Monday, May 2, 2011

More on "beauty" pageants for children

Retired police officer Meg McGowan, on the 'Australians Against Child Beauty Pageants' Facebook page (my emphasis):

I am a retired police officer who spent many years working in child protection. It's fairly easy to spot paedophiles at these events (and at the dance recitals held for children where they are also dressed and encouraged to behave as sexualised adults). Look for a man who is alone with no apparent connection to anyone in the competition... and carrying a video camera. The more sexualised the behaviour of the contestants the more enthusiastically he'll be filming. They see this overtly sexual behaviour as confirmation of their view that children are 'sexual' and they find this type of public display extremely exciting. It's also sometimes possible to catch them masturbating over their videos in the public toilets or their cars. Anyone still want to put their daughter in a pageant?

There's also a market among paedophiles for footage of these little girls and recordings of pageants and dance events are one of the things that police search for when they execute a search warrant. I recently saw a dance performance in a local shopping centre where a group of seven year old girls dressed in fish nets and corsets sang 'Hit me baby one more time' while grinding about on chairs. What were they thinking!

7 comments:

Lord Sedgwick said...

I remember 'Young Talent Time'.

Thin edge of a wedge from way back.

Elephant's Child said...

Urk. I feel seriously unwell. And there are still people complaining about my local pool's policy that says that videoing children is not allowed.

Anonymous said...

I knew someone working in live theatre, who said when you have a musical featuring kids, the pedos are always in the front row. And they present a real hheadache for security. Lucy Sussex

Ampersand Duck said...

They weren't thinking, and they aren't thinking.

I still have family members who think that sort of thing is 'cute'.

Thanks for the post. It's good, in a perverse way, to be reminded that they're still all out there, and to be vigilant.

Link said...

Started to write but blah, geez. What is wrong with everyone?

Even wf is off:
twoomens

Zane said...

It is my daughter’s birthday today, she's ten....and for me this isn't just about pageants...we think Japanese foot binding is seriously out of order, but we consistently ruin young women’s bodies with ballet lessons, just before puberty we get 'em up on point and their entire bone structure shifts, but hey..that's just the search for the perfect western classical form eh? Beauty pageants - ballet classes - same difference.

Mindy said...

PC - I've put up a post at HAT linking to your posts. If it starts causing problems let me know and I will take it down.