care about the issues that our troubled world facing, isn’t that what the idea of soma was about?
Recently I saw on television that there was an on the street segment where people were shown pictures of Cheney, Pelosi, Hillary, and others in the leadership right now, and most could not name any of them.
They were, however, dressed very sexy and cool. I guess that is what matters.
One last thing. When we give up on the kids, when we let them get sexualised and allow them to grow up too fast, missing what should be the “Wonder Years”, do we have any further to sink?
This is a very sad trend, a trend that I don’t see reversing anytime soon.
I think that it goes beyond just the provacative dress as well. There is a general malaise going through our younger generations, and the idolised poster children are the young, partying, couldn’t care less celebrities.
A possible reason, among many, could be that the rate of teenage pregnancies is rising. Children that have not experienced life or matured into the ways of the world raising kids of their own. Even moreso, the fact that many older parents seem to be unable or unwilling to give up on youth or mature into emotional adulthood. When I was young, my family and elders were of the style that they did not understand the music and dress of the young, it did not fit in their world. Now, people well into their life seem to act as if they are in a perpetual teenage dream. Staying active and vital and open to new things is great. I even enjoy some new music and aspects of the youth culture. However, trying to live the perpetual teenage life sends a message to the kids. That sad message is growing and maturing, standing for something and respecting yourself is overrated. Instead of parental dierection, they have friends, instead of mentors, they have partners in crime.
There was a reality show while I lived in England called Celebrity Love Island, the kind of reality show that makes Survivor look like Masterpiece Theater, (not to knock Survivor). The show took young “adults”, and put them on an island with the premise that they would “hook up”. This was a very popular show. Lots of sex, (not on camera, exactly, but close) not a whole lot of clothes, lots of no responsibility behavior, and a high lack of brains.
I was not a viewer of the show, but a story came out in the British news during it’s run that shocked me. There was a token American girl on the show, and when showed a map of the world, she could not point out the United States! But hey, she was loose and hot, so she was popular. That has to influence the veiwers, many of them in that prostitot demographic.
I am not a conspiracy theorist, but a part of me has to wonder if this is not part of a kind of psychological soma. People that live a completely oblivious life, thinking that fashion, celebrity, and a no responsibility lifstyle is the way to go. People that try to live the life of, or try to emulate the life of Britney, Lindsey, and Paris as a goal are destined to be easily controlled. People so into the superficial that they can’t be bothered to know or care about the issues that our troubled world facing, isn’t that what the idea of soma was about?
Recently I saw on television that there was an on the street segment where people were shown pictures of Cheney, Pelosi, Hillary, and others in the leadership right now, and most could not name any of them.
They were, however, dressed very sexy and cool. I guess that is what matters.
One last thing. When we give up on the kids, when we let them get sexualised and allow them to grow up too fast, missing what should be the “Wonder Years”, do we have any further to sink?
Eban! Excellent comment! I have missed your cunning insight into these sticky societal matters!
I agree we are tumbling down into the abyss of immorality and crassness with each generation, but I wonder how we can pull ourselves, and our children, out of that dark mess?
Or are we doomed to keep on sliding down the river?
We had a similar show here in the USA called “Temptation Island” where the idea was to cheat on your betrothed for high ratings:
http://www.temptationonfox.com/showinfo/
Eban! Excellent comment! I have missed your cunning insight into these sticky societal matters!
I agree we are tumbling down into the abyss of immorality and crassness with each generation, but I wonder how we can pull ourselves, and our children, out of that dark mess?
Or are we doomed to keep on sliding down the river?
We had a similar show here in the USA called “Temptation Island” where the idea was to cheat on your betrothed for high ratings:
http://www.temptationonfox.com/showinfo/
Just musing here – following on from Eban’s comment.
Most of us of a certain age have leant the lessons about commercialism, false idols and that contentment comes from within.
Do you think that this generations early exposure to commercial pressures, sexual pressures means they will learn those lessons any quicker – or if they will ever be learnt?
Or do you think it is a negative evoloutionary shift?
Just musing here – following on from Eban’s comment.
Most of us of a certain age have leant the lessons about commercialism, false idols and that contentment comes from within.
Do you think that this generations early exposure to commercial pressures, sexual pressures means they will learn those lessons any quicker – or if they will ever be learnt?
Or do you think it is a negative evoloutionary shift?
I personally think it starts even before girls are old enough to start seeing celebs on the TV. This was brought home to me just a couple of weeks back when I went Grocery Shopping with Jeff.
We ended up walking through the toy aisles at the store. I was outraged! There on the shelves for girls, were Barbie Dolls of various kinds amongst others wearing next to nothing. I remember turning to Jeff and saying What the h**l? I had many Barbies when I was young, and none of them wore clothes like that!
