My sister educated me today on the controversy over a recently recorded segment for Sesame Street. Katy Perry taped a little song and dance episode with our good friend, Elmo, and after the video was posted on YouTube viewers came back with outrage over the segment. You can read more about it here.
But I want to know what all of you think, so please watch the video below or at the link posted at the bottom, and tell me your thoughts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUsIGiYL5rk
Well, we ARE talking Katy Perry after all, so there's quite a bit of material to work with - or not so much in this particular case. *grimace*
ReplyDeleteShe's got a catchy tune, and comes across as having an IQ on the same level as most of her preschool aged viewers. That's about the nicest thing that I can say. *cough* *cough* *trampy*
I think she'd actually really appeal to the Sesame Street age group. She's got those exaggerated expressions and stuff. The dress seemed an odd choice and not at all flattering. But, I don't know that little kids would notice.
ReplyDeleteAdam(11) came over as I was watching it and I asked him what he thought about the video. No mention of the controversy. He said, "Her dress is kind of skimpy for little kids, isn't it?" So, maybe he's right.
Either way, she'll get way more attention for the controversy than she would if she'd worn a turtle neck. She's probably kind of genius, sadly.
I thought the dress was ugly.
ReplyDeleteBlake watched this with me. He replayed it a few times. I don't think I damaged him by letting him watch it. Unfortunately, he has probably seen much worse. And it was cute & catchy... That's my 2 cents.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with her being on Sesame Street - the new version of the song was cute and well done for the age group. Her dress however... bleh. I couldn't look away from her boobs. I don't understand why they would go to all the trouble of re-recording one of her songs to make it age appropriate for preschoolers, and then put her in such a low cut trampy dress. Makes no sense to me. Bad call on that one.
ReplyDeleteThis is the third blog I've seen this on. One person said they are just trying to get more dads spending time with their kids. Heh :( I don't know if Katy or Sesame St. planned a controversy but it does seem obvious that Sesame st would think of these things. Weirdly, the cleavage doesn't seem THAT bad to me, because it's not like she's got them jacked up with a bra much, she's just wearing a low cut dress-up dress... But I always thought that song was full of double entendres, elmo is "in and out, up and down"?!?! She's "hot"?!! HE'S NAKED AND COVERED IN BLOOD RED FUR RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
ReplyDeleteThe cleavage didn't bother me so much... but maybe it's because I was so distracted by her choice of head gear. I think she needs to have a serious chat with her stylist!
ReplyDeleteI think Elmo has the grounds for a successful sexual harassment suit. :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's sad that more people aren't upset at this. The moral fiber of our society has unraveled to the point that a woman who obviously is not a role model for our kids can appear on a popular children's show wearing very little, and we don't seem to mind too much. I don't think the problem is that it's "not that bad". I think the problem is that crap like this has become so common that we are de-sensitized to all the vulgar things that have become so blatant in our culture. I wouldn't want my kids to see this. I don't want my daughter to think dressing like a slut is ok, and I wouldn't want my sons to think it's acceptable for girls to dress like that. If you put a frog in a pot of warm water and slowly heat it up...
ReplyDeleteI am afraid they see worse on other TV shows....
ReplyDeleteI really don't know what I think about this. I think it's mostly just RANDOM. Katy Perry on Sesame Street... okay?
ReplyDeleteI also think that you're going to get all sorts of weird hits on this particular post, with creepers Googling Katy Perry's boobs. Just saying.
or if you call everyone with a pair of breasts and a different mindset than yours a slut... why is name calling ok, and jugdement ok, but cleavage isn't?
ReplyDeleteI mean I actually agree... totally... but I don't think we should teach kids to be as scared of boobies as we are. I honestly think that's half the reason they are so exciting for guys. On one side society is slapping a hand over their eyes, and tsking, on the other, they are EVERYWHERE, even on Sesame St. Gotta be bad for em.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't think anyone said she WAS a slut, just that she DRESSED like a slut, and I guess if you don't want it said about you, don't dress that way. I just think that as parents, we do have to be judgemental: I judge every day whether I think something is ok for my kids or not. That's my job. And just because there are worse things out there, doesn't make this one ok. I think parents really underestimate the power they have to keep their kids away from harmful things. If you think that there is any way for something to have a negative effect on your kid, why would you even chance it, just in case? And in this case, why would you ever want to teach a child of any gender to approve of acting like Kati Perry?!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Natalie, I couldn't keep my eyes off her boobs! And if I couldn't, what can I expect from my houseful of sons? Exposure to sexual images at a young age has been proven to cause all kinds of problems because their brains aren't ready, from sexual addiction to pornography addiction to molesting others to pregnant 13-year-olds. Not worth it. I would rather my kids be a little sheltered, than end up with babies by 3 different girls or in juvy or something. You may say I'm overreacting and it's just a pair of boobs, but what's next? And no, my kids have not seen worse than this, and I don't intend that to change soon. Why would I?
