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Tot Dressed as Prostitute:
Toddlers and Tiaras Blasted
for Airing 3-Y-O Pageant Contestant in Racy Costume
The hit TLC show "Toddlers &
Tiaras" is known for its
over-the-top costumes and revealing, baby-sized bikinis. But no outfit has
generated as much controversy as the one Wendy Dickey put on her
three-year-old daughter, Paisley.
Dickey dressed Paisley in a costume that mimicked the outfit that
actress Julia Roberts' prostitute character wore in the movie "Pretty
Woman" – the fitted, skin-baring white blouse, the tight blue mini-skirt
and thigh-high, shiny black boots.
Paisley wore it all – down to the blond wig – and strutted across the
stage. Her costume created a furore. "When are we going to stop
sexualizing our children?" asked Sherri Shepherd, co-host of ABC's
"The View." "Your job is to protect your child … if you don't
think paedophiles are watching this show, I have a bridge I want to sell
you."
Even some of
the other pageant moms – who can be thicker-skinned – were angered by it.
"Us pageant moms already take a huge rap for what we're doing with our
little girls and it's outfits like that that give us a bad rap," said one
mother.
But the criticism doesn't faze Paisley's mom. Dickey said the costume
was meant to be funny. "The whole idea was for people to see the comedy
behind it. It's like when you take your children to a kids' movie, there's
always adult humour that the parents get that the children don't get and that's
what it was about," she said in an interview with "Good Morning America."
Dickey designed the outfit herself, and she's outraged that people think
she's sexualizing her toddler daughter. She told "GMA" that even
though paedophiles were "everywhere," she didn't think they were
"so much at pageants." "When you take your children to the beach
you put swimsuits on your girls, bikinis on your little ones or your big ones
or teenagers," she said. "I think there are just as many or more
paedophiles at the beach and in the park and anywhere ... I do not believe
pageants are a breeding ground for paedophiles."
Paisley's "Pretty Woman" turn comes on the heels of another
controversial "Toddlers & Tiara" moment. On an earlier episode
this season, 4-year-old Maddy Jackson donned
butt enhancements and fake C-cup-sized breasts as she emulated voluptuous country music icon Dolly
Parton.
"When she wears the fake boobs
and the fake butt it's just an added extra bonus," her mother, Lindsay
Jackson, said.
The reality show has always been a lightning rod for criticism, but many
are now starting to question whether it should stay on the air. There's even a Facebook page -- "Take
Toddlers and Tiaras off the Air" -- dedicated to the subject. The Parents Television Council, a conservative watchdog group, says the show has crossed
the line. "The entire premise of the show is troubling, is disturbing when
you have the premise of the show is to sex up your little girl, but when you
have them portraying the character of a prostitute … you're taking away the
youthful essence of these little girls," Tim Winter, the organization's
president, said. "Three-year-old girls shouldn't be sexy."
Six-year-old Eden Wood has been competing since before she could walk. Her
mother, Micki Wood, says the costumes are what get the girls noticed by the
judges. In fact, Eden has worn a showgirl outfit to compete. Asked in a
previous interview whether she believed such a costume was appropriate for a
little girl, the girl's mother told "GMA": "She's covered
everywhere. I don't, when I think of a show girl, I think of a beautiful,
glamorous woman. It's a gorgeous, glamorous costume. To me, it's old Hollywood,
the glamour, not sexualizing my child … It's playing dress up. It's an
expensive dress up game."
Sept. 12, 2011, for ABC News, Good
Morning America.
Read the full article + watch the video news report + several related video
links at:
Discussion Questions
With your partner, discuss the following questions.
Feel free to ask any follow-on questions you like.
1. What are your general views on beauty pageants
in general? Are they harmless fun? Are they demeaning to women? Are the people who oppose them getting upset
over nothing?
2. What do you think of the parents that enter
their children into these sorts of competitions?
Are they bad parents?
3. Do you think that children enjoy taking part in pageants? What lessons do they learn from them? What might the potential benefits or harm be
for a young child who competes in pageants?
4. Do you think that modern day children are
growing up too fast? Why/why not?
Can you give some examples?
5. If you have young children, do you worry about
their safety?
Is the world more dangerous now for kids than
it was when you were a child?
6. Is it a good idea to encourage children to be
competitive? How will encouraging
competitive behavior from an early age affect a child in later life?
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