The Little Girl with High Heels

I was enjoying my low-fat yogurt with my top three toppings when this little girl walked passed me. Something in her caught my attention immediately. I looked and observed and ... there it is... She was wearing this pink tank-top with a flowery skirt, her hair hang loose and... silvery high heels sandal. Ah... so small, cute... yet, so mature?

I can't shake this sight and went home capturing the image in the memory bank of my head.

As I did my research, here is what I found:
TIME magazine reported sales of thong underwear to 7-12 year old girls in excess of $1.6 million in the year 2003, and the trend continues along with other alarming fashion trends for little girls. Consider the findings of two years of study by an American Psychological Association (APA) task force on the sexualization of little girls. The APA task force’s report states that music lyrics, Internet content, video games and clothing are now being marketed to younger and younger girls. The smutty content of the marketing is linked to eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. Ironically, this early sexualization presented to young girls has “negative consequences on girls’ ability to develop healthy sexuality.” In experiencing sexuality too soon, they actually lose their ability to experience it in a healthy way as adult women.
Actually this is nothing new, or was I lost somewhere in the mountain that I didn't know what the trend is now. You can surf the web and you'll find babies with high heels, even the famous Suri Cruise whom comfortably walk alongside her mum with her high heels.

My concern is, as the media and fashion industry bombarding our little ones with products they can sell, we are beginning to loose the innocent of their childhood. We have awaken things in them that should not be awaken. We have introduce them to a world that soon will capture their desire and wanting.

My friend always have her little daughter accompanying her for her shopping spree, foot massages and spas session. Not long after, she found out that her little daughter began to want the same thing, dresses the same way she does. And she wonder why...? Hayoh...

The advise from Dennis Rainey stayed with me:
The earlier our young women begin learning modesty, the better. It is very hard for teenage girls to cover up more when they’ve not been trained in modesty from an early age, especially when they are living in a culture that encourages females to flaunt their bodies.Take bathing suits, for example. If you start allowing your daughter to wear a little two-piece bikini when she’s four, you may have a battle on your hands when her figure blossoms and you want to switch her to a one-piece suit at 14.