Can't Wrap My Head Around This

[susiestar]

http://www.toofab.com/2011/09/07/to...tume-hooker-julia-roberts-pretty-woman-video/

This little girl, age 3, was dressed up to look like Julia Robert's character in Pretty Woman - the prostitute. Her mother had the stupidity and total lack of any clue of appropriate behavior/role models and had the child parade on a stage dressed like this.

The crowd LOVES it - goes wild with cheers and claps.

This is NOT an accident where mom picked a really trashy outfit (NOT all pageants are trashy nor are all pageant outfits) and then found out it looked like the movie character's outfit when she picked up Richard Gere's character in the movie.

This was a deliberate CHOICE of the mother's. At the end of the video the announcer says that the girl is dressed like Julia Robert's character in Pretty Woman.

in my opinion this is just going way too far. WAY to far.

Why on earh would you choose to dress your toddler as a hooker? Is this something you want her to play dress-up or let's pretend about?

What was the mom thinking, and what was wrong with the crowd that they cheered and applauded the outfit??? Did they put a bunch of crack in the ventilation system and burn it so they were all high on crack wehn they dreamed this up and then applauded it? Or just pass the crack pipe around the audience?

 

[InsaneCdn]

Susie...
My dear. I know what you mean. Sometimes I feel like Rip Van Winkle. Like - when did the whole world change around me?

But yes. In general, there is an ever-increasing proportion of people who's minds and lives are in the gutter - not the gutter of poverty, but the lack of common decency, common courtesy, and common sense.

We're fighting extreme immodesty at school... and its hard to enforce the rules when the Mom's show up as volunteers, dressed in an outfit that wouldn't even be appropriate for playing beach volleyball.

But I won't get up on my soap box and rant about the causes. Because its a lost cause. Civilization is dying. If history repeats itself, it will take another 100 years to finish off the patient, and another 1000 years to bring the patient back to life. So, not in my lifetime.

 

[keista]

The video won't play for me. Just as well. Last week's T&T was bad enough with a mom giving one of the girls fake boobs. DD1 enjoyed watching it, but not so much now after last week. They went way to far.

 

[hearts and roses]

I've been reading about this, it's all over the news. Although I've never watched the show, I've seen clips of it - especially during the Jon Benet story. I think it's disgusting what some of those parents do with their little kids. Really? Fake boobs?? Omg. I feel so bad for those little kids. They may be cute now, but one day they will grow up and be just another ordinary kid and what a let down, huh? They will wonder why they aren't the center of the universe and why no one thinks they are still adorable. Frustrated parents. ugh.


Edited to add: I know there are tasteful little people pageants, but the T&T people just go too far. Please remember, my filters are off this week.

 

[trinityroyal]

The other question I have is, who MANUFACTURES a hooker-tot costume in the first place?

I'm more than a little depressed that this is "the line". I think the line is way over there in the back 40 somewhere. We crossed it a long time ago and we've been wandering around lost ever since.

Why are there bikini bathing suits for little girls? Bikinis are intended to highlight your womanly curves, and little girls don't have them.
Why are ballroom dance costumes for little girls backless with cutaway sides? Same thing -- designed to highlight womanly curves, which little girls don't have.

Seems to me that the hooker outfit for toddlers is just the next step in a long march off a moral cliff.

<dismount soapbox>

Trinity

 

[Mattsmom277]

