Pictures of Jessica Simpson's Baby Raising Concerns
by Shannon KeirnanOh, Jessica Simpson. Always good for a faux pas.
New pictures of her adorable baby Maxwell are raising a few eyebrows lately. They feature the pretty, pouty infant in a yellow crocheted bikini bathing suit. Simpson showed the photo to Katie Couric during an interview, but a few in the crowd are crying that the shot is not so innocent.
Critics are crying foul, saying that the itsy bitsy, teeny-weenie outfit it too sexualized for such a young child. Blogs, various Twitter users, and people on chatboards are decrying the two-piece as objectifying the baby (ew).
Especially disgusted is Claude Knight, who spoke out on behalf of the child welfare charity Kidscape.
"It is very disturbing to see a young baby presented to the world wearing a bikini. Celebrity choices carry great influence, as can be seen by the manner in which their accessories and behaviors are copied widely. It is to be hoped that parents will understand that ‘baby bikinis’ are totally inappropriate, and that they contribute to the sexualization and commercialization of childhood."
Now, honestly, I get where the idea is here. Overly sexual children are seriously becoming a concerning trend, but little Maxwell in her cute little outfit doesn’t seem particularly alarming to me. Especially in a world where “Honey Boo Boo” is encouraged to play with her belly for judges and strut around sexually on stage, and that’s considered good family values.
What do you think of the photo? Was it an innocent and cute, or is the "Employee of the Month" star setting up little Maxwell for a life of full of sin?
Maybe we have to wait and see ten years down the road; if Maxwell starts wearing push-up bras and layering on the make-up, then we can all point to this picture and claim we saw it coming.
Kind of like what I do with Miley Cyrus.