Innocence and Hannah Montana
April 28th, 2008 | by Scott |I have three girls. Our oldest, at the age of 7, loves Hannah Montana. We have allowed her to watch it recently and at Christmas she got her first MP3 player which is filled with High School Musical and Hannah Montana.
I fight a regular battle between being a protective dad and not being overly uptight. We have allowed our girls to play with Barbies although we aren’t huge fans. And we let them watch Spongebob, although Tracy detests all types of bathroom humor.
And so we struggle with Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana. We want to believe that she is not a Lindsay Lohan train-wreck in the making. I’ve been concerned about provocative pictures she has posted on the internet in the past but I’m afraid that is part of a wider teen cultural problem than just individual acting out. (I’m friends with enough teens on Facebook to see that provocative posing is somehow de rigueur)
But the latest Vanity Fair flap distresses me. My girls are growing up fast enough and the sheer prospect of the sexualization of young girls in popular culture is vexing.
Regardless of the motivation for such a spread, the message is clear: sex sells. And if it comes in the form of a barely pubescent female, all the better. Anne Leibovitz has been doing this for a long time, she knows that. The assertion that Miley’s parents were there the entire time overseeing the shoot indicates that they know it as well. Their wunderchild is a billion dollar enterprise. And as for Miley? She is precocious and learning to deal with this new-found fame. She deserves better than being pimped in the name of commerce.
My experience has been one in which girls were not treated with the same level of respect as their male counterparts. I do not want my girls to grow up thinking that there is anything that is limited only to boys. I want them to experience a level playing field. And for that to happen we must move past the idea of sex being the greatest weapon of the “fairer sex.” In a society that snatches up Bratz dolls and pre-teen delicates with provocative messages, that becomes more difficult.
And so we must wrestle anew with issues of what we protect them from and what we allow them to experience. If only there were easy answers.
Update: One of my favorite May Moms weighs in here.
8 Responses to “Innocence and Hannah Montana”
By GKB on Apr 28, 2008 | Reply
As a photographer, this is particularly interesting.
Yes, Leibovitz should probably have known better, but this is, again, a case of which is which?
Is art reflecting the new sexual attitudes of the culture at large?
Or, is it driving the sexualization of kids at younger and younger ages?
You’re right, the photographer knew what this would do, as would the magazine, and, I would bet, as did the parents and the subject. But, still…
By Scott on Apr 28, 2008 | Reply
I think it is both. There is a cyclization of personal and artistic freedoms that seem to chase each other into ever newer levels of titillation. Which, in and of itself, may not be that big a deal. But when it targets children, that’s a different story altogether.
By Dan on Apr 28, 2008 | Reply
Children are the last remaining target; the adults who haven’t been swayed by sexual advertisement very likely won’t be. Children, however, with their genetically-necessary rebellion and their parents’ ever-increasing use of TV, video games, DVDs, malls, youth groups, etc. as “baby-sitters” - Madison Avenue has a field ripe for the harvest.
Every child wants to be “grown-up,” and it’s the “grown-up” activities that we deny them most insistently. It’s a conflict built into the mix, and I don’t envy parents in the least.
By Scott on Apr 28, 2008 | Reply
Great point, Dan.
So, what’s the answer?
By Doug Freeman on Apr 28, 2008 | Reply
Scott, what kind of shows do you guys watch and promote?
By Scott on Apr 28, 2008 | Reply
I don’t understand what you mean by that question.
By Robin on Apr 28, 2008 | Reply
“My experience has been one in which girls were not treated with the same level of respect as their male counterparts. I do not want my girls to grow up thinking that there is anything that is limited only to boys. I want them to experience a level playing field. And for that to happen we must move past the idea of sex being the greatest weapon of the “fairer sex.” In a society that snatches up Bratz dolls and pre-teen delicates with provocative messages, that becomes more difficult.”
Can you explain further your thoughts here. I don’t understand what you are getting at.
By Scott on Apr 29, 2008 | Reply
My church tradition is on the far conservative end of womens roles.