A Featherston woman has taken a Masterton business to task for displaying a poster she claims encourages the sexualisation of children.
Fiona Graham said she had been having lunch at a kerbside eatery when she looked up to see the poster displayed in the window of MySight Vision Optometrists.
Mrs Graham said
the Kate Sylvester Eyewear poster showed what she took to be a girl about 10 years old dressed beyond her years and lying back in a provocative Lolita-like pose.
"Being the mother of a 10-year-old daughter myself I believe it is wrong to display this poster.
"I am probably sensitive to the early sexualisation of our kids but they learn morals from their parents and I want to know where are the parents in this issue?"
Mrs Graham said she talked to shop staff about the poster but the person she spoke to seemed "dismissive."
MySight Vision's practice manager Sonja Skjott-Taylor told the Times-Age she was disappointed that Mrs Graham felt the way she did about the poster and while she appreciated her opinion, the business invited others who viewed it to make their opinions known.
Mrs Skjott-Taylor said in the seven years MySight had been running promotions there had never before been a complaint.
She said if others support Mrs Graham's view the poster would be removed.
Dr Anita Brady, a lecturer in media studies at Victoria University who specialises in sex and gender issues, said although she had not seen the Masterton poster, as a generalisation the sexualisation of children was definitely increasing.
"Over the last few years there has been increasing disquiet from the public and in the media about the sexualisation of young girls in particular, but also of young boys."
Dr Brady said a "rational conversation" in the media was needed, especially as New Zealand imported a great deal of its culture from the United States where sexualisation of young people was rife, including beauty pageants for very young girls.
