Is Naked the New Black?
I really hope this doesn’t come across as too much of a rant. And I do want people to know that I am not a prude by any stretch of the imagination. I love nude art and the human body, in the right context, and I strongly advocate healthy sex lives in consenting adults.
That being said… Good grief is it ever difficult to raise an eight-year-old in today’s media saturated world!
In an effort to teach good habits at a young age, I encourage my kids to journal before bed even if they just draw what is on their minds. Well, last week as I was making my daughter’s bed, her journal lay under her pillow open to a picture she drew of Miley Cyrus twerking in front of Robin Thicke.
This is my third daughter. I’m quite versed at the “sex talk” by now, and having been a registered nurse and a psychology student my talks are long and frequent and increase in detail as the girls get older. Again, I am not a prude. But, being the parent, I REALLY would like to be in charge of what they learn, when, and to have what they learn be accurate.
My daughter is 8 years-old, she loves animals and Minecraft, she loves pop music and loves to sing Cimorelli covers. And, she is curious about what the kids at school and her older sisters have to say about this twerking media frenzy. So she goes on YouTube (on the computer in the middle of the kitchen armed to the teeth with parental controls) and searches Miley Cyrus. Lo and behold, the newest video Miley released has her naked as the day she was born riding a wrecking ball!
Have you ever felt like that bubble you are trying to put around your kids is just an illusion on your part?
The other naked thorn in my naked side revolves around Hedley’s new single and video. Anyone who knows me well knows I have been a HUGE Hedley fan from the time Jacob Hoggart graced the stage of Canadian Idol. Not only for their music, but also for Jacob’s blog posts and clear stand against the mainstream media machine. I know in my heart that their video for Anything is meant to be a parody of current culture (and if it’s not please let me live in denial), however, I can’t/choose not to watch that video or listen to the explicit lyrics with my 6 and 8 year olds in the room. I fear the day that my kids go looking for it themselves knowing how much I love Hedley.
Yes. I clearly remember how freaked out my parents were when Madonna wore the cone bra and Cher had the see-through lace body suit on the MTV awards. And their parents freaked out about Elvis’ hips. This is nothing new, really. I am just concerned about where all this is going. How are they going to up the ante next time? How are they going to get even raunchier and more titillating than completely naked?
Unfortunately, YouTube answered that question for me.
After watching Cirque du Soleil on Netflix with the kids this weekend, I searched for more of their videos on YouTube and stumbled across this one called Zumanity. Warning: NSFW due to simulation of nudity and simulation of sexual acts… yes, in a circus performance…
Is this a sign of the times? Is Naked the New Black? Is my only recourse to making sure my children are raised with my values around sexuality to start teaching Sex Ed at home to a 6 year old?
Like every mom, I also ask myself: Am I overreacting?
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