Some of the clothes are things I would never have dared to wear, even today as an adult.
Children dressing like the celebs they like is a sign of society being too caught up in themselves to pay attention to the next generation. It’s sad and worrying, but it’s a fact. I’m fully expecting to hear that the rape crime rate has gone up. I know it’s harsh, but if girls are going to dress provocatively, they’re asking for trouble and attention of the wrong kind. The parents cry foul play, but they don’t realize that by paying more attention to what their daughters are wearing, it may never have happened in the first place.
I personally think it starts even before girls are old enough to start seeing celebs on the TV. This was brought home to me just a couple of weeks back when I went Grocery Shopping with Jeff.
We ended up walking through the toy aisles at the store. I was outraged! There on the shelves for girls, were Barbie Dolls of various kinds amongst others wearing next to nothing. I remember turning to Jeff and saying What the h**l? I had many Barbies when I was young, and none of them wore clothes like that!
Some of the clothes are things I would never have dared to wear, even today as an adult.
Children dressing like the celebs they like is a sign of society being too caught up in themselves to pay attention to the next generation. It’s sad and worrying, but it’s a fact. I’m fully expecting to hear that the rape crime rate has gone up. I know it’s harsh, but if girls are going to dress provocatively, they’re asking for trouble and attention of the wrong kind. The parents cry foul play, but they don’t realize that by paying more attention to what their daughters are wearing, it may never have happened in the first place.
Hi Nicola!
You ask many interesting questions.
I think this is an evolutionary change. When my parents were growing up a girl got her period around 16. Now girls are getting their periods around 9.
Bodies and minds are ever-changing and the environment and the food sources are the causes for these physiological changes.
We’ve had behavioral corrections in the past to temper sexuality and excess but outlawing prostitution and prohibition are, and were, scintillating failures.
I do think that of all people in their lives children look up to their parents for cues on what is and is not acceptable. A Quaker child will have more conservative values and a Ghetto child. A San Francisco child will be more liberal than one born in Talladega.
Hi Nicola!
You ask many interesting questions.
I think this is an evolutionary change. When my parents were growing up a girl got her period around 16. Now girls are getting their periods around 9.
Bodies and minds are ever-changing and the environment and the food sources are the causes for these physiological changes.
We’ve had behavioral corrections in the past to temper sexuality and excess but outlawing prostitution and prohibition are, and were, scintillating failures.
I do think that of all people in their lives children look up to their parents for cues on what is and is not acceptable. A Quaker child will have more conservative values and a Ghetto child. A San Francisco child will be more liberal than one born in Talladega.
Hi Dawn!
Thanks for the outstanding comment! You presciently describe the ongoing commercialization of childhood.
The marketing folk push the envelope of outrageous behavior to see if it will sell or not and — here’s where the process breaks down — the parents refuse to broker their children against that commercialization.
If parents edited their child’s desires and replaced them with values that mattered, those provocative toys would remain unsold on the shelves and the marketers would have to find a different, more pleasing way, to sell to children.
Parents need to learn to say no and to turn off the TV and to remove prurient interests from the lives of their children. That’s a lot of work and it takes time. You must always be on point and you will have to say “no” more than you say “yes” and many parents are unwilling to be the censor and an arbiter of taste for fear it will stunt the fruitful expression of their children.
Little do they know if they don’t coerce their children into imitating their right behavior there are other empty models waiting in the world to sell their children a set of values on the cheap.
Hi Dawn!
Thanks for the outstanding comment! You presciently describe the ongoing commercialization of childhood.
The marketing folk push the envelope of outrageous behavior to see if it will sell or not and — here’s where the process breaks down — the parents refuse to broker their children against that commercialization.
If parents edited their child’s desires and replaced them with values that mattered, those provocative toys would remain unsold on the shelves and the marketers would have to find a different, more pleasing way, to sell to children.
Parents need to learn to say no and to turn off the TV and to remove prurient interests from the lives of their children. That’s a lot of work and it takes time. You must always be on point and you will have to say “no” more than you say “yes” and many parents are unwilling to be the censor and an arbiter of taste for fear it will stunt the fruitful expression of their children.
Little do they know if they don’t coerce their children into imitating their right behavior there are other empty models waiting in the world to sell their children a set of values on the cheap.
I think you highlight another issue in your last paragraph – sometimes motherhood and a parenthood is not attractive – its hard work and can get pretty ugly. It is far easier as a child to look towards pretty blonde sucessful celebrities (todays princesses) and aspire to be like them and want to be them; than it is to want to be your mother who cannot escape the chores, looking after children etc etc.
