Mommyish Deputy Editor Koa Beck On ‘Good Morning America’ Discussing Sexualization Of Girls

This morning, our deputy editor Koa Beck was on Good Morning America weighing in on the photographs of 10-year-old Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau and the sexualization of little girls in advertisements.

When asked in her interview what she thinks when coming across images like Thylane’s, she responded:

“I think that I’m seeing a very young girl being sexualized, being gazed at in a very adult way.”

As Koa articulated in her piece addressing the sexualized portfolio of the young girl, the presence of an adult gaze is what makes these images so problematic. Little girls playing dress up, experimenting with lipstick, and stomping around the house in high heels are not inherently “sexy” choices for little girls. But Thylane’s photographs are absent of that child-like playfulness, and instead impose an adult’s sexuality implying that a grownup is viewing her.

We here on staff are very pleased that the issue of hypersexualization in girls is getting appropriate coverage, as girls seem to be appearing in these types of advertisements at younger and younger ages. And while parents are often trying to pry makeup and short skirts out of their daughter’ hands, the real issue at hand is this constant adult gaze and study of our daughters.

Mommies, what are your thoughts after viewing the segment?

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