As a parent with young children, I don't like what they put out there. Too much innuendo. I saw previews for the last Sesame Street movie and sone of the charactors slammed face first into Miss Piggy's breasts and got off on it. Jim Henson would roll over in his grave. We (as a collective) are going to regret sexualizing our children at 3 and 4 and 5 years old.
I have to wonder, do you think kids see these things as "sexual," the same way we as adults do? To take the example you mentioned: would they realize that slamming into Miss Piggy's breasts is arousing the other characters? Or would they just think, "that's funny!"?
Or is your concern that they see this attitude as normal and when their secondary sexual features develop it'll make lewd behavior acceptable for them?
Charly Z • 8/14/02; 2:16:44 PM
I have nieces and a nephew, and I think that kids become aware of things earlier than most people think, but it's up to parents to help them interpret. My nieces wanted to see this movie with a lot of sex in it, and I was reluctant, but then we talked about how they had already watched sexy MTV and BET videos, so what was going to be the difference? (Disclosure:they are 13-16).
Even when they were younger, they would sing love songs and not even know what they where talking about, but when adults looked at them and disapproved (of songs with too much explicit content or innuendo) they got the message that it was sexy and dangerous to sing those songs.
When I think, however, of all the things adults have spoiled for kids by imposing rigid interpretations of the content, it makes me sick. On one hand, it's the job of adults to model acceptable social behavior within someone's community, so for instance, you know not to hump people's legs in public. On the other hand, adults allow commercialism to shorten childhood. Dressing kids like small adults happened back with the Euro pioneers and back further too, but I think with industrialization, some distinctions became more pronounced between childhood wear and adult wear. More recently, a lot of kids developed separate playwear that was much more comfortable and easier to clean than adult's business or ladies' fashion-related clothes. For all this to wind up with 6 year olds in leather jackets from Tommy Hilfiger and midriff baring shirts and minskirts.. I question myself about Indian girls in midriff baring tops, and something is different there. American young girls are more sexualized in display. As far as American boys, I think that the ideas of dominance that seem to be central to the expressions of sexuality common in America are instilled very early too, with an emphasis on action rather than display. **If we don't add more influences** than these into kids' lives, then they will become perfect consumers and propagators of the same values. <phew, wiping off the sweat> I try to be the cool aunty for these kids, so they will talk with me about their options when they get interested in sex, and I can steer them towards the safest things, but I also am surprised at the number of war movies that are PG13 instead R--so much violence is acceptable, especially for teenage boys. I think we can laugh at lewd sexual behavior because it makes us nervous, because it pleases us and we want to emualte it, because it's ridiculous and we would never do it ourselves, etc.
They may not comprehend intellectually, but they absorb the sexual energy.
I'm sorry but still a little fuzzy for me. You mean that, even though they don't get aroused, they absorb it as thrilling and exciting? As a behavior that, when they repeat it, makes them feel good?Charly Z • 8/23/02; 6:34:07 AM
I just don't think that sexual energy goes over children's heads. They do get aroused and I think it is premature. I would prefer that they leave sexaul innuendo out of children's programming completely.
In the orginal Seasame Street - puppets did not run into other puppets breasts and then lick their lips and pass out from pleasure.
