Victoria’s Secret is not just her Underwear

                Tonight the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is televised on a major network and that makes me so sad.  I am sad for the women of the world and especially little girls.  I am also sad for men nobody expects anything from you and you shrug and admit you are a proud stereotype with no desire for integrity or heroism.  The race to the bottom picks up velocity because of shows such as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

                The Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) put out finding of a study they had done in which 1141 girls’ age 11 through 17 were asked about reality television and their resulting perceptions.  Girls who watched these shows rated the importance of appearance higher than those who did not.  78% who watched thought gossip was normal in female relationships as opposed to 54% who were not frequent watchers.  68% of those girls surveyed believed it was “in girls’ nature to be catty and competitive” compared with 50% of those who were not regular viewers.  63% of watchers found it difficult to trust other girls as opposed to 50% of non-viewers.

                I bring this study up to highlight how impressionable our girls are.  In a different study by GSRI entitled, “The New Normal?  What Girls Say about Healthy Living, 2006, 1/3 of girls 8 to 17 have a disordered idea about their weight and “23% of girls say they do not participate in sports because they do not think their bodies look good.”

                So those who believe that this show is a positive expression of encouragement to girls really have not dug into the figures to support their views; because the figures do not support those views.  Just the opposite in fact the impression left on girls who need exercise is I am too fat to get involved and the message sent to girls who do not need to lose weight is this is an appropriate way to get attention. 

The other side of the coin is the male side; men allow themselves to be further convinced that the objectification of women is an appropriate and wanted form of interaction.  So we see a synergy of dysfunction emerge; women and girls seeking attention inappropriately and men giving them attention which is inappropriate.

The resulting depression and heartache is then placed at the feet of the “morality bigots” of the world, because we make things so repressive, instead of shows such as the Victoria Secret Fashion Show.  I pray we see through the smokescreens and defend women and especially girls who deserve a healthy and loving future.