I was going to write a post on this too. Haha! When I first saw it I could hardly see anything but her bouncing bosom and wondering how the heck she kept it together. Then I read an article that pointed out the dress had a mesh top. Ooooohhhh, cuz that makes it so much more modest. Right. I've noticed Sesame Street is getting incresingly open-minded: there is a segment on families and a family with two daddies is included. It is filmed in New York afterall. Still a little too open-minded for me, but still one of the safer kids shows out there. I appreciated that they pulled the tape after receiving complaints. Sesame works for me.
ReplyDeleteI really do agree about being careful about sexual purity, and today's society is a minefield. But as a 20 year, I can tell you simply teaching your kids "bad" and "no" when it comes to sex will just lead to rebellion, even if it's quiet rebellion that you never know about, in their attitude. And I don't believe that teaching by fear is healthy, constructive, or part of God's plan. Sex and bodies aren't bad, and they will be explored, either way, like it or not, so you might as well be open with your kids instead of instilling katy perry= pubescent pregnancy and crime= satan.
ReplyDeleteI mostly just meant that I try to diferentiate between "bodies are healthy and good, but also sacred and not to be used lightly" and "here, take all these sexual images and messages into your mind and roll them around for a while, and let's see what happens." There's no reason at all that any kids of the Sesame Street age need to be watching anyone's boobs in that flagrant kind of way. It's not like I'm just arbitrarily against Katy Perry. Actually, my kids love that song. But there is no other song of hers on the radio that they have heard, just because I don't think most of them are child appropriate. I don't tell my kids to stay away from bodies, or sex, etc, because they're evil, I just try to tell them they are too important to be treated lightly, and that we should deal with those things as God would have us deal with them. I just think seeing this kind of inapropriate immodesty on a children's show would not help me enforce that message. Also, because I have seen it more than once in people I know well, I stick to the fact that being exposed to blatantly sexual images and feelings too early causes emotional and sexual problems later on.
ReplyDeleteToo true. I'm often annoyed by Disney. Take Ariel for example, 16 years old, and wants nothing more than to get married and leave her family for a stranger who she has been taught her whole life is dangerous, while prince charming ogles her very obviously at at least one point in the movie. Very very bad example.
ReplyDeleteI saw this. I saw nothing wrong. And neither did my 3 boys.
ReplyDeleteIt's just a lady, in a pretty dress.
The kids don't notice..it's the parents. And the kids wont' notice unless you tell them to notice.
Awesome topic, thank you!
Unless your boys are blind or only a year old, they noticed. It's very dangerous to treat your kids like they're stupid and wait to address the problem until there is a problem. Our society's moral decline is full of little examples like these. Again, frog in a pot of water. That's how Satan works.
ReplyDeletesatan works by making us afraid. oh. so. afraid. of katy perry's boobs. it's a very unhappy way to live. God doesn't want us to be anxious, or fearful, or unhappy. Just because she's a little immodest, a little imperfect, like everything and everyone, it doesn't mean we need to get so worked up. That's all I'm trying to say. It makes the church look bad btw.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't talking about fear. We're talking about respect and taking stand for what is right. It seems to me that the only people making any noise about what they believe are the liberals these days. If we don't stand up for good, traditional, wholesome values, they will disappear. I think the only thing that would "make the church look bad" is people who are more concerned about what the world thinks and about getting "worked up" about things that actually matter than sticking up for what is right and what is good for our children.
ReplyDeleteYou of course make a good point and I don't disagree, but... when Jesus was on the earth, he hung out with the whores and the sinners, and he was compassionate and loving, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't saying, "Hey, cover that cleavage lady!" because that wasn't the point. Maybe I'm wrong though.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for hating the sin and not the sinner. There is a huge difference, however, between Jesus teaching the harlots, and our society shoving them into our children's faces and saying it's okay and acceptable.
ReplyDeleteYes, Christ loved the sinners but hated the sin. And yes, He did say to cover that cleavage. Remember "Go thy way and sin no more?" Sin no more means stop doing that bad thing. Even though he loved them, he did tell them when they were doing something wrong, and that they should stop.
