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.

Comments

[belu.livejournal.com]

Pictures?

I suspect that they're not so much trying for a childlike look as a cute look. Not so much sexualized in the "Hey little girl, I've got some candy over here" sense but rather in the "OMG SO CUTE! I want to snuggle it!" sense.

And if they are sexualizing children, one would hope that they're marketing it to children (and, yes, teenagers count as children here). It's better for two 14-year-olds to think of each other sexually than for a 24-year-old and a 14-year-old to have that sort of relationship, IMO. I'm pretty sure there's enough people in that age category using silly graphical smileys.

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

Well, a lot of what I'm objecting to is the confluence of cute and sexy- they're both valid and important parts of a romantic relationship, but I at least see them as distinct parts of that relationship. I don't think that snuggling and sex have to be immediately linked. Sure, they often are in direct practice, but in terms of what has to follow from the other- one should be able to snuggle without it being a directly sexual experience. It serves a somewhat different purpose in a relationship.

Well certainly 24 and 14 year olds shouldn't be romantically involved, but on the other hand, it's perfectly normal for a 14 year old to Think about someone older that way: it's a classic way of focusing that energy when it doesn't have a place to go, and really for many kids isn't ready to have a real place to go. For two 14 year olds to be in a relationship- fine, for them to do the normal things that people do in relationships- fine, for them to combine the sexual side of that and the childish parts of their selves and relationship- seems misplaced.

[tirerim.livejournal.com]

I think that on the scale of a smiley face it's very difficult to do things in a way that will always be unambigous -- everything's already very distorted.

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

I'm glad it isn't just me. I can't interpret even the standard ones to save my life often enough. They just don't really communicate well. I wonder how much miscommunication over the web is caused by misreading/misuse of smileys.

[spazerrific.livejournal.com]

not only is America sexualizing children, but infantilizing adults (why is it that the perfectly "sexy" bodies [male and female] are hairless?)

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

Male sexy bodies are supposed to be hairless too? Didn't realize that one- shows you how out-of-touch with pop culture I am.

America seems to have decided that teenage life is the best part of life, and therefore wants everyone to stay effectively a teen for as long as possible- thus starting the phase as soon as possible, and maintaining it for longer than really necessary. It's odd. Teen life has certainly be quite nice, but I'm not so sure that it's really the peak experience of life. My life has been moving rather steadily uphill since the end of elementary school, or perhaps a bit before. Why should I expect it to start declining now, just because I'm no longer officially a teenager?

*Playing the Devil's Advocate*

[thevortex.livejournal.com]

Yes, males are supposed to be hairless, at least from the waist up. And, for what it is worth, not a single non-Orthodox girl I know likes her significant other's facial hair. Hence, I jokingly blame the women who like smooth contours for this. Realistically, however, I tend to doubt that men created the hairless image, so take that up with your own gender, ladies.


As to the sexualizing of children, I certainly do not approve, but I would like to make a few counterpoints:

1) America is not sexualizing children, per se. It used to be the people got married at a much younger age, and in some other cultures,children were thrown into marriages at single-digit ages. That 27-year-old women are not old maids is a sign of progress!

2) To an evolutionary extent, youthful, virile, and consequently robust (or assumed to be so) mates are ideal. Why do many women put on makeup? To look younger.

3) Along the lines of point 2, hair used to be a lot more useful for keeping warm. As we have parkas and such, it is now a matter of ornament. Apparently, it is not a desirable ornament.

4) There are lots of reasons for promoting the teenage years, among them the supposed ability to be reckless, to act without considering the consequences, lots of opportunities, adaptability, and more. There is no part of life that would look particularly glorious when seen in full context. In the case of teenagers, they rarely glorify the anxiety, identity crises, hurt feelings, mistakes that ruin lives, et cetera.

Huzzah!

The Vortex

[pallasrosalind.livejournal.com]

See, all I can think about is that Calvin comic where Calvin basically says, 'All those people who talk about childhood being the best experience of their lives were clearly never children.' But the other thing about teenagers, besides our obsession with eternal youth, is that they're voracious consumers so most advertising and therefore media gets aimed at them.

Alternate Advocation =P

[thevortex.livejournal.com]

And are they such large consumers of sex and such fans of babyish youthfulness that media should cater to that?

The Vortex