Controversy of the week.

Saturday, May 15, 2010


If you have been out of the loop, let me fill you in. A group of 7 year old girls danced to Beyonce's Single Ladies at the World of Dance competition. The video made it to youtube and went viral. There are now debates as to whether or not the dance & attire are appropriate for little girls.

First off, I think it's a great song, and I actually really like Beyonce's video. And these girls are really good. But Beyonce is well in to her 20s, and "he" {Jay Z} liked it, and did put a ring on it. These girls can't go anywhere without a grown up. So I'm thinking they have no business dancing to the following lyrics:

Up in the club, we just broke up
I’m doing my own little thing...

...Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it.

On the very off chance that you have not seen Beyonce's version, here it is. Please note that Beyonce is showing less skin than these little girls.


This leads me to propose a question. At what age would this be appropriate? Would you let your 10 year old dress and dance this way? Your 12 year old? your 15 year old? And is it the lyrics, the dancing, or their skimpy little outfits that you would not approve of?

As you can tell, I do not approve of any of it. Call me old fashioned, but this song was not written for children. The video is not appropriate for children. And these outfits are definitely not appropriate for anyone. Little girls should be watching cartoons or playing with My Little Ponies. They made a comeback, you know.

Little girls should not be dancing to songs that are about whether or not he "wants it". I just think they could have found something that was a bit more age appropriate.

When Beyonce's song and video debuted, we did not debate whether or not it was ok. In fact, there were hundreds and hundreds of videos of people dancing to her song all over the internet. She is an entertainer. We loved it.

So tell me. What do you think? Should 7 year old girls be dancing like this, to this song, in these clothes?

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42 comments

  1. OMG!!! What mother, no, what FATHER would let his "little girl" go out and parade around like a STRIPPER at 7, may I repeat 7 years old? I'd like to think that I'm not old fashioned, but I don't know any parents that would think that little dance, no little "striptease" act is or ever would be appropriate! Maybe if you were 21 or older and worked as a stripper, then maybe, just maybe that would be appropriate, but to be 7 years old, no child should dress, dance or act that way! As you can tell, I totally agree with you.

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  2. AH!! NO WAY!! This is SO wrong. AUGH!! I would hate to see ANYONE dressed like that. But 7 years old. Please tell me this isn't happening to our 7 year old girls.

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  3. I personally do not see anything wrong with the girls dancing to the song. Dance moves are dances moves. And I don't believe they even realize what the song is saying. They worked extremely hard at this. Have you seen the new chipmunks movie "The Squeakquel?" The little chipmunk girls perform at a school talent competition dancing and singing this song. The only thing I don't agree with are their outfits. I think they're too revealing and provocative. I feel if they were more covered, this video would never have been an issue. Maybe it's just me but I don't think the girls are acting like "strippers" in anyway..

    I can see this topic is going to really cause some arguments lol

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  4. I watched the video and I only saw one part that may be questionable to some. The part where they wiggle is around and down with their spread apart.

    I am cheering and dance coach. I always take into consideration the age of the girls.

    I don't like the outfits and I would not pick that out for my girls but I watched the video twice and I did not find anything offensive compared to some of the other songs out there that girls dance to.

    Dance moves are dance moves they did keep the bumbing to a minimum.

    At least she is promoting marriage LOL right! LOL...

    My daughters who are 4 and 1 1/2 love that song because of the chipmunk movie.... oh no! :)

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  5. We as parents have a responsibility to monitor what our kids see and do. I think that while these 7 year olds are no doubt talented dancers and performers, this was a poor choice in routine and song. I think that if they were more covered up and had performed more age appropriate dance moves, dancing to Single Ladies wouldn't have been that bad.

    We live in a world where you have people out there with not so wholesome minds. I don't need any man or woman seeing my young daughter in lingerie and doing booty pops. Hell, I don't even need to be seeing my young daughter popping anything except her gum. I fault the parents. At some point somebody should have said this is crossing the line, let's try something more their age.

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  6. I'm not so worried about the outfits. No I would NEVER let my daughter wear that, but 90% of moms out there let their daughters wear bikinis at that age and younger. I don't agree with it, but I don't think it's anything incredibly taboo.

