Recently, I have been coming across a lot of controversy over a particular Gap commercial, featuring several little girls.  I think you know the one I’m talking about.

Talk To The Moose Gap Commercial

You know, the one with the cute, sassy, little, pre-teen girls, dancing, and chanting a cheer about the clothes they want for Christmas? The one with a couple of cute- as-a- button, four year olds, jumping up and down, screaming with wild abandon? Oh, come on, you know! The fun one. The one with the song that gets stuck in your head, and makes you wan to be an eleven year old girl, dancing in the schoolyard, with your best- est friends.

No?

Okay… maybe the one with soon- to- be- whores, shaking their rump in an effort to con their parents, or a willing mate, into buying them a sweater?

Yup, I’m talking about the same commercial. Are you wondering where I’m going with this? What side of the fence I’m on? Let me say this:

• I am not/ nor have I ever been, in favor of sexualizing little girls.
• I like the stupid commercial.
• The kids are wearing layers of winter clothing.
• These girls are having so much fun, Hot Nerd and I had huge smiles on our faces when we watched it. (He admitted to wanting to be an 11 year old girl after watching it because it looked like so much fun.)
• I’m almost positive that the choreographer, the advertising company, and the Gap, did not set out to sexualize these girls in hopes of getting more parents to buy more clothes.
• I find this whole uproar a little too Footloose for my liking.

Okay, let me explain that last point to some of you non- Kevin Bacon fans:

The kids just wanna dance!!! They wanna have fun! They don’t think it’s dirty, and we shouldn’t impose that on them.

I am someone who, at one time, was a professional dancer and choreographer. I started at a young age (younger than some of these girls). Dance involves moving different parts of your body. And dance is one of the purest expressions of joy there is. That is exactly what I saw on the faces of these girls, pure joy.

I used to dance like this in my bedroom as a girl, and I didn’t see it as sexual at all.  I felt confident, happy, comfortable in my own skin, and free… absolutely free.

Here are some of the comments I’ve read about this commercial:

I think it’s inappropriate. So much sass in such little girls.

We all know that sexualizing little girls is a bad thing, encouraging them to grow up too fast is a bad thing, so why do we continue to do it? I won’t be shopping at the Gap anymore…

How sad. Just sad. Materialism, sass, sexualizing young girls. Everything about this commercial is disgusting.

I also found plenty of comments from people who found this ad very cute, fun, and not in the least bit sexual.

So, how can some people find this ad creepy, and others find it super fun?

Well, here’s my opinion- which, of course, is priceless:

Some people just can’t watch something like this without seeing it as a pedophile would see it. Their mind sees the sickness in things, like this innocent commercial, because they are always searching for the things they are deathly afraid of. And for what it’s worth, I do believe it stems from a fierce love, and a need to protect their children.

However, I also believe, that viewing things as a pedophile would view it, is not necessarily a healthy piece of glass to look through.

It’s this same piece of glass that makes people think these dance moves are dangerous. That a hair toss, or a hip shake from a 9 year old, puts them in a dangerous position, or makes them appear dirty in some way. This is not the message I think we should be sending to our little girls.

We, as a society are sometimes too quick to throw down the “creepy” card. Especially when it has to do with our little girls. But I’m afraid we’re telling them-

tread lightly…

reign yourself in…

that was dirty.

I would much rather say-

tread loudly…

express yourself…

leap, and twirl…

own your body…

experience joy.

Shall we wrap all our little girls up in white cotton from head to toe and have them scuttle down the street in an effort to only move certain parts of their bodies when they walk? Shall we tell them they can dance- but only in a “subdued” manner, moving their feet, calves, elbows, hands, and on rare occasions, their heads?

Shall we allow the lowest common denominator, the perverts, and the pedophiles to shape our society by scaring us into suffocating our young? That’s giving them too much power.

Did I mention that Footloose is also one of my favorite movies, because the kids win. The kids teach the adults to let go just a little. That there wasn’t alot of good coming from “protecting” them from fun.

And here’s a little something for you to chew on:

This is a commercial from the early 80′s that did not cause nearly as much hub bub.

Vintage 80\’s Girl\’s Underoos Commercial

Embedding has been disabled, so you’ll have to click and watch on You Tube.

I welcome all comments on this post.

But if you think the Underoos Commercial is dirty, then all I can say is:

“Talk to the moose.”