Thoughts on an Ad

[debka_notion]

Just saw an ad banner over one of my email accounts that was advertising smileys for one's email- logical enough for such placement, and while I've never wanted to use such graphics, plenty of other people do- no problem there. But it offered a few examples of the ones available, including one that had a heart behind it with the text "Hi sexy", and an animated winking smiley face. Ok- tasteless but not problematic. Except that the way the face had been depicted, it looked specifically childlike. It had wide blue eyes and a very innocent look. And while I know I have a strong tendency to misunderstand smileys, this one just really bothered me. There's too much of a tendency to sexualize children as is, it seems. Sexuality doesn't seem like the sort of thing one should push, it ought to develop at its own rate. Making it, or some semblance thereof acceptable and even preferable for children who still look childlike seems like a confusion of social function at best. Certain aspects of adulthood and childhood Should be separated, and making the sly wink that indicates attraction into a cheery, active, round-cheeked wink just makes me shudder.