I think you highlight another issue in your last paragraph – sometimes motherhood and a parenthood is not attractive – its hard work and can get pretty ugly. It is far easier as a child to look towards pretty blonde sucessful celebrities (todays princesses) and aspire to be like them and want to be them; than it is to want to be your mother who cannot escape the chores, looking after children etc etc.
That’s an interesting thought, Nicola, and it does go to the heart of the matter of having children. There are many unplanned pregnancies where neither parent is interested or willing to raise the child.
Because of social circumstances the child is either raised in parental neglect and the rapt attention of the television, or they’re cuffed into a social system or if they’re really lucky they live with relatives who love them or adoptive parents who would die to love them and who have the gumption and guts to raise a child into a darkening world.
The commercialization of childhood has always been around but lately there’s no escape. Our parents could turn off the radio or TV to shield us from the Ovaltine, Coke and Cracker Jack advertising, but now those adverts have become the bedsheets, the coats and the hats the children wear in their everyday lives.
That’s an interesting thought, Nicola, and it does go to the heart of the matter of having children. There are many unplanned pregnancies where neither parent is interested or willing to raise the child.
Because of social circumstances the child is either raised in parental neglect and the rapt attention of the television, or they’re cuffed into a social system or if they’re really lucky they live with relatives who love them or adoptive parents who would die to love them and who have the gumption and guts to raise a child into a darkening world.
The commercialization of childhood has always been around but lately there’s no escape. Our parents could turn off the radio or TV to shield us from the Ovaltine, Coke and Cracker Jack advertising, but now those adverts have become the bedsheets, the coats and the hats the children wear in their everyday lives.
Futher musings – It is also the culture of *instant*
In my day it was hard work and dedication that got you where you wanted to be – in the mean time we could play dress up and become a “fairy princess” – today they can walk into a shop and be like their princesses every day , wear their clothes, shoes makeup etc etc ……….
I also think too much *sappy* TV dulls their minds , limits their imaginations and maybe encourages them to settle for less?
I am going to ask my youngest ( when I see her next) how she feels about this – she is the one most influenced.
Futher musings – It is also the culture of *instant*
In my day it was hard work and dedication that got you where you wanted to be – in the mean time we could play dress up and become a “fairy princess” – today they can walk into a shop and be like their princesses every day , wear their clothes, shoes makeup etc etc ……….
I also think too much *sappy* TV dulls their minds , limits their imaginations and maybe encourages them to settle for less?
I am going to ask my youngest ( when I see her next) how she feels about this – she is the one most influenced.
Right on, Nicola!
Today, anyone can be published — start a blog!
Or be a TV star — post a video cast!
Or a Radio celebrity — do a podcast!
There used to be a system one had to navigate in order to prove a worth greater than the self. Today anyone can be a celebrity and have their own childhood media empire via MySpace.
I will be interested to see what your youngest has to say on this matter!
Right on, Nicola!
Today, anyone can be published — start a blog!
Or be a TV star — post a video cast!
Or a Radio celebrity — do a podcast!
There used to be a system one had to navigate in order to prove a worth greater than the self. Today anyone can be a celebrity and have their own childhood media empire via MySpace.
I will be interested to see what your youngest has to say on this matter!
Dare say Britney etc have had some effect.
Dare say Britney etc have had some effect.
Welcome to Urban Semiotic, joeblogs!
Britney certainly has had a detrimental effect. She should begin to shape up by removing the gum from her mouth.
Welcome to Urban Semiotic, joeblogs!
Britney certainly has had a detrimental effect. She should begin to shape up by removing the gum from her mouth.
Dear Mr. Boles:
It seems the adults are more juvenile and the children are more grownup in the distorted mirror. I quote from your Newsweek Source “Like never before, our kids are being bombarded by images of oversexed, underdressed celebrities who can’t seem to step out of a car without displaying their well-waxed private parts to photographers.” I’m familiar with semiotics from my college days, and this signifies something quite scary to me.
Dear Mr. Boles:
It seems the adults are more juvenile and the children are more grownup in the distorted mirror. I quote from your Newsweek Source “Like never before, our kids are being bombarded by images of oversexed, underdressed celebrities who can’t seem to step out of a car without displaying their well-waxed private parts to photographers.” I’m familiar with semiotics from my college days, and this signifies something quite scary to me.
Welcome to Urban Semiotic, Ambidextrous!
Yes, I read that awful Newsweek article where their cloying prose teases the topic into cuteness and repulses non-subtle vibrations of dangerous intent.
Why are the children being bombarded? Is it because of a lack of appropriate adult — not just parental — oversight?
The semiotic of Britney’s shaved private parts should embarrass and revolt, not titillate. When our children crave to see more shaved extremities we need to start to wonder as one how far we’ve fallen as a society and what brought us beyond the precipitous edge and over the cliff.
Welcome to Urban Semiotic, Ambidextrous!
