How would you feel if this was your six to thirteen year old dancing out on stage dressed like this? Over done make-up is one thing but this is another. Does the dance change due to the costume? Who really benefits from this costume choice, the parents that paid an exuberant amount of money to dress their children like hookers, would the performance had suffered if these children were dressed a little more age appropriate? It seems the only people that benefit from this particular outfit choice and performance are the perverted pedophiles who will watch their performance over and over again for there own perversions. I feel that this dance instructor should take a long look at herself as a professional dance instructor and her abilities to teach these children and see that a performance is not measured by there costumes and how suggestive a dance can be but by the actual skill and dedication of the children performing.
Most disturbing to me was not the teachers verbal abuse and grueling workout on the children's bodies but the fact that the parents allowed it and actually contributed to it by not coming to there children's defense. The parents, who will cut down a child for missing a step even if that child isn't there own, actually get pleasure by seeing one child pitted against the next week in and week out. It seems to me these mothers are nothing but glory whores living their lives through the popularity and talents of their children. These mothers are no better than the fans that chant and scream "we won the game" and "we did it", taking credit and all the while they never left the couch.
Do you feel these children are being exploited? Do you think the attached performance is age appropriate? What are your feelings towards this show and what do you think should be done about it if anything?
Hi Brook, I think your post is very interesting. I recently read an article in People Magazine about pageant girls. TLC's show Toddlers In Tiaras has become very popular. One girl competed dressed as a hooker from a movie starring Julia Roberts. Her mom said she thought it was "cute" when others were quick to criticize. Another young girl dressed up in one of Madonna's old costumes which also caused controversy. It is not uncommon to see girls under the age of seven with fake breasts competing at the pageant. These children are too young for this, in my opinion. They are also too young to know that the way they are being dressed is innapropriate. At such a young age, they learn everything from their parents. To them, dressing this way is normal. The pageant moms are so outrageous to watch; thus, the show has become wildly popular. The judges of the shows should not vote for girls dressed well above their years, because obviously the parents are not going to change. I think the show can go on, but I think the perceptions of beauty toward young girls needs to change. I like that you wrote about this topic, because I find myself watching Toddlers In Tiaras on occasion. While I thought the parents were shocking and extreme, I was not sure what others thought. Now I know that others are reacting to and addressing the situation.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I am a fan of this show. This group of girls is a group of amazing dancers, much better than most adults I have seen. Although I believe that it is mostly based around their mothers and the cat fights amongst them and the instructor, I also believe that this show exposes the young girls who are 6 to 13 years old. However, there is some good in this exploitation. Recently in one of the episodes I saw a man from Broadway came to watch this group of girls dance to potentially dance in a Broadway show someday. He was impressed and offered one of the girls to come to New York and stop by his office. Without this show these girls would never get these kinds of opportunities because where pedophiles may be watching, people who can offer them the big time careers they want may be too. It’s true that the performance attached is a little risqué and outfits like those aren’t 100% necessary but it shows that they can compete at that level. If they were babied I don’t think these Broadway opportunities would arise. When I was younger and did ballet I wore mouse costumes and rainbows, needless to say I wasn’t competing at the level these girls are and never would be with how I danced or what I wore.
ReplyDeleteI have been a dancer since I was 3 years old, and have been an assistant dance teacher for a few years as well. Seeing this show upsets me because it indeed exploits the young girls. Where I teach, we help the girls learn basic steps and how to move and work together as a group. Our biggest emphasis is for them to have fun. These girls do not seem to be having much fun, and instead of enjoying dancing together in a group, they are in cutthroat competition with one another. These girls are incredibly talented, but they do not really need to be in such inappropriate costumes and doing some of the steps they are doing at their age. I feel that they are losing the joy of dance and their sense of childhood for the sake of entertainment and their mother's profit. However, I bet many of them are going to get further opportunities and money as a result of this show, so they probably aren't complaining.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching this i do feel that the children are being exploited through the dances they are engaging in. The performance is really inappropriate especially for their age group. Watching this video reminds me of parents that push their kids to the limits with sports because they are more into the sport than their child is. I have had experience with this while playing youth hockey. Every now and then we would encounter parents in the crowd from opposing teams screaming at their kids because of a bad play they made. These parents, similar to the parents of the dancers, are living through the talents of their children. They need to chill out and let their child do what they want to do. If they continue to force them into doing something they don't want to, its just going to make them unhappy in the long run. Relating to the video, i think the coreographer of the dance for the girls needs to make the dance a little more appropriate realizing their age.
ReplyDeleteWhile watching the video, I feel that these young girls are being exploited. My mother and sisters are big fans of the show always watching it every week but I just see something really wrong with it. These little girls really do not have a voice. The little girls might not want to dance or be on television at such a young age. Like we talked about today in class with Professor Nielsen-Dube that there is no consent from these little girls. Some children at a young age just do not want do a certain thing. Some over aggressive parents push their kids into doing something they do not want to do. My friend's father pushed him into playing baseball when he really just hated the game. Growing up, my father never told that i had to play hockey or baseball because it was my decision. As the performance and the way these girls dressed, it is not age appropriate at all. If that was my daughter on stage, I would not want her to be portrayed as a hooker on national television.
