Saturday, March 14, 2009

When Does Cute Become Creepy?

The other day I was watching 1500 prisoner's dancing to Thriller and was mesmerized by the absurdity of it all. A nearby video indicated a 3 y.o. dancing to Thriller. I clicked and I found it adorable! One can tell what she is trying to do, but because she doesn't understand her body dynamics yet (or they haven't even developed) she can't really do it. Very cute and hilarious.

I mentioned this to a friend and she asked if I had seen the 4 y.o. dancing to Beyonce's Single Ladies. I hadn't. Click click and here you go. I found 3 versions, so I'm not sure to which she was referring. (Watch the real video first.)
Kid 1
Kid 2 (which might be the same girl in the Thriller video above)
Kid 3
I must say that I find each of these somewhat cute, but more so, they are disturbing and creepy. I think it has to do with the gyration and hip/ass-smacking. Yes, I know that the song is catchy and the parents probably just thought it was funny, but our culture already hyper-sexualizes young women and I don't think these videos help the world at all.
What do you think?
One could argue that Beyonce is mainly popular because of her attractiveness and how she uses her sexuality in almost every video to sell the product - herself.
Maybe that isn't the best role model for children who aren't even in kindergarten?

Finally, I'll link to a good rant that you should watch.
Note: Alternative title was "Who says kids are impressionable?" based on how easily they mimic what they see on the videos. Which did you prefer?

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