But I Don't Love This Video.
A friend of mine posted this on Facebook a while back, and loving The Black Keys as I do, I eagerly pressed play. It only took 40 seconds for the coy look of a 9-year-old to make my jaw slam full force into the Formica. In a nutshell, it's two boys singing about and fighting over a girl, while she provocatively lures them in with hair twisting, eye-batting, hip-swinging flirtation--kids acting out the part of the adults. Sound familiar? Watch for yourself.
It's not cute when a little boy flips you off or when a little girl twirls her hair coyishly to flirt and be noticed. It's not cute when kids are dressed like miniature adults replete with all of the coordinating mannerisms and attitudes, either. I'm over the over-sexualization of children, their sexuality inferred but too taboo to touch. It's like being subjected to some watered down version of pedophelic voyeurism, and I'm not ok with that! Problem is, it's everywhere: Toys 'r' Us, billboards, commercials, magazines, books aimed at kids, Disney Channel, you name it. It's more of the same: be sexy, but veer far away from sexual.
I was recently told that my son, who's in the fourth grade, will be learning about his body at school this year. He's already asked me a million questions and now knows what things are and how they work. Suffice it to say, he's pretty well informed and not subjugated by the mass media. At the same time, there are other kids who still believe babies come from the nursery or better yet, from the stork (no, i'm not making this up). I've heard stories about parents having the "talk" with their kids about sex, and so often, it's delivered with a line like "No glove, no love" and left at that. Confused yet? I'd be! Reality is, these same, uninformed kids can walk into any given Abercrombie and Fitch or American Apparel and see sexualized images of young boys and girls and still not understand what they're seeing. It's become their norm, courtesy of a multi-million-dollar marketing ploy. They're basically being sold an idea, and they're buying into it, hook, line, and sinker, leaving youth culture saturated with sexuality, but clueless about its meaning. Good times.
As for The Black Keys, well, I still adore them musically--I was, in fact, at their show last night! It doesn't take away the fact that I'll be hard pressed to support their videos if this is how they want to showcase their craft.
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