What Were They Thinking?

Have you ever seen anything like this?!
Probably.
But I bet the dancers were in their 20s and didn't have to have approval from their moms to do it!
This video has sparked an outbreak of debate and controversy from people all over claiming things like:
"It's ridiculous! Why would a mother let their daughter participate in such an offensive routine?"
and
"This is SAD. Shame on all the adults that played a part in this!"
to comments like:
"I honestly don't see the huge deal about this? Yeah, their dressed kind of trashy, and their dancing is too old for their age, but seriously, its a dance competition. Its not like they wear those outfits daily in public or dance like that."

Ok.
*takes a deep breath, steps onto soapbox*

Has our society become so simple-minded that all we can think about is sex and sexiness?
Do we honestly feel the need to shove that image off on to our little girls and boys because it's the norm? Because this is pop culture? And for what? Lack of creativity? Lack of imagination? I would hope not! I'm not about to put any blame on those little girls for the way they danced or dressed. They just did what they were taught. And being a dancer myself, I will say this: They were amazing and despite the few bumps and bobbles here and there, I would imagine they went on to win that competition. They possess wonderful skill and talent and I would hope they would continue on with that.
However, shame on their mothers for allowing a dance instructor to even suggest putting their daughters in such an age-inappropriate situation! And double shame for actually doing it!
I'm not as concerned with the costumes, so much as I was the dancing. They showed too much skin, yes. But as a dancer, I understand you want non-restricted movement, especially for some of the difficult leg lifts/holds they were doing. Could they have come up with less revealing outfits that gave the same less restrictive effect? If they had used their brain to get creative, absolutely!
Again, the dancing, that's what bothers me. These little girls from Orange County, CA are, according to the post, 7-9 years old. We're told they're in FIRST GRADE...and they are on stage in a world dance competition bumping and grinding.
Granted, they probably have no idea what they're doing.
But I do.
And it's offensive.
Not necessarily the dance itself. I've seen Beyonce do it. (Although, as hindsight is 20/20, I've realized just how desensitized even I have become to such things). But when I see these little innocent girls get up on stage performing a robotically calculated dance that displays a message I don't ever want any first grader, let alone my own, to be shouting to the world in any form or in any arena, that's when I want to kick and scream and cry and can't help but wonder what this world is coming to.
People, this is too much!
It's not about our minds going to the gutter when we saw little girls dressed in so little and gyrating on a dancefloor.
It's about why weren't more people shocked and disgusted enough to say something about it?
No trophy or prize should be worth letting go of your morals or values.
And what will happen once the girls reach the age where they DO understand what kind of dance moves they're performing? I mean, if their parents will allow them to do this dance, who's to say the next dance won't be as pervocative and pushing that envelope even further? What should we expect from these little girls, their parents and their instructors for the next WoD competition? An innocent graceful lyrical? It would be wonderful, but the problem is the position they've put themselves in. Now, that they've gone this route and done so well, people will want more!
I'm not trying to stifle these little girls dreams or creativity. On the contrary! I'm asking parents and instructors to get creative and bring innocence and wholesomeness BACK, not shove it off the deep end!
It seems like enough is never enough in our society.
Once PG-13 movies used to be rated such because it had an overly seductive kissing or makeout scene in it and the S-word would be shoved in and parents would cover their kids' eyes and ears.
Now, PG-13 movies have nudity and the F*bomb and that's ok, because we are all naked under our clothes and kids hear the F-word at school anyway.
We're desensitized to it all! This is our future, our up and coming leaders, our posterity that we're corrupting!
We need to take the blinders off and look around at the effect our choices have on others.
We need to quit drinking the kool-aid and get sober in this debacle we call our society!
We need to find our morals and values, dust them off and display them on our sleeves with pride!

*sighs heavily, steps off soapbox*

I just wish we as a whole, could see where we have come from and where we're headed.
It's not good.
This dance was not good for those little girls, (I won't even let my daughters watch this video).
If you're not disheartened, even a little, by watching this video, I'm sorry.
Truly, I am.
I don't mean to sound preachy or judgmental - not at all!
I am just hoping to bring light to a subject covered in darkness. I have a right to my opinion just like you do.
And my opinion is, it's sad.
Very sad.