What sort of perversion is this??

In my post a couple of days ago about Little Miss Sunshine, I mentioned in the comments box that, on leaving the theatre, EPI and I were discussing whether the sort of childrens' beauty pageants portrayed in the film actually exist. I said I thought they did, and cited the JonBenet case, in which a girl who had been specially groomed for beauty pageants was murdered. That case seemed to raise the whole issue of sexualizing children to a new level.

So Rozanne sent me this link. Go have a look, if you dare. I'll wait.

[dumdum]

Can you believe that there is actually an industry that thrives on objectifying children in this manner? And parents who market their children in such a way? And contests with names like "Diamond Doll Baby Doll Winner", "Teddy Bear Dreams Glitz Queen", "Ultimate Doll Face", and my personal favourite, "Baby's Got It Too"?? I am rarely at a loss for words, but I am completely at a loss for words about the photos on that web page.

*Shudder*

Incidentally, I noticed on the home page of that site that the e-mail button doesn't work. It wouldn't surprise me if the "photographer" [or "photoshop genius", if you prefer] had received hate mail. Either that or special requests from pedophiles.

WHICH IS WHY IT'S GOOD TO THINK OF SIMPLE THINGS, LIKE THE WEATHER
It snowed last night, so we have some white stuff on the ground to light up the winter darkness. Went out earlier and the air was absolutely clear and crisp and delightful - with no wind. Quite lovely to have a proper winter, if even for a day. The colours in the sky are always so beautiful on days like this - so clear, with many different hues of blue and, later, pink and gold. Right now it is -7°C and the sun came up at 11.06 and will set promptly at 16.05.