I am so excited because now that I have a child who watches some children's programming, I have a legitimate opinion on the whole Katy Perry/Sesame Street controversy.
I watched the clip (you can see it below) and I have to say that I am offended, but not only because of her dress. I am offended because her music is not appropriate for children, and I would be concerned that this would set up younger kids to seek out more of her music because she is a friend of Elmo. (Which, on a side note that has got to become a euphemism for something because "friend of Elmo" is just too rich a phrase to not mean something else off-color.) But, if I am monitoring what my child sees and hears, I would most likely be able to subtly steer her from any pop music that I didn't think she was ready for.
Anyway, her music aside, I do think her outfit was inappropriate for Sesame Street. She has other cute outfits that are not quite as baring. However, for the demographic, I suspect the cleavage would be lost on them. I heard recently a DJ say something to the effect of "for kids under 4, breasts are just food and for kids over 4, breasts are like, 'ew, gross!'" And, I have to keep in mind that if I want my children to be comfortable with the sight of breastfeeding, and ultimately breasts, I can't make a big deal in front of them about someone showing a bit more cleavage than I'd like.
The other thing is Katy Perry really sold me on wanting to play dress-up with Elmo. She acted very well for the skit/song and I think it was a very cute idea.
So, my overall opinion is that Katy Perry could have made a much better clothing choice, even just adding a wider strap at the top of her dress, and there probably wouldn't have been as much of an issue. Candidly, I might let my 9-month-old watch it simply because it is a very colorful video and plus, she does love music.
Here's the video:
I watched the clip (you can see it below) and I have to say that I am offended, but not only because of her dress. I am offended because her music is not appropriate for children, and I would be concerned that this would set up younger kids to seek out more of her music because she is a friend of Elmo. (Which, on a side note that has got to become a euphemism for something because "friend of Elmo" is just too rich a phrase to not mean something else off-color.) But, if I am monitoring what my child sees and hears, I would most likely be able to subtly steer her from any pop music that I didn't think she was ready for.
Anyway, her music aside, I do think her outfit was inappropriate for Sesame Street. She has other cute outfits that are not quite as baring. However, for the demographic, I suspect the cleavage would be lost on them. I heard recently a DJ say something to the effect of "for kids under 4, breasts are just food and for kids over 4, breasts are like, 'ew, gross!'" And, I have to keep in mind that if I want my children to be comfortable with the sight of breastfeeding, and ultimately breasts, I can't make a big deal in front of them about someone showing a bit more cleavage than I'd like.
The other thing is Katy Perry really sold me on wanting to play dress-up with Elmo. She acted very well for the skit/song and I think it was a very cute idea.
So, my overall opinion is that Katy Perry could have made a much better clothing choice, even just adding a wider strap at the top of her dress, and there probably wouldn't have been as much of an issue. Candidly, I might let my 9-month-old watch it simply because it is a very colorful video and plus, she does love music.
Here's the video:
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