Yes, I read that awful Newsweek article where their cloying prose teases the topic into cuteness and repulses non-subtle vibrations of dangerous intent.
Why are the children being bombarded? Is it because of a lack of appropriate adult — not just parental — oversight?
The semiotic of Britney’s shaved private parts should embarrass and revolt, not titillate. When our children crave to see more shaved extremities we need to start to wonder as one how far we’ve fallen as a society and what brought us beyond the precipitous edge and over the cliff.
Why are these spoiled, trashy, dullard young women celebrities in the first place? It’s a shame that this is the type of person our society apparently wants to see on television and hear gossip about. If they weren’t ‘celebrities’, perhaps preteen girls wouldn’t be dressing like drunken tramps.
Hi icedmocha —
They’re stars because they are willing to prostitute their morality — just enough — to be worthy enough of admiration and titillation without being pornographic.
The line between celebrities and pornography is becoming tighter and thinner with each passing moment.
I hope to raise my children, if I ever have any, with the fundamental concepts of tznius.
They will not have role models of Britney and Paris H. but of the men and women who have shaped the Jewish religion.
You have a fine plan, Gordon, but how will you protect your children from the wants of popular culture?
I founf this today – which kind of overlaps here and also with some of the other subjects we have discussed over the months.
It is an article called Death of Opportunity from the Daily Mail http://tinyurl.com/2s2klv
Your comment was caught by Akismet! I’m so glad I saw it sitting there. I have no idea why it was caught.
Love the article. She’s so smart! I love her analysis.
Akismet ate my reply to Nicola!
It also ate my reply to Gordon last night.
Time to make a report.
Akismet has been a bit odd recently – it appears to have been catching loads of spam on my account – but there are no messages for me to review.
Almost as if it is auto-deleting them.
I noticed that last night! Akismet was telling me I had caught Spam but nothing was there. I just logged out and went to bed for fear of deleting something important.
You need to report all those false-positives via Feedback so they can fix the problem. I just sent in all four message URLs that were caught here.
I noticed that last night! Akismet was telling me I had caught Spam but nothing was there. I just logged out and went to bed for fear of deleting something important.
You need to report all those false-positives via Feedback so they can fix the problem. I just sent in all four message URLs that were caught here.
Grr! My last comment was caught, too. It’s going to be a long day!
😀
Grr! My last comment was caught, too. It’s going to be a long day!
😀
Sends you some patience.
Sends you some patience.
I think Mark fixed it now!
I think Mark fixed it now!
Yeah 🙂
Yeah 🙂
So far so good!
😉
So far so good!
😉
Back on topic for a minute – this is from the BBC today.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6337373.stm
Back on topic for a minute – this is from the BBC today.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6337373.stm
Excellent article, Nicola! It’s so good to see the mainstream media writing about these wrongs against children.
Did you ever get your youngest’s feedback on the matter?
Excellent article, Nicola! It’s so good to see the mainstream media writing about these wrongs against children.
Did you ever get your youngest’s feedback on the matter?
This is an issue about parenting.
By the way, Taxi Driver is my favorite film.
This is an issue about parenting.
By the way, Taxi Driver is my favorite film.
Right, Brent, the problem is the parents are dressing as provocatively as the children.
Right, Brent, the problem is the parents are dressing as provocatively as the children.
I agree. Somewhere along the line, we have lost sight of good morals, and this is just one of many examples of the results, thereof.
People with well behaved children, usually behave well themselves.
I feel that it must also be noted that the type of behavior which you write about in this post, also coincidentally has to do with involvement in drugs, many times.
Drug abuse numbs the mind, diminishes good sense, and opens doors to other damaging behaviors.
I agree. Somewhere along the line, we have lost sight of good morals, and this is just one of many examples of the results, thereof.
People with well behaved children, usually behave well themselves.
I feel that it must also be noted that the type of behavior which you write about in this post, also coincidentally has to do with involvement in drugs, many times.
Drug abuse numbs the mind, diminishes good sense, and opens doors to other damaging behaviors.
Well said, Brent!
Well said, Brent!
I don’t think it is going to end, it’s going to get worse. This generation is sick because of lack of responsibilities of the parents and maturity on how to raise their children
I don’t think it is going to end, it’s going to get worse. This generation is sick because of lack of responsibilities of the parents and maturity on how to raise their children
You could be right. I do seem to sense a bit of change in the current crop of parents, though. The “Age of Self Esteem at All Costs” seems to have quieted down now as new parents see precisely how wrong that attitude was in raising the current crop of teens and adults.
You could be right. I do seem to sense a bit of change in the current crop of parents, though. The “Age of Self Esteem at All Costs” seems to have quieted down now as new parents see precisely how wrong that attitude was in raising the current crop of teens and adults.