Originally posted by: return_to_hades
I strongly disagree. A six year old girl dancing to Sheila Ki Jawani doesn't have sensuality or being sexy on her mind. She is just having fun. She doesn't see the sensual aspect of it. She just sees the dance and emulates it with all innocence of a child. If you try to stop her or punish her, she is not going to understand why you are stopping or punishing her. Her mind does not process adult themes and trying to censor her behavior will leave her very confused. Or kids end up increasing that behavior because it gives them attention.
Ideally, children should not be exposed to things inappropriate for their age. However, in today's age kids pickup stuff. It is difficult to completely protect them. If little kids are dancing to Sheila Ki Jawani suggestively. Don't make a big deal. Preserve their innocence. Laugh it off. Make a game or joke out of it. Tell everyone its not a big deal and they should let kids be.
When you censor kids, you actually censor their innocence.
Little Miss Sunshine was a great example of sexualization of kids. Olive who actually does a stripper routine at the end is the most innocent of all the kids. Yet people are shocked at her. It is the other kids in a beauty paegant who are objectified and treated like show pieces. Yet somehow society finds them acceptable. Shows how messed up we are.
http://vimeo.com/93427092
Its not about what the child is thinking. Its about the lyrics and steps. THOSE are vulgar regardless of the age of the person doing them and whether or not its processed by the child doing it.
Also exposing kids to such stuff at a young age de-sensitises them to sexual objectification as they grow up, as somebody pointed out.
Anupamaa
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