I don't watch the show. But I did see a CNN interview this morning with the mother. My personal opinion was although the outfit was far less revealing than many normally seen costumes in these pageants, it is OTT and highly inappropriate that it was meant to be a "hooker" costume. That aside, the mother said that the entire place was laughing including the judges, I mean hiliariously laughing and her daughter won the pageant. She said what was NOT shown on the program was that this was part of a "skit" that started out as Julia's character in Pretty Woman inthe beginning of the movie as the hooker look and transformed throughout the skit into a conservative look (they showed the end outfit which was appropriate and cute as a button). I still think the entire concept was insane for a childs pageant. But at the same time I hate that programs like this one on TLC will edit the context out of something and then people are outraged without the whole story. All in all, these programs do exploit situations for ratings and enjoy controversy. It angers me that a child is at the crux of this, and I hope the mother can find a way to have the ENTIRE portion of her daughters "skit" and "transformation" shown for viewers to assess what the real intent was. It sounded quite harmless as told by her and seems to be confirmed by the reaction of the crowd and the judges. Even some woman apparently after her daughter was crowned said to the TLC camera something about how awful a thing to do etc, yet earlier in the pageant had been laughing and told the girls mother what a great idea and raved about it, up until the girl won the top title and this other womans did not. And these two moms are friends, before the pageant and since the pageant. It still leaves me wondering why associate an outfit to a movie character of a hooker. What she meant by the theme of the skit and the changes to the outfits was the duckling into a swan comparison and apparently it had comedy in the routine, which does change the idea quite a lot. If one eliminates that the character was a hooker, and just go by the outfits in the early part of the movie compared to the end of the movie, the awful implication of "hooker" is not there and would change perception of viewers.

Having said all of that, I'd never put my child in an outfit like that. I don't watch that program for many reasons, mostly because many outfits DO sexualize young girls and I believe this was no better nor any worse than most costumes seen in the program. I would love a pageant show about the less dramatic pageants, the ones where girls can be age appropriate, dress up and have fun. I think it can do huge things for confidence, public speaking, help them grow to be outgoing and conquer fears etc. I'm betting the majority of pageants are nothign like the ones filmed for this show.

 

[muttmeister]

Why on earh would you choose to dress your toddler as a hooker?

The bigger question for me is, why on earth would you choose to dress your toddler in anything that she was going to be judged in on her appearance? We are living in a time when women finally have the opportunity to be judged on their brains and accomplishments. Why would anyone in their right mind dress their kid up for a beauty contest of any kind? Is that really the kind of mind set we want to encourage in our kids? As far as I'm concerned, they (those parents) are all a bunch of nuts.

 

[DammitJanet]

Im sure you all were waiting with baited breath for me to show up on this thread now werent you?

I find it highly amusing that so many people who claim to abhor toddler and children's pageants seem to watch this show intently. If you dont want to watch it, change the channel! There are a whole lot of us out here who like these pageants. Some of these kids are very famous now...just look up Eden Wood. As far as that little Pretty Woman costume, it was a cute costume, the child has no pre-conceived notions of what its about and the audience thought she was cute in the skit. And about the Dolly Parton get up, that was adorable too. It was on a 2 year old. There arent a bunch of pedophiles out there in the audiences staring at the kids salivating. When you go to these pageants all you see is parents, grandparents, coaches, and friends.

If parents want to spend some of their money and time having fun with their little girls and boys (because yes, they do have boy pageants too), then they have every right to do so. It is no different than spending time and money playing sports, going to camp, teaching them chess, taking acting classes, or any other hobby a child wants to do as they grow up.

These are fun events. The kids get to dress up and be a princess for a day. If you dont like it, dont watch it!

 

[JJJ]

Princess for a day is a far cry from hooker for a day....just sayin'

 

[JJJ]

Oh, and I don't watch those kind of shows. I think I saw bits of the Miss America pagent once but was bored out of my mind lol.

I've seen the pics of K that you have shared and she is dressed adorably as a princess.

Pagents can teach self-confidence, poise, public speaking, etc. There is nothing wrong with them; just like there is nothing wrong with youth sports (our preferred activity). There are crazy people involved in all children's activities. I would no more judge all pagents and pagent-moms by this lady's choices than I would want to be judged by some of the crazies in the youth sports area.

But I think it is important that people do express that some behavior crosses the line; whether that is dressing your two year old up as a hooker or screaming at your 6 year old cause he missed the goal in a soccer game.

 

[DammitJanet]

I dont know if that link came up or not but I watched that show just like I watched the one with the Dolly Parton child. The "hooker" costume was so not revealing. If you didnt know it was the scene from Pretty Woman you wouldnt know it was supposed to be a hooker. Tank top and black skirt that wasnt even very short, with knee high plastic boots and the little girl had a yellow wig on that was cut in a page boy style. The tank top straps were not even spaghetti straps. They were about 2 inches wide on her shoulders.