ReplyDeleteLike I said, I don't hate Katy Perry, I just don't approve of showing everything she does to my impressionable youngsters. And we certainly don't live unhappy anxious lives! We are very happy trying to protect our kids from images and things that are too adult for them, and when they do see something inappropriate, we discuss calmly with them what God would rather have us do. That's all I was saying, that this is simply not appropriate attire to wear on a children's show, and I'm not going to pretend it is.
It just feels stressful to me, as a kid
ReplyDeleteAlso, my interpretation of Go Thou and Sin no More is different. It seems to me He was telling her to not dwell, to move on. Not linger in guilt and worry. Just one comment, one sentence. Not a lecture about cleavage, just reminding her she can move on if she stops having sex with someone other than her husband. And that's my whole point. Cleavage is not adultery. It seems too small a thing to get worked up over.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that.
ReplyDeleteA while back a friend txted me from BYU Hawaii and said she had seen a visiting apostle's wife on a morning jog in a tank top. Recently I was told a story about President Monson saying he wanted to use a curse word to describe an obnoxious missionary parent. It seems like I hear stories like this fairly often. People are fascinated by the fact that Pres. Monson never served a mission and only has three kids. To me, the subtext behind these types of comments, was that the puritanical ideals in Mormonism were simply cultural. It just seems ridiculous to me.
ReplyDeleteI love a good debate!!! You brought up some good points, lunablue, about everyone having faults. I don't happen to wear tank tops, but I do want to curse sometimes! (Ok, I do curse sometimes.) Even though I try not to expose my kids to immodesty like this, I don't judge her for wearing it or think it makes her a bad person. Like I said, I just have seen people who were exposed to sexual images way too young, and it has caused major problems for their entire lives. (Does a bi-sexual transvestite with at least 2 kids by 2 different women at age 26 sound bad enough? I honestly know this person, and it all started when his older brothers started showing him innapropriate things at a young age. It does happen.) I just figure if there's a way to avoid that kind of misery for my kids, I'm going to try to do it!
ReplyDeleteI think that everyone will be judged according to what their own understanding is of many things. Whether I'm right or wrong, if I believe I know what God wants me to do in this situation, then I think that I would be in trouble at the judgement bar for not doing what I thought would be obeying. Did that make sense? I just mean that this is what I think is right, especially for my kids, but I don't think all the moms who have commented about their kids watching it are bad parents! They may let their kids watch things I don't, but they probably do some other parenting things better than I do!
I never wanted to sound like I was judging other parents, or people who happen to wear things that I think don't cover enough skin, I was simply saying that this is something that I would try to avoid my kids seeing because I think they are too young. Like I said, when they do see things that we have taught them not to do, whether it be immodesty or drugs or stealing or whatever, we simply explain why some people would want to do those things (like peer pressure, or a "buzz", etc.), and why we don't believe in doing those things (because it's been commanded, or it makes us sick, or we could go to jail, etc.), and that just because someone does this we still love them, but that doesn't mean we think everything they do is ok. I've been amazed at how my kids really are able to see the logic of avoiding those things. So I feel like I have to practice what I preach, and that is what I am doing when I choose not to let my kids watch something like this. I'm not perfect at it, but I do try!
But I also still think that this is one of the ways that evil tries to get into our hearts. Even if I'm not perfect about it, I can still recognize it. Satan doesn't walk up to us on the street and say, "here, do this bad thing!" Of course we wouldn't do it. He has to sneak it in a tiny bit at a time, and if we say one tiny little thing is ok, then he knows he can go ahead and up the ante a little. I think that if more parents would say, "no, that's not appropriate and there's no reason for it, I don't want my kids to see that" then pretty soon we would have to deal with it less and less. I guess that is kind of what happened, though, and Sesame Street at least will probably be more careful in the future, knowing what the majority of parents do and don't want from them. Try as I might, I just can't see that as a bad thing. Those little kids will be saturated in sexual images soon enough, so why make it sooner than it has to be? I don't think innocence is something bad to be taken away as soon as possible because "that's just the way it is." If more parents keep making their voice heard about things they don't want for their kids, then it will no longer be "how it is." Really, wouldn't it be better if constant bombardment on our kids of "sex sex sex" WASN'T how it is?
Beth, do you wish we would stop trying to take over your blog? I noticed you haven't posted anything new in a while, are you scared now? ;)
ReplyDeleteNo that's awesome, and I totally agree. I also personally know a few people who were exposed to sex at a young age, and pinpoint that as where their very very serious trouble started. It's really hurt my life. I think what you said was great and I think everyone should work hard to give their kids the help they need to avoid what a bad and prevalent thing sex has become, they will really really need the help. But I do think it can be gone about in the wrong way, and that that can backfire. But it's of course better to just try your hardest rather than back off.
ReplyDelete