There, I said it.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with this child or her outfit.
She is four months old, and she's adorable. There's nothing sexy about her. She's a baby. Most babies wear even less than that in summer. Because her mom is a celebrity this is unacceptable? I think Toddlers in Tiaras and Dance Mom might have a word to say about that.
I mean, it's not like Jessica paraded the child around and did a mock strip tease. She's a baby who is wearing some clothes. End.
There is none of this:
"It is to be hoped that parents will understand that 'baby bikinis' are totally inappropriate, and that they contribute to the sexualization and commercialization of childhood. We should not be compromising the sanctity of our children’s early years."
Claude Knight, you may be out of your mind. Where do you get sexualization and commercialization of childhood from this photo? Why is any sanctity being compromised?
And if you see sex in that picture, I would guess the problem is with you.
"Celebrity choices carry great influence, as can be seen by the manner in which their accessories and behaviors are copied widely."
Oh God, oh God, not naked babies! Anything but almost naked babies! Oh wait.
"It is very disturbing to see a young baby presented to the world wearing a bikini."
Why, Charles? Why is it disturbing? Your comments have not answered that question for me. So far you have said because it makes the baby sexy (not true), it commercializes childhood (I'd argue that childhood is already commercialized and Jessica Simpson had nothing to do with it), and that other people might start imitating Jessica and dressing their own babies in bikinis (first, unlikely. Give the public some credit. And second, if that were to happen, I'm just not seeing the abject horror and disgust here. Who cares?)
So, please, give me some reasons I can hang onto as to why this baby in a bikini is the worst thing ever. Because your hand-wringing isn't doing it for me.
Actually, yes. It does bother me. It does say "sexualized" to me.
ReplyDeleteI kinda look at it like this. When I'm picking clothes for my daughter, I ask myself whether something I put on her would be something I'd be equally willing to put on my (hypothetical) son. I'd put pink on my son. I'd put a dress on my son. I wouldn't put this bikini on my son. Because all it says to me is, "look at my (ungrown) tits! Look at all this skin I'm showing and hiding just enough of to make you want to unveil me!" Frankly, I'd rather have my kid run around naked than wear this bikini, because at least naked she looks like a little kid, rather than a mini-teenager trying to "flaunt em."
You did ask. ;)
I think this picture is adorable. It's a BABY! And the baby is in a bikini not knee high stiletto boots, fishnet stockings, a mini skirt and giant stars over her nipples. Give me a break! If you see 'sexualization of a baby' here then you need to run fast into some counselling classes because it's you that has the problem. I'm wondering if they'd think the same if it were a baby boy in a speedo?
ReplyDeleteI really don't like the notion that if you see something wrong with that outfit, you must be some kind of disturbed freak. It's a pretty tasteless argument to say that someone who disagrees with you is not merely wrong, but disturbed and in need of psychological help.
ReplyDeleteI'm not scandalized by this, no. Nor do I think anybody needs to be condemned over it. It's a parenting choice like we are all free to make. It's not a big deal. At all. It's certainly not the worst thing ever.
But I don't like it and I wouldn't buy it. Not because it makes the baby look sexy or even pretends that the baby is sexy, and not because it exposes lots of flesh (like most people, I think naked babies are adorable and totally appropriate.) Mostly, it's because I was pretty young when I started feeling fat and hating my body. My earliest memory of refusing to wear shorts because my legs were too big was in Kindergarten. I remember it was early in the school year, and we were outside at recess and I was so so hot and uncomfortable, but I wouldn't wear anything more revealing than jeans. My parents probably thought I was too young to be worried about this, but they were wrong. I got the message very clearly and very young that there were two types of females in the world: Good Ones, who are pleasing to the eye, and all the rest, who should hide.
Obviously a baby is not capable of this level of self-loathing, obviously putting a baby in a bikini is not going to prompt her to look in the mirror and hate her legs. Nor do I believe that it will prompt anyone who looks at the baby to some kind of body image crisis. None of it is that direct. It would be silly if I claimed it was.
But I also feel like there's never a time that it's too early to act, with your kids, in a way that is consistient with the things that are important to you and the things you want them to carry out into the world, when they get old enough. Body image is an extremely important issue to me, one that requires a lot of thought and sensitivity, because I have wrestled with it every day of my life since apparently at least kindergarten. Child-sized bikinis seem more likely to be part of the problem rather than part of the solution, and I'm not going to do it, even if the kid is too young to be sexualized.
This doesn't mean everyone who puts their kid in a bikini is doing something terrible. Sweeping condemnations ("that's never right!") are rarely useful. People who don't have this level of neurosis over body image issues aren't going to see it as a priority. That's okay. They don't have to. They don't have some kind of responsibility to bear to society over this, even if they are famous. Nobody is a bad parent or a bad person for buying a baby bikini.
But I still don't like it. And no, I wouldn't put my sons in Speedos, either, for the same reason. Body image matters for boys, too.
I gotta disagree. There are many kinds of baby two pieces. I find the ones that mimic string bikinis completely unnecessary and inappropriate ;/
ReplyDeleteI actually think bikinis on tiny tots are adorable (I have a Hawaiian-print bikini that Maya wore when she was about 2), although this particular knit bikini I think is best suited for novelty photos, not actually taking her anywhere. Just something about it. Still, I stand by my opinion that babies or toddlers in bikinis are adorbz. :)
ReplyDeleteOn the one side, I don't give a crap what people put on their babies. If I could dress mine like a squid every day, I would. Because I have to look at her every day, andI'd like to get a giggle from that. If it makes a mom happy to put her infant in a bikini, if that makes her day a little better, awesome.
ReplyDeleteBUT-
There is a huge problem with the oversexualization of little girls in this country. As early as two years old, little girls are associating "sexiness" with "goodness," they WANT to be sexy, and they think it will make them more popular, and happier. And mostly, they're right about that popularity issue.
But there are a lot of things we're teaching our little girls by putting them in clothes like that.
I wrote all about it here, over the winter:
http://becomingsupermommy.blogspot.com/2012/01/thank-heavens-for-little-girls.html
I mean, it's not like Jessica paraded the child around and did a mock strip tease. She's a baby who is wearing some clothes. End.frankies bikinis discount code
ReplyDeleteWow! This cute girl looks so nice with this nice yellow bikini and can't wait to hold for a while. I love it very much as well. Thanks for this entry and hope will come in near future to see something interesting with bikini issue.
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ReplyDeleteI think this photo is cute. It's a BABY! Also, the child is in a swimsuit not knee high stiletto boots, fishnet tights, a smaller than usual skirt and titan stars over her areolas. Offer me a reprieve! On the off chance that you see 'sexualization of an infant' here then you have to run quick into some directing classes in light of the fact that it's you that has the issue. Always try for London escort girls now. Thanks!!
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