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.