I was asked to review the book 'Where Has My Little Girl Gone?' by Tanith Carey and although right now, this book has no relevance to me, I have found myself bookmarking certain pages due to the fantastic advice Carey dishes out.
'Sexy dance routines at school discos, crop-tops and high heels for five-year-olds and mini make-over birthday parties......
Wherever you look, our little girls are being flooded with messages about looks and sexuality they are often simply too young to understand.'
Although Molly is only 4 months old and I have a long way to go until boys and make-up are the epicentre of awkward discussions, I do, however, have a 3 year old step-daughter and I soon realised that at the age of 3, she was already showing signs of being influenced by media and social pressure to be a mini adult.
At the grand old age of 27, it is clear I too have been swayed and hypnotised by media influences, as it is something that has never even crossed my mind until I read the first paragraph. I was shocked to discover that Primark and Tesco's both had to remove padded bras aimed at 7 year old's. It so sad to think that girls have no idea why they need to wear a padded bra and its almost like we are mocking their innocence.
Not only does Carey offer great advice for young and older children, she is also taking a stand. Just because the media make it acceptable for girls to be obsessed with weight, make up and boys and turn our lovely, innocent girls into walking mini Cheryl Cole's, it certainly doesn't make it morally right. We as parents need to voice our opinion and bring back some control in the way we bring up our children.
As a teacher, I see too many girls with eating disorders, hiding behind a mask of thick make-up and even one 6 year old ( thats right, 6!!) actually grinding to the floor just like her favourite pop star Rihanna!
This is a book which is accessible for every day use with handy tips that are easy to read and leave you feeling empowered and ready to take on the big bad world of media and say 'NO'.
So if padded bras for girls or pole dancing kits for kids leave you feeling shocked and angry at todays society, then this really is a MUST READ!!