In the spirit of Michael Apted’s Up series, a documentary is following the lives of children born in the year 2000 until they’re 20. Obviously, here and now, they’re around seven years old, giving us a glimpse into the lives of the millennial generation. Here’s the part that struck me especially:

These seven year old girls want to be thin, because “nobody really likes fat people”, choose skimpy, sexualised clothing, a la Bratz dolls, when given free reign in a dressing room, and identify with figures like Beyonce and Shakira. Sadly, this is not particularly shocking.

It’s not only the fact that they don’t like fat people; the whole thing is horrifying. The overly little girls like princesses and the boys want to be “rich” and it sounds like none of them particularly aspires to be smart. Certainly they will change as they grow older, and I root for the girl whose daddy wants her to be a lipstick-wearing astronaut.

Still, it makes me wonder how it’s possible to raise an awesome and empowered kid, especially a girl, in a culture like ours. Parents of daughters, how the hell do you navigate this world?

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Advocacy, Kids, Media, Movies