Wal-Mart is now marketing aging cream and other cosmetics for girls 8-12, including anti-aging creams to avoid that ten-year-old look.
The new GeoGirl beauty line is here just in time to commercialize those adolescent years. What I find disturbing is that Wal-Mart is abandoning wrinkle prone toddlers to the raves of aging. Then there is the crying need for liposuction for infants.
“We see the film board regularly censors depictions of female sexuality that centers on female pleasure. The sexual revolution concerning women’s bodies and sexuality used to focus on this very subject-our own sense of pleasure and taking delight in one’s own body.”
Jill,
This is a major contributor to the sexual dysfunction of our time and a prime reason that males maintain power and find it difficult sustaining meaningful relationships with women. If female sexuality and preferences are discounted than sex becomes a male process of feeding one’s ego.
I want to amend this post. Everyone is subject to being manipulated. Marketers have sliced us down to exact demographics using fMRI and other techniques. We stand a better chance against manipulation when we are raised to honor ourselves and others. But, everyone is vulnerable.
I think James M. is correct to say Wal-mart is trying for a relationship with young girls. That is how marketing works when it’s most successful. We feel a relationship with the brand. “Life Inc.” is a book that really goes into branding and it’s scary stuff.
This fits into several destructive tendencies in our culture. First, being old isn’t horrible. We have a visceral hatred of aging in this culture. Basically, that is saying, we hate being human!
The suppression of girl’s sexuality is real and pervasive. An interesting view of this is explored in the film: “This film is not yet Rated”. We see the film board regularly censors depictions of female sexuality that centers on female pleasure. The sexual revolution concerning women’s bodies and sexuality used to focus on this very subject-our own sense of pleasure and taking delight in one’s own body. Contrast this with, “The Social Network”. Here women from the most elite institutions act nearly universally in a completely subservient way towards their male “peers”. Their real sexuality isn’t what they are about, they are about serving the cultural norm of female subservience to men.
One thing almost every culture has been very good at is the destruction of both men or women having a genuine feeling for who they are, to include who they are sexually. I see this make-up crap in the same vein. This is about making young girls feel self hatred. It is “necessary” for girls to feel this because this is the way society gets people to buy products. If you cannot be made to hate how you look and who you are, you will not “need” the products our society sells. Self hatred is fundamental to manipulation. Therefore, we can only fight back by refusing these terms and teaching boys and girls strength in who they truly are, not who a commercial enterprise tells them to be.
“If you do not understand how difficult it is for the children
to compete in the beauty contest you just don’t have a clue.”
Mother of Starr,
Simple solution to your money problems:Don’t ruin your daughter’s life by having her compete and at the same time save a lot of money. Despite any protests you might make you are not doing this for your child but for your own vicarious needs. You are exploiting your daughter, with unhealthy sexual undertones, for the purpose of satisfying your own vanity. This is disgusting and harmful to her growth with very little upside.
Please don’t tell me that I don’t understand because my wife and I are parents to two daughters, both of whom were offered commercial opportunities, which we turned down although we could have used the money. Both are adults now, successful in their own fields and mentally healthy. What you are doing is one step short of child abuse and the sad thing is that you don’t understand this.
Oh boy my phone has been ringing off the hook today! As a company we feel 8 is too young for make up. Getting girls on a healthy and safe skin care routine should be the first step. If your daughter can not commit to washing her face each night for at least 3 to 6 months then she is not ready for make up. At Good For You Girls we believe good hygiene starts early, however, make up started too early, when a girl is not prepared to take care of her skin, can lead to the introduction of bacteria and the potential for skin reactions. Too all the moms who called me today, let your heart guide you, you will know when your daughter is ready.
If you do not understand how difficult it is for the children to compete in the beauty contest you just don’t have a clue. We have to take every advantage we can. We can spend upwards to 500 dollars of our money to enter them in the pageants. Its not easy considering the benefits have been cut and the prize moneys are not as high as they used to be. This is just so competitive anymore.
Blouise, I just don’t know what those folks are thinking but if you watch a couple of episodes it is more than apparent that the whole thing and everybody associated with it is sick. Very, very sick.
Lotta,
I was flipping through the channels tonight and came across a “report” on ET about that “Tots and Tiaras” show mentioned on this thread so stopped and watched the segment.
gag, gag, gag … you called it right … “soft-core child porn” … definitely felt like washing up
rafflaw: “Elaine, that is an interesting statement…communicating through cosmetics??? I guess maybe I am getting old if Wal-Mart is communicating with children through the use of cosmetics. Does Wal-Mart “communicate” with hunters when it sells guns and ammo?”
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Ouch! I guess based on Wal-Mart’s rationale’ it is.