    HOWEVER. These dance moves are absolutely undoubtedly inappropriate. It doesn't matter that they don't know that humping the stage and thrusting their hips mean sex, I bet they'll find out sooner than later since they're exposed to it, going to get attention for it, and obviously don't have parents that care about what they're doing. Not only that, I don't even want to IMAGINE what some sick minded freaks out there are doing with this video. Are people not watching these news stories of child predators and kidnappers?!

    That being said, these girls are obviously extremely talented. I'm jealous ;) But what happened to Swan Lake or tap shoes?? When I was six I danced in tutus and tights.

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  7. YUMMama, I agree COMPLETELY. I think they could have dressed in cute little {age appropriate} outfits, and that they could have DRASTICALLY toned down the moves.

    Their parents are defending it. I agree that they should have said it was a bit much. If I had a daughter, I would not allow this. What ever happened to letting kids be kids?

    I want to add something. I don't think this song is going to do anything to these girls, and I am NOT here to judge. I just think in the end this wasn't the most age appropriate song, that the dance moves are {in my opinion} WAY too provocative for young girls.

    Again. Not here to judge. I just wanted to hear what you all had to think.

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  8. I'm at a loss for what to say about this.

    I called my husband and his friend in to watch it. My husband said it's "despicable." His friend said it made him sick. If that's what grown men have to say, then I think that settles the issue.

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  9. I personally think this is completely inappropriate.Its just another way that the children in our country are being forced to grow up WAY too fast. They could have showcased this same talent to a much more age appropriate song wearing more age appropriate clothes.

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  10. Absolutely inappropriate. I realize 'its just a dance song'... irregardless we are subjecting our young girls to TOO much TOO young. Soon enough our influence as parents wane and we start to let them have independence. While they are still SMALL CHILDREN, lets fill them with positive music, positive language, and clothing that's comfortable, not enticing. In our media crazed society, videos that leak (such as this) can only encourage predators.

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  11. I can't judge whether it's appropriate for anyone else, but for me, I would NOT let my daughter dance to that song or wear those outfits. I am saddened at some of the clothes that are advertised for little girls. I plan to let my daughter (who is about to turn 9) be a little girl for as long as I can. Dressing and dancing like this will come sooner than I want it to I'm sure...

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  12. I just watched this and it literally made me cry. Maybe because it's my daughters birthday today (6 years old) and I look at her sitting in our floor playing with barbies wearing her Disney Princess dress up clothes. I believe that children should be allowed to be young as long as possible, especially in a world that is trying to pressure them grow up way before they should. I am not opposd to the song, it's not my kind of music, but it's not really THAT bad. I am opposed to the hoochie-momma dancing being done by babies, and the clothes that show more skin than one should be comfortable with.

    We as parents need to monitor what our children do, what they wear, and every other aspect of their life at this age. If one is allowing a child to perform acts of this nauture at such a young age then they are going to think that it's normal, and it will carry over into other aspects of their livesas they grow. Yes, it is just a dance...one sending the wrong message.

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  13. WOW! How do I answer this without being LONG WINDED?

    Talented - YES!
    Song choice - Maybe!
    Outfits - NO, NO, NO!
    Moves - wrong, wrong, wrong!!!

    Let me ask those who agree with this, WHAT ARE THESE GIRLS GOING TO DANCE TO WHEN THEY ARE 11??

    I'm proud to say my 10 year old will be in her musical theater show next week as a car wash girl - fully clothed - singing and dancing to ROCK around the clock and Love will keep us together....couldn't these girls show their talent in another way?

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  14. song choice: not bad. so many songs with a good beat (read pop songs) have worse lyrics and i think this song is pretty clean.

    outfits: eh, could cover up more because they are young, but i've seen many dance outfits like this on little girls.

    moves: problem. however, where do we draw the line? high school pom squads aren't usually this extreme but they often have skimpy outfits and sexual moves. it's not just a problem with 7 year olds or this squad.

    skill: they kick my butt! and i hate to break it, but these are the girls who are likely to get chosen for dance squads later in life.

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  15. These girls are so very talented, I wish their parents had chosen to showcase their abilities in a more age-appropriate way. The moves are too mature, the costumes, everything.

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  16. Although the girls are very talented ~ I think personally that our children should only be doing dances (even in dance schools/groups) that they wouldn't mind performing in front of members of a church!

