remix : process (i)

I have decided to do the remix about the sexual objectification of women. I am going to focus on the TLC reality TV show called Toddlers & Tiaras. I used to watch this TV show during my Summer breaks in Portugal and I could not stop watching it, even if I knew how ridiculous/disturbing it was. Girls are competitive, mean and spoiled. Their mother are even worse: they force their children to participate in these beauty pageants; they make them wear make up, false eyelashes, and spray tanning. Their kids become sexual objects that can be sold. The little girls look like dolls and act like ones too.

I have done some research about this TV show and found some interesting articles that back up the message of my remix.

"Generation Diva: How our obsession with beauty is changing our kids" 

By Jessica Bennett. Article here

• Oversexualization of teens
• Young girls use more beauty products than before
• The responsible ones for this transformation: ads for the latest fashions, makeup tip and grooming up products. Also people know how to use Photoshop or the digital cameras come with retouching options
• There is another TV show like Toddlers and Tiaras - Little Miss Perfect

"From Alice to Alana: Sexualities and Children's Cultures in the Twenty-First Century"

By Lance Weldy and Thomas Crisp. Link here

• The author describes Toddles and Tiaras as a show in which "legal guardians provide an outlet for children to perform as miniature adults; contestants are not only made up as adults, but they also dress as popular adult characters"
• Controversial episode: little girl dressed as Julia Roberts in the film Pretty Woman.

"The sexualization of prepubescent girls; where we have been and where we are going"

Eliza Smithwick. Article here

• Children are being turned into sexual objects. Advertising and marketing objectifies and subjectifies them.
• We live in a capitalist world: making profit is the most important thing. Sex is a lucrative marketing tool.
• Sexiness and physical appearance are seen as “the pathway to power” 
• There are less and less boundaries between children and adults. Children want to act like adults.