Everyone with whom I’ve spoken was incredibly disturbed not only by the sexualization of the little girls but also the cluelessness of the parents. As an advocate for women and girls, but even more so, as a grandmother of little girls who are 7 and 10, I was sickened by the sight of the video. I railed about it to my husband, who was equally upset. But we took no other action. Thank you for doing what the rest of us knew we should do/wanted to do/intended to do, but never got around to doing. Making something happen -establishing a multi-pronged approach to address the problem. Giving us a path to follow with some very specific and critically important steps. Brava.

When I first saw the video over the weekend, I read the majority of the comments that were attached. Half the comments were condemning the dance, and the other half were in full support of it.

I was disappointed, yet not surprised that some people could not understand what was wrong with it and the blatant provocativeness portrayed. “What’s the big deal?” was the consensus of those in support.

Individuals like you are fighting the good fight against so much of what is wrong with our culture. Thank you for turning your anger into action, you have inspired a lot of people.

You could have not been more spot on with the concerns you’ve addressed. The media plays a very important role in how we act, how we dress, what we eat, and how we eat it (no exaggeration). It becomes extremely evident as we start to witness it in our younger generation (which unfortunately, is the most impressionable). As a journalism major, I have studied the kinds of methods and tactics the media gets away with ever-so skillfully as they target the most naive and impressionable; And believe me, it is appalling. But you better believe, just as we are getting to the core of the problem, they are getting to the core of what satisfies the public.

The sad part about what I’ve learned is that the media does not randomly choose to market provocative clothing or display inappropriate behavior. It is what the media sees in society that allows them to provide us with exactly what we want; a mirror effect, if you will. The kinds of trends WE set, the kind of behavior WE display, etc. is delivered right back to us in a very huge package that is the media. How can the media solely be at fault for things WE have created!? It is also (as aforementioned) up to the parents to educate their kids on what’s acceptable and what is unacceptable when venturing off into the real world; where they will learn that certain clothing and behavior say a lot about who we are as individuals and will determine what kind of crowd they’ll attract. Needless to say, this will in turn, shape the kind of future they’ll have, which is hopefully a bright one.

To avoid continuing a vicious cycle, the lessons need to start at home. And if we are not parents or do not have young ladies for children, we can take any opportunity we have at engaging with a young lady to see what their goals are, their hopes for the future, and what their opinions are things such as inappropriate clothing and behavior. And if we see that their take on it is not geared in the right direction, don’t hesitate to educate them on personal experiences, be they good or bad and they will either relate or become enlightened! We can make change, we just need to all do our parts!

This topic really resonated with me the other night when I was flipping through channels and landed on the Real Housewives of New Jersey. I watched the mom encourage her young daughter as she wore tight clothes, exposed her body, had straightened hair, and a full face of make-up. It was devastating to see this type of behavior encouraged by her own mother.

Thank you for being an advocate for these young girls and for encouraging others to contact their state representatives. You are right, we CANNOT wait until it is too late to teach young girls lessons that will significantly impact their futures.

I remember when shopping for my daughter how disgusted I was at the clothing that stores considered age appropriate. Thongs for pre-tweens, not teens…tweens!!!! Please! When challenged, stores will respond , “You don’t have to buy it.” But as you pointed out in conversation once, we might not buy it, but some other mom will. Doesn’t that child have an equal right to grow up not sexually-objectified?

Keep up the good work and thank you for making Pigtail Pals clothing to our members and their families. At least there is one place we can shop and not worry about the message our children’s clothing is sending!