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  17. I think the fact that they are dancing and involved in a group activity is great. I do not think the instructor or coach or leader should have chosen those outfits with the "thigh" high type leggings and booty shorts to go with the dance and song. Is the song an appropriate choice for 7 year old girls to dance to..not really. Little girls are growing up faster than ever already do we really need to encourage it with this type of routine? I think they got what they wanted though, shock and awe and 15 minutes of fame.

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  18. No.

    To everything.

    The outfits, the song, the dance moves are all inappropriate for the age group. Those little girls can dance - yes. They are amazingly talented. But to put them in outfits like that, have them dance - like they are dancing - to a very grown up song is sexualizing them in a way they can't even comprehend. Do they realize what the song means, or what it means to be "sexy"? No, which is all the more reason that little girls don't need to participate in dance routines like this. Let them be kids, for crying out loud. There is plenty of time to act, dance, and dress grown when you ARE grown.

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  19. Also (and this comes from my friends' comments on Facebook) it seems that the majority of the people who don't have a problem with this don't have children, specifically daughters. I have a daughter, and I would be shot dead before I allowed her to perform a dance routine like this, dressed like that.

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  20. These girls are VERY talented. The dance was AWESOME...for OLDER girls!! 7 is TOO young for the gyrating(sp?) they were doing. It didn't totally shock me until the end where their legs were all spread open & showing it all. WAAAAY too sexual for a 7 year old. Don't know what age I think it's appropriate, but definitely not appropriate for middle schoolers, much less elementary school kids. Outfits-TOO SKIMPY, but I don't like bikinis on kids so... Song choice I can't say much about. My 2 year old was singing the song while I was watching the video.

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  21. Ok, I didn't even watch the video. I couldn't get past the outfits. Seems like these little girls (ONLY 7!) are being setup for the future to believe the lies about a woman only being worth what her body looks like or can do. So sad!

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  22. Well said! I can't believe their parents would allow them to wear those costumes...or for that matter, dance as provocatively as they were! I can only imagine the kind of sick child predators that are watching this video. Parents need to protect their kids!!!

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  23. I have to agree with most of these women and Mothers. This is a sexual predator's dream come true. We do have a responsibility as Mothers to protect of children from those people. I do however think these girls are very talented and will have huge potential in the future but once again they are 7 years old and this wayyy to much!

    I hate seeing these videos post around the internet and all over inside edition for sick disgusting people to watch in enjoyment.

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  24. Absolutely inappropriate. And anybody who labels this "just a dance song" is in for a world of trouble if they start letting their kids behave this way.

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  25. I have to agree that while these girls are clearly talented dancers, the song, outfits, and even some of the dance moves are inappropriate for 7 year olds. I wouldn't want MY 7 yr old daughter dancing like this... or even my 9 yr old.

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  26. The outfits & dancing is definitely inappropriate. My 3 y/o sings the song too so I don't see a big problem w/it. I sang songs when I was younger that I had no idea what they were about until middle school. hehe. but now that they have their 15 minutes of fame, their video is plastered all over the internet. A pedophile's dream! I don't think they thought about all of the sickos out there who are now oogling their little girls because of their parents & instructors VERY poor decisions. Sick & sad!

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  27. Seeing that parents allowed their little girls to dress like that and dance to this song, is sickening. You can't take a picture of your naked baby who just dropped his diaper and took off running down the hallway (okay, there's a picture like this of me from when I was a baby), but wait about six years and you can wiggle it half-naked for all the world to see? How is that okay, I really don't get it.

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  28. I agree with you 100% - this is NOT appropriate. I wouldn't even do this... at ANY age. It really saddens me to see how "the world" is affecting children - seems like at younger & younger ages too as time goes on. So sad. I actually wear a silver ring every day that has the words "let them be little" hand-stamped on it. (the phrase is from a poem - meaning to let kids be kids... don't force them or allow them to try to grow-up too fast) -- although, in this scenario - I don't think what these little girls did would really be a appropriate at any age. I would never do this. I'd never let my kids.

