January 9, 2011 by blue milk
I would have thought sexualising little girls in fashion was getting kinda old (pun intended), but seems French Vogue thought it was worth another go. Nine year olds and allusions to blow jobs. Fabulous. Just remember, high-end fashion magazine, what are fun shocks for some are not so empowering for others.
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Wow. Thank you (I guess) for sharing. Being the mother of both a son and daughter, these images make me feel ill, and furious with anger; for all little girls and little boys. And for all men and all women. It’s tragic.
There I go thinking nothing can shock me anymore and I read/see an article like this and am shocked all over again.
It breaks my heart to see little girls exploited in this way. I must go and look at some photos of my 6 year old granddaughter to get back to normality.
Thanks for posting, though.
I wonder how that meeting ran – hey, what can we stick into a child’s mouth? A lollipop? Nope, been done. Hey, I know, a toothbrush! Great! Lets go with that!
And I’m thinking of all the people who were complicit in making this shoot happen. All the editors, stylists, lighting crew, photographers, sub-editors, advertisers, assistants, merchandisers, agents, children and their parents and no-one said, hey, maybe this isn’t a great idea. REALLY!?!
I see these photos I think Brooke Shields in Pretty Baby. None of these kids look like they’re having fun. What on earth is wrong with these people? Do they really have no idea what they’re doing??
This is terrifying. Not only the image itself, but the lack of judgment on all of the people who had to conspire in the same stupidity to make this image happen: the company, the marketing people, the photographer, the art director, the girls’ parents. The media outlets that allowed this ad to appear. It humbles me to think how far we have to go before things change.
It takes a lot to shock me and my god I’m shocked and furious. Despicable and unforgivable. Unashamble sexualisation of children even under a fashion umbrella is outrageous.
Awful.
I kind of really really loved the second photo… until I scrolled down and saw the bra thing. I mean, it’s a great photo, this really intense looking girl playing dress up or possibly forced into an adult role by someone… it could be imaginative play, it could be not, she’s so fierce looking… And then the bra/bikini top/thing/whatever is just… ew.
frankly, they’re both awful (for instance, the models are getting younger and younger – are 16 year old models now past it?!), but the first photo actually bothers me more. It’s her pose, more than anything else. It’s a very adult pose, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. also, her makeup and nails are perfect – she’s been dressed and painted to look like an adult.
Whereas, in the second photo she’s got on a white tank top under the bra and her makeup is bright blue and ghastly – she looks like she’s spent the afternoon raiding her mother’s closet, but with better hair. Even the serious look on her face reminds me of a bold, defiant child, instead of the weird, creepy pageant vibe of the first image.