Sexualisation of children

[Methersgate]

I have a niece who has just posted an Instagram/Facebook picture of herself sitting on the top of a waterfall in a tiny bikini. She is a real stunner, and the effect on any red blooded male would be "Phoaaar!"

- except that -

as her uncle, I happens to know that she is all of 14 years old.

I seriously think that if I touch that picture the British police will be on to me for underage porn.

She is a perfectly nice kid, works hard at school, does not cheek her mother...  

Why are Filipinos OK with this when we are not? (I am not suggesting that we are wrong and the Filipinos are right, by the way!)

Incidentally, her mother first got pregnant when she was not much older than that. Indeed, all of my wife's four sisters had children by the time they were 21 (my wife was the only exception).

 

 

 

Edited June 10, 2016 by Methersgate

[robert k]

What can one do? It is up to parents or those standing in as guardians. As for taking the girls picture, I would make a shoulders up portrait.

[earthdome]

1 hour ago, Methersgate said:

Why are Filipinos OK with this when we are not? (I am not suggesting that we are wrong and the Filipinos are right, by the way!)

 

Perhaps you are generalizing filipino's. In some parts of Luzon filipino's are very conservative regarding dress. Go to a beach on norther luzon and you don't see many bikini's. Most women wear a t-shirt when they swim. Have you seen the same Chris49?

[Old55]

No Filipino families would we know of would be OK with their child wearing a tiny swimwear. For sure there are exceptions and things could be changing.

 

Edited June 10, 2016 by Old55

[MikeSwede]

When we grew up in the 70's Sweden, we had no problems with it. Neither much in the 80's.

Then I left Sweden and Europe, and on returning to live in Spain, suddenly all in Europe was sexualisation whatever was on the picture.

I think we should be grown up enough to remember we too played pretend adults as children, and even more so as we became teenagers, in search of our future identity. The fault does not exist.

Since, clearly, tainted minds exists, it is us as guardians, to inform the young to pay attention of traps and dangers, in all that is life, as far as we can.

It is sad that kids can't just be let to be kids and play their role games any longer without risking stepping on someones toes or triggering a facebook revision.

We were lucky to grow up there in the north back then.

[scott h]

I believe it is all on the parents. I cant speak for other countries, but in the USA some mothers dress their young girls up to look like fashion models at age 8 or younger. There was a big flap about it a few years back. Some mothers just treat their kids like breathing Barbie dolls.

20 minutes ago, Old55 said:

we know of would be OK

I agree with old. I think what the OP saw was an anomaly. While I am being lead around on a leash during my wifes mall crawls most children I see are dressed smartly but conservative.  

[Jollygoodfellow]

6 hours ago, Methersgate said:

I have a niece who has just posted an Instagram/Facebook picture of herself sitting on the top of a waterfall in a tiny bikini.

Well was it a selfie? If so she took the photo herself so is comfortable in doing so. She also might be wanting to break into the modeling world. To me, what's the big deal? if she wants to dress in a small bikini then who cares , they do it in Aus and most countries. The question is, if she was not a stunner, fat and ugly with a small bikini would people be concerned because she might be embarrassing herself or because it might be morally wrong? Oh, these days 14 is not really young in regards to how you dress in western societies so the Filipinos generally follow the trend of the rest of the world in my opinion.  

[Tukaram (Tim)]

7 hours ago, Methersgate said:

Why are Filipinos OK with this when we are not?

Most are not.  From what I have seen at the beach the Filipinos are much more conservative in their swimwear choices than we are in the US.  Even if they get a skimpy bathing suit they wear underwear under it, and at shirt & shorts over it. (I know more province girls than city girls, if that makes a difference)

I agree with JGF - especially if it was a selfie especially, no big deal. I say if she is comfortable in her skin, good for her.

[Nephi]

We don’t allow teenagers to drive a car until they are old enough to be able to follow the rules designed to keep them safe on the road. But even a young child can, with a few small clicks, unintentionally steer a computer or a smartphone app from the newest music video to an image created by man’s darkest imaginings. An essential part of safety is making sure children have access to digital devices only when they are old enough to use them responsibly. Additionally, several technological tools can help us keep ourselves and our families safe.

What I see, especially here in the Philippines, is that (most) parents have little or no interest in what their children do. They are treated as nothing more than a byproduct, a liability they are stuck with as a result of sexual relations. As soon as they are old enough to walk, they are in a fresh diaper and out running around the street in mortal danger of being killed by motor vehicles.

So with that little parenting or parental control kids are left to themselves to stay occupied in any and every way possible. The only way it will or could ever change in the Philippines is for parents to take an interest and active roll in their children and their lives and futures. Something that will quite likely never happen. As a result there is an endless supply of "working girls" for Angeles City and an equal number of unemployable young men to keep the process going for centuries to come.

Raising three young girls as we are, it takes strict rules and monitoring or their online time and what they are doing. Facebook is the only social media allowed and we have and use their passwords often to see who their friends are and what is in messages. Phones and tablets are off and out of their possession overnight-always.

Still it is a full time job to try to insure a safe environment for them online and off with friends and even television shows that are watched.

 

Regards

Nephi

Edited June 11, 2016 by Nephi

[Dave Hounddriver]

10 hours ago, Methersgate said:

I seriously think that if I touch that picture the British police will be on to me for underage porn.

Different cultures have different laws.  The British police may consider it underage porn while the French may consider it art, the Philippines may consider it beauty, the Muslims may consider it sacrilege, and so on.  Judging this culture's passion by another culture's Victorian beliefs and legal system is something many expats do but it not correct.

Edit:  I left out the Americans as they have Honey Boo Boo and she defies belief 

 

 

Edited June 11, 2016 by Dave Hounddriver