Let me say this up front—profanity out of any mouth is not attractive.
But asking little girls to dress in princess costumes and fight for feminism with vulgarity is beyond ugly. It’s unacceptable.
Maybe you’re not aware of the recent video that went viral a few days ago. A for-profit t-shirt company released a video promoting little girls dressed in princess costumes who express their outrage at society’s sexist treatment of girls, but peppered with profanity.
You do not need to watch the video to know what it is about. I won’t even provide a link for you to check it out. While the young princesses may address very real issues such as inequality and sexual violence, the video was produced more for shock value and t-shirt sales than anything else.
Did the producers of this video consider the innocence of little girls who should be more concerned with learning language that edifies than exploits? Did they consider the tenderness of a young girl or clearly calculate the shock value that would ensue? Would you approve of your little girl flippantly using the f-word over and over again?
Human exploitation goes beyond human trafficking and pornography. Media exploitation is as dangerous as any form of human exploitation and we allow it in our living rooms daily when we turn on our television or browse through viral videos on our computer. Advertisers consistently send mixed messages to sell goods. That’s what this company did by using a viral video to sell t-shirts shown at the end of the video. They used little girls as a means to a commercial end. In fact, they used sexism to sell. Shame on them and shame on consumers. We can do better.
Do you monitor the constant input of messages you receive on a daily basis? How much junk filters through our habits of digital media and entertainment choices? Our viewing habits, spending habits and even giving habits are a reflection of what we consume—for better or for worse. It not only becomes a reflection of what we say, but a reflection of our heart.
If we truly want girls to find their true value—value that finds its worth in the Gospel of Christ—teach them to speak words that are true, honorable, just, pure and lovely. What if we teach young women that words matter? Foul language isn’t attractive, but neither are words that are hurtful, resentful or bitter. Instead, let’s teach girls to hide God’s word in their hearts, including Ephesians 4:29, “Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.” (The Message)