Buying Into Maturity

http://evandolive.com/2013/03/22/a-letter-to-victorias-secret-from-a-father/

As a sixteen year old girl, I'm aware that my opinion matters greatly in the world of retail. I am the target audience for post-natal and pre-geriatric clothing, and my opinion matters greatly, even more so than my pocketbook at times. At the same time, I'm also aware that the media and the big box clothing stores are constantly trying to tell me what it is I should want--something that can't help but leave me feeling manipulated and lied to.

The other day, as I was thinking about novels and my short story, I couldn't help but think of the character complexity. I couldn't help but wonder if the characters I had "created" were facing the same pressures that I had faced, the ones synonymous to all teenagers. Were they too constantly struggling with the status quo, and whether or not they wanted to conform to it? Maybe these are the pressures that all teens face, and that's just implied in a story.

Fine, the media can take aim at my generation all they want, and then scold us in their next story for being the very product they created. Fine, no problem--do what you wanna do. But there is a certain line that is constantly getting pushed further back and then subsequently crossed and pushed even further back--and that is where I draw the line. If you want to market your products to 16 year olds, that's your choice. You know we're old enough to think a bit before our actions, but also young and naive enough to not care about the repercussions.

But as I stumbled accross this letter from a father of a 3 year old girl, I have decided to draw the line. Marketing push-up bras and lace thongs with words like "call me" or "wild thing" to junior high age children? I get it, "kids grow up fast", but let's be the guiding foce to get them there, not the kick in the pants that can end them up pregnant.

http://evandolive.com/2013/03/22/a-letter-to-victorias-secret-from-a-father/