No, horrible! You may well have read about this in the papers this week. These are small children dressed up for school "proms". Children as young as four are going to these proms, where little girls wear ball gowns and the boys are told to give them red roses. Some arrive in limousines. One, however, was refused a request to land by private helicopter (well, I supose that's something).
At an age when kids should be out in the garden getting dirty (well, mine certainly were), they are being told that's it's looks that matter, and behaving like an adult, and a sexually aware adult at that. It makes you (well, me) weep. (Note the wallflower at the back. I remember being one of those, but I was old enough to deal with it).
Hoever, perhaps not quite as bad as this, which I posted a few weeks ago...
Right. End of rant. Back to the Novel.
(The layout of this seems to have gone a bit weird. Serves me right.)
Frances, your post from a few weeks back was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the headline and picture of this post on my dashboard. I can only feel really, really sorry for those poor rich kids, and very angry at their parents to make them do this. Yes, many little girls love dressing up - if not themselves, at least their dolls. But that's play, and I do not consider it harmful, whereas this - "proms", beauty pageants and the lot - certainly is.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just rich kids Meike. Ordinary primary schools (in New Zealand at least) do it.
DeleteI'm glad you agree, Meike!
DeleteI think it goes far too over the top as well. There is a tendency to rob children of their childhood these days and this is just another (and a fairly minor in my view compared with the 'TV effect'). In the children's primary school in NZ they have a prom when they leave and one Dad did fly his daughter in by chopper (his own!) and some did have a limo (there is only one in Napier!).
ReplyDeletePS I think the 'wallflower' might have her partner sitting next to her: leastways there is a set of legs just peeking out).
Phew! that's a weight off my mind (the wallflower's partner)!
DeleteIt makes me weep too! RIP childhood.
ReplyDeleteTes. My twelve-year-old granddaughter complains that all her friends are into boys and make-up, and she just wants to play!
DeleteWhy can't children just be children for goodness sake?
ReplyDeleteI quite agree, Colette.
DeleteI wonder what they'd rather be doing, given the choice? From experience, I know I couldn't drag my children to anything they didn't want to do.
ReplyDelete