But again...if you dont like pageants...dont come to them, dont watch them on TV, and dont complain...or maybe better yet...I beg you to find the next one that is being held in your local town and go see one. Maybe you will get a better idea of what is really happening at them. Its not what you think. Yes parents wave from the audience and try to get their daughters to smile right or turn around at the appropriate place because...well...how many 3 year olds normally can get up alone and walk in front of judges and smile on cue?

 

[hearts and roses]

easy child was a contestant in the American Miss contest and it was fun. There was a faux interview, an evening gown, sportswear, and casual contest. The focus was on professionalism and poise. I GET what Janet is saying about it being all fun and that the kiddies feel happy and, etc. But I also have a problem with little people being sexualized. And then when kids at ages 10, 11 are behaving provocatively, people are scratching their heads in wonder. It's not that I blame the T&T people for this, it's the overall climate of today's society.

 

[DammitJanet]

Some of these kids go on stage as Elvis, race car drivers, snow bunnies, Little red riding hood, some character from Toy Story, stuff like that. It all depends on what the pageant is. Winterland Pageant is going to get winter wear. Las Vegas got more of the show girl type stuff. Gold Coast is going to get more of the glitzy fashion stuff. Also remember...T&T is all glitz pageants...not natural pageants. There is a huge difference.

 

[HaoZi]

All I know is considering the expense of these pageants, I'm really glad Kiddo would prefer to apprentice on Mythbusters or a shark week special.

 

[DammitJanet]

They are expensive. The last one we entered had an entry fee of $125. She needed a new beautywear dress so her mom got one of them for $350 second hand. She used her old pictures that her mom had made a year ago...glamour pics for $100. I bought her outfit of choice for $75 and her swimsuit for $45. Tickets for all of us were $10 a piece to get in and that was 4 of us. I didnt pay for Lindsays family. I dont know the cost of all the make up and hair ribbbons. She wore her white shoes that we got her two years ago for the last time...lol. Thankfully they lasted so long. She just squished her feet into them. Very expensive white patent leather shoes.

She is coming down in October to give up her title of Peanut Ambassador. LOL.

 

[HaoZi]

I think the next time Kiddo needs dress shoes, she'll be wearing mine! Sometimes I think the only thing about her that can grow faster than her feet is her attitude.

 

[1905]

Those little girls are having fun, dressing up is fun, it's all pretend. These girls aren't going to school dressed in their costumes. Nobody is actually thinking any of the girls are dressed appropriately for the real world. Come on! The other people seeing them are other families with girls of their own. ANY of those costumes on an adult could easily be a hooker costume. I think the kids are having fun and good for them.

I do have a problem when kids parents are freaking out on the sidelines of a soccer game, yelling at their kid as though he were about to lose them the world cup or something. That ruins it for their kid and they don't even know it.

 

[susiestar]

First, I don't watch the show, I saw this on the news. Second, I have no problems with many pageants. They don't make sense to me but then again neither does football, golf or most sports that involve a ball - and they never have made sense to me.

I have seen local pageants, and I am saddened because they are changing to be more like the tv show than like they used to be. A young lady that I worked with in college, incredibly off the charts smart, got into pageants to pay for college. Was first runner up in the pageant that isn't Miss America - at least at the time there were two big pageant cycles and she was in the other one.

I just have a huge problem wtih dressing a toddler up like a hooker. Don't care hte storyline, it is not appropriate for a toddler. That is MY opinion. Doesn't have to be yours. Janet, Keyana looked great in her pics and clearly was having fun. She also looked like a little girl.

 

[trinityroyal]

Janet, I have nothing against pageants per se.

I do have a problem with little girls' clothing that sexualizes them. I was in Baby Gap today just browsing. I saw a leopard print swing coat, thigh-high brown suede boots, low-cut tops and low-waisted skinny jeans, all intended for toddlers. I do have a problem with dressing little girls up in clothes that are intended for adults who are trying to look sexy.

Dressing girls up in pretty princess gowns, tiaras and ribbons...don't have a problem with that at all.

 

[HaoZi]

Anyone catch all the stuff over that European magazine dressing up little girls in lingerie?