ReplyDeleteBeing a fan of this show, it is very clear that these young girls are being exploited. The dances they are choreographed to perform are absolutely out of their age level, but what it comes down to is the money and the appeal the audience will have on the show. If the show was asked to change the way these little girls dressed and danced, it is obvious that "Dance Moms" would not get the same appeal and popularity that it previously had. The show needs something that will keep the viewer wanting to watch more, and it is heartbreaking to say that the dances the little girls do and the costumes they wear will keep those reviews up. Throughout the show there are always conflicts arising between coach vs. mom, mom vs. child, and sometimes coach vs. child. There are these arguments because some of the decisions on the show are out of line, but again that is another component that will keep the viewer watching. What it comes down to is that those watching "Dance Moms" are not looking to watch a normal, classy, dance performance. They are looking to spark attention with these very talented little girls and are willing to take whatever measures they have to to achieve that.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen or this show nor heard of it but at some point while watching this video I felt uncomfortable. Its almost like these are 10 year old girls dancing and looking like 20 year old women. Mikaela made a point that sometimes there are big time people watching and giving these girls huge opportunities, which is awesome, but I think it could be done in a less exposing way. The mothers of these girls, like other people have pointed out, trying to live through their daughters. Instead of encouraging them in a positive, motivating way they are yelling and pressuring them. From experience, I hear parents, sometimes my dad, yelling from the sidelines. We know what we have to do better, we don't need them telling us because little do they know it's making it worse. Even though this show is exposing young girls, I think reality TV has come to this and this is completely normal for society to watch.
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ReplyDeleteAlthough I have never personally seen the show, I was really bothered by the way shows like this have become so popular in America. There seems to be a part of our culture that really enjoys people misbehaving. The main appeal of shows like this is not to see the talents of those involved, it is to see how badly people behave. Although it repulses us to see the way the parents treat the children, it is also strangely entertaining. In a way the audience loves to feel outraged, it's exciting to feel so angry about something. Instead of being outraged about politics or injustice, a cheap alternative is to be enraged by reality tv. Unfortunately reality tv has become the ultimate distraction, rather than thinking about important issues the new generation of Americans think about what Snooky was wearing on Jersey Shore. Reality television, particularly any show involving children, has become a cheap form of entertainment. Brooke's blog post was a very interesting subject. It forces anyone who reads it think objectively about themselves and their culture.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video clip, I completely agree that the children are being exploited. These 6 to 13 year old children are dressed up and dancing like they are at a strip club. This performance is not in any way age appropriate, and these children should be dressed in outfits that are much more modest. I believe the way to stop this exploitation is to put an end to this show, and the show Toddlers and Tiaras. Toddlers and Tiaras is another show that exploits children; they have an age group of 2-3 year olds, and even these young children are dressed up as hookers. I don’t understand what this society is trying to prove or show by doing this to innocent children. The mothers of these children are pushing their children too far, while many of the children are probably not having fun at all. I found this video clip, http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/toddlers-and-tiaras-mom-dont-you-dare-embarrass-me-on-tv-2011219, which shows how mothers are pushing their own dreams onto their children. Parents need to push their dreams aside, and think about how these shows are going to mess up the child’s whole life. If these children are dressing like this starting at age 2, what are they going to wear when they are fifteen? My little sister is seven years old and she takes dance class and loves it. In her dance class she is learning basic ballet moves, and her class practices a routine and does it at the end of the year for parents and families. Dance is a great thing for children to be a part of, until it goes too far like in these shows.
ReplyDeleteBrooke, this is a very intriguing topic, as well as one that there is a certain appeal in discussing. I personally feel the girls are being exploited for their mothers' warped fantasies. The term you used to describe them, "glory whores", is spot on. I don't find much difference between using children, robbing them of their youthful innocence to gain a sense of accomplishment or validation, and the underground animal fighting scene. They take something that was once good, that is so loyal and willing to please, and training them intensely to be competitive; the difference is animals do not have the same value as humans.
ReplyDeleteThere is something ethically wrong with demoralizing innocence to gain fame or victory. The mothers are selfish and the instructors are hired hands in the downfall of the girls' values. In a psychological point of view, the girls will grow up thinking they have to earn their mothers' love and approval, that they aren't good enough unless they put others down. This is a cycle that was clearly enacted by their parents, but people seem to justify the exploitation because they are surrounded by women and 10% of pedophiles are female. If their fathers were the ones enforcing their daughters' dancing and their subsequent wardrobe, there would be more concern.
The performance is not age appropriate, and in my traditional way of thinking, it's inappropriate for a woman of any age behave so immodestly outside of a strip club, let alone on television. That being said, if it were a show about 18 year olds, it would be rated TV-14. But since it's about toddlers, it's considered "cute" that they're trying to be grown up, like wearing their mother's high heels and jewelry. I personally think the show should either simmer down into displaying an appropriate form of dance, such as ballet, or the dancers should be of the state's legal age of consent.
In response to Mikaela, I understand that these competitions give the girls a shot at success, but at what cost? Does it really have to consist of the girls dressing and behaving so provocatively when they haven't even reached puberty yet?