    I don't understand why there should be a "magical age" where all of a sudden it's okay to go flaunting your half-naked self around... umm... seriously. That should NEVER be "okay."




    p.s. (this just kinda popped into my mind)... I believe that in the latest Alvin & the Chipmunks movie - the girl chipmunks were actually performing a little dance to this Beyonce song -- I know that even the kindergartners that I teach sing the song (referring to the Alvin & the Chipmunks movie)... so, even little, little kids are somewhat aware of this sort of thing.

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  29. I saw the parents interviewed on GMA last week. They were mortified that the video got posted on You Tube and has been sent to so many people - they did not intend for their daughters dance competition dance to go viral. I agree that I would not have let my daughter where those costumes or dance to that song (I also don't and won't let her wear a bikini - it's the same thing folks!). BUT, the parents said none of these kids have even seen the Beyonce video - they were all only familiar with the girl Chipmunks in the recent movie. So maybe we should have a problem with that cartoon. I haven't seen it.

    I danced and competed for years and while I do think these is a bit sleezy (and frankly, so is Beyonce sometimes), this is the dance world right now - not saying that's okay, but I don't think it's just these parents - the whole system would need to be changed. JMHO. :)

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  30. Obviously they are very talented little girls.

    LITTLE GIRLS.

    How many pedophiles are now using that video?

    Did their parents think that through?

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  31. I totally agree with you Danielle!! Completely inappropraite for young girls to dance like that!

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  32. i believe little girls should be little girls---in their dress, actions, talk. they have a long time to be adults and a short time to be children. they grow up way too fast as it is---why would parents let them perform like this??? oh maybe it's because they get lots of attention and win contests---because that's what is all about for some folks. sorry, but i feel very strongly about this!!

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  33. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!

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  34. And oh, I saw that interview with the parents ... I call @#$%^&* on that. An ADULT had to make those costumes. An ADULT had to choreograph that dance, and ad ADULT had to teach it to them. The Chipettes (I've seen the movie multiple times) do NOT dance like that ... and I was even kinda squicked out by the dancing they did do, but it was nowhere near the level of these little girls'!

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  35. its the skimpy outfits and the dancemoves. they look like they should have a pole up there with them.highly inappropriate and so sad.

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  36. My daughter is a dancer. Grant it she is a grown woman now, but there is ABSOLUTELY no way!!!! I would allow my 7 year old child and heck 12 year old child to gyrate and bump and grind like that. Whether the parents intended or not for the video to be placed on the web...heck they should not have been letting their daughters do that dance!!!! Clearly by their desire for the video not to be broadcasted on the internet, these parents realize that this behavior was not anything to be proud of. I have a 16 month old grand daughter. Trust me I sing and dance around with her and we twirl in circles and jump up and down. Remember, I said my daughter, her mom is a dancer, however, neither she nor I would allow her to be placed in a recital with bikini bottoms with feathers and fur and dancing where they are placing the hands under their "breasts" emphasizing what? The adult that made those dance moves, the adults that allowed the dance moves (the producers), and the parents that allowed the dance moves should all be ashamed, and totally rethink their values.

    For those of you that keep saying 'well it is what is they are doing nowadays'.... what a cop out.... the old adage if one went and jumped off the bridge onto a jagged edge of rocks and killed themselves then I guess it is okay if the rest of the kids wanted to follow.......It is this ridiculous excuse for vulgar behavior that leads to the increase of sexually related problems with children including molestation, promiscuity, and teenage pregnancy. We should stop accepting this excuse and instead realize it is a reason for us as parents to be more involved than ever and educate our children and teach our developing young girls to grow up to be ladies responsible with themselves and especially their bodies. A responsible parent would have seen what they were performing beforehand and vetoed their child's involvement in it immediately.

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  37. I didn't watch the whole video so I may have missed some things.

    I don't agree with this at all. The song itself isn't super offensive, the dance itself isn't super offensive, but when you pair it all with the costumes it is just wrong. The costumes are SUPER inappropriate (fishnets!).

    Ugh. Where are the parents?? Where?

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  38. Seriously! I wouldn't get on a stage dressed in lingerie and dance like that, much less put one of my daughters up there. The parents of these girls should be ashamed of themselves!

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  40. I couldn't agree with you more! You said exactly how I feel because as much as I love Beyonce and especially her Put A Ring on It video, I just think it's not appropriate for 7 year olds.

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