‘Toddlers & Tiaras’: 3-Year-Old in ‘Pretty Woman’ Prostitute Outfit
Earlier this year, a girls’ padded bikini by Abercrombie & Fitch had mothers everywhere in a tizzy, and just last month, a French lingerie line catering to girls as young as 4 sparked the sexualization of children debate yet again.
But the latest catalyst for discussion—and frankly, outrage—is an episode of TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras that features a 3-year-old girl strutting her stuff in a carbon copy of the outfit worn by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman: Cutout dress, thigh high boots, blonde wig … you know the one.
Though the crowd at the pageant looks positively charmed by the performance, one of the mothers on the show is less than thrilled. “It’s outfits like that that give us a bad rap,” she says in the clip.
As expected, internet commenters have been vocal about their disgust. “It's unfathomable how anyone could so blatantly exploit their child and try to court controversy when a little girl's innocence is at stake,” wrote Glamour’s Tracey Lomrantz, while the San Francisco Chronicle goes so far as to encourage readers to become a fan of the Facebook page Take “Toddlers and Tiaras” off the Air!.
Adding fuel to the fire, the scandal comes just days after a clip of the show surfaced that showed a mini pageant queen sporting a padded bra and other "enhancements" to play Dolly Parton in a routine.
Is it no worse than your average pageant fare, or does the preview above leave you with a bad taste in your mouth?
