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October 11, 2006
The argument by Emma Ruse and Andrea La Nauze from the Australia Institute is that corporate Australia is engaged in the sexualization of children to move product:
Fred Bare Hula Girl, 2006
It is less a happy snap of kids and more posed sexuality to sell product. Ruse and La Nauze call this form of the sexualization of children corporate paedophilia. They say:
Images of sexualised children are becoming increasingly common in advertising and marketing material. Children who appear aged 12 years and under, particularly girls, are dressed, posed and made up in the same way as sexy adult models. 'Corporate paedophilia' is a metaphor used to describe advertising and marketing that sexualises children in these ways. The metaphor encapsulates the idea that such advertising and marketing is an abuse both of children and of public morality.
Major department stories, such as David Jones and Myer, are posing children like adults, presenting them with hips thrust out and lips wet with gloss and slightly parted. So they are constructed as sexual beings by photographers before the kid models reached puberty.
Frangipani Rose, Denim shorts, 2006
That's a porn style shot isn't it. My guess is that the trend towards increasing sexualisation of children by advertisers and marketers is likely to continue. Ruse says that the idea behind corporate paedophilia is that normal paedophilia is adults exploiting children for their own sexual gratification without the children's consent. Children are not able to consent to sex. The same thing is happening with corporate paedophilia in that the Department stores are sexualising children, again without children's consent.
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I'm glad to have your perspective on this, as a photographer. I find the "Fred Bare" brand name, itself, incredibly - even deliberately - dodgy.