So I read this article on Slate recently, and then I read the responses on the message boards, and I’m completely appalled, and I can’t let it go. For those not bored enough to read the article, it’s about the problem of overly sexualized clothing for pre-teen girls. And of course, I completely agree. Twelve year olds should not look like broken down hookers. The argument on the message boards seems to have exactly two sides: complete agreement with the author, or the idea that the clothing being attacked here is not actually provocative or inappropriate in any way.
I find myself disappointed by both arguments. Normally I find Emily Yoffe to be extremely articulate and interesting, but I think she’s missed her point here. Rather than an analysis of what we are trying not to teach young women, she should have focused on what society should be trying to teach them. Namely, we should be teaching them to be strong, confident women who are comfortable and proud of their femininity. Yes, it is wrong to let them wear clothing that reads “I must have left my brain in my locker,” but she’s completely missed the point on why it is wrong. The point here is that she doesn’t want her daughter to portray herself as stupid so much as she should want her daughter to present herself as competent and smart. Expressing that through clothing would mean wearing clothes that are flattering, but not revealing and certainly not demeaning.
There also seems to be some confusion that boys are involved in this discussion as well. I completely disagree. I think it’s time to stop thinking about what message girls are sending to boys (and to pedophyles, though that may warrant a little more concern), and start worrying about what kind of messages they are sending to themselves.
Not quite sure why this article has me so worked up, but it does, and hopefully I’ve got it out of my system now.
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