Don't get me wrong. I like the song. It's one of those guilty pleasure songs in the same vein as Madonna's Like a Virgin - you don't want to admit you like it, but secretly you catch yourself singing it into your shampoo bottle in the shower. Single Ladies is catchy and the original video was simple, yet ground-breaking. Heck, I even found it adorable to watch Isaiah dance along to the Chipettes version from Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel. Let's face it, that beat is addicting and the chipmunks are just so cute!
However, I think a line has been crossed here. The biggest issue I have with this performance is that these children, these baby girls, are dancing in costumes that are extremely too mature for them. The knee-high stockings, the bra and panty set, the fishnet arm sleeves. It's horrifying to see little girls dressed that way. Beyonce herself, an adult, wore more clothing in the original video for pity's sake! Check it out:
The long sleeved leotard would have been much easier to swallow.
And then they start to dance. I won't argue that the girls are clearly extremely talented. I would find it amazing to see a high school, or even a college dance team, perform this routine. Be that as it may, many of the actions they perform are a bit....ummmm....provocative? Is that the right word for the hip thrusting, booty shaking, chest pumping action I just witnessed from these seven year olds??
What can we take from this? Clearly the parents here were A-OK with these young ladies dancing in this matter at the World Dance Competition. I'm sure they beamed with pride when their little angels rocked it out (and they did) and perhaps puffed up even more when the video went viral and tens of thousands of people checked out how talented their children are. Whatever. Parent however you want to. That's your prerogative. As it turns out, any idiot with the capacity to procreate is endowed with the right to screw up their kids however they want. That's not the issue here.
What I take issue with is that this is just another shining example of how we are losing our young women to a diseased culture. Isn't it bad enough that our young women are exposed to commercials, TV shows, advertisements, and celebrities who do nothing but encourage them to think they're too fat, too ugly, and that they aren't worth anything more than what their bodies can buy them. Isn't it bad enough that going grocery shopping at Walmart isn't complete without walking by the Cosmo in the checkout lane and having to face your first grader holding it up and asking, "Mommy, what's an orgasm?" Isn't it bad enough that the TV station ABC Family boasts shows that feature storylines about oral sex, teen pregnancy, promiscuity, lying & backstabbing, drinking, and other such lovely activities. Are we seriously at a point where it is ok for seven year olds to be dancing IN LINGERIE to a song about a woman who is out a club partying it up because her man decided she wasn't good enough so she's going to teach him a lesson by making sure he gets jealous of all the play she's going to score that night???
Call me a prude if you will. Call me old fashioned. All I know is that I felt angry and sad after watching this video. I can only pray that we as parents can stand up to travesties like this and encourage our daughters to know that they are priceless. And this kind of display to me does not say priceless.....its says cheap.
Your turn. Let's open this one up for discussion/debate. What are your thoughts on this vide of the young ladies at the World Dance Competition? Am I over-reacting?
