Parenting Topic: Are Princess Shirts & Nail Polish Too Much for Little Girls?
Two recent articles from Mommyish.com discuss fashion for young girls. One article says mothers who give manicures to their young daughters are sending the wrong message — that young girls should focus their time on beauty, and that doing well in school and extracurriculars just isn’t enough. The other article is a response to criticism of girls’ clothing, taking the stance that it takes more than a T-shirt with a sexist slogan to make a young girl “slutty”.
Set Up Ideas
- Solicit for mom callers to admit what they won’t let their daughter do or wear because they’re afraid it makes them look “slutty” or too grown up. Nail polish, ear piercings, shirts with slogans like “Princess” or “I like rich boys”, thong underwear are all examples to begin with.
- Have a passionate debate on the topic. Is it the media that is sexualizing young girls? Or is it the parents who think it’s cute to dress their young girls like mini adults (think Toddlers and Tiaras)? Or is drawing attention to something like manicures the real problem, making young girls think of harmless activities in a different way?
