Topless Showgirls

Back on January 12^th, I wrote about little girls in beauty pageants and the possible effects that this might have on them.  I thought, at the time, that the controversy between two of the very young contestants as well as the controversy between the two mothers was absurd.

Now, I am sure everyone is aware of the new “reality” type show – “Dance Moms.”  I personally watched about one-half of one episode – that was about all I could take.  Of course, little girls taking dance lessons and performing for audiences is nothing new.  Here in Birmingham, there are several establishments that teach young girls to dance.  Of course, a few that come to mind are Dale Serrano, Beverly’s Dance Studio and Stevan Grebel.  So, you might ask what is wrong with a “reality type” show about little girls learning how to dance.

First, have you watched the show?  The dance teacher, Abby Lee Miller, seems to delight in criticizing the young dancers, as well as their mothers.  Very little encouragement is dished out.  The main problem that I have with this show is the routines, or more specifically the costumes, that Ms. Miller has chosen to utilize.  On March 6^th an episode aired which was entitled “Topless Showgirls.”  The little girls were dressed with tan bras and tan tights, and utilized feather fans in the routine.  The intent, according to Ms. Miller is clear in her statement: “You cover your body with the fans so you give the illusion that you're nude underneath the fans," she explained on the show. "C'mon. We all know you have tan bras on and tan tights on. ... Everyone in the industry knows the girls are completely covered and everything's harmless."

I really can’t see that teaching young girls and these are pre-teen girls, that this type of performance is OK and that there is nothing “harmless” about this.  What kind of message is this teaching these young girls?  What type of values are they to grow up with?  Now, Lifetime has “yanked” the episode – and that is some credit to them – but not much.  This is an episode that should never have been allowed in the first place.

How many of you want to teach your pre-teen girls that it is OK to dance nude???