True. I wasn't defending the tasteless content that some subreddits had (and, in some cases, continuing to have) but was pointing out that the phenomenon is not constrained to redditors with "unnatural appetites", i.e. mainstream media, commonly exploit it, e.g. the Vanity Fair topless photoshoot of Miley Cyrus who was 15 at the time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miley_Cyrus#Controversies).
The interesting part is that it's not always clear to me why this exploitation is done, i.e. why dress the girl in the Mystery Island movie so provocatively (target age is probably around 10) or why Vanity Fair, whose target is not teenage boys, had those photos taken, etc.
The really worrying thought is that the sexual gratification explains only part of it, the rest is the worship of the youthful energy/sexuality of teenage girls by not only men and by everyone.
> The interesting part is that it's not always clear to me why this exploitation is done
My cynical guess is that there is significant money to be made in pushing girls towards early sexualization. The idea is to get them worrying about sexuality, and all of the things they think they need to do in order to be considered sexually attractive. This would include things like hair products, lipstick, and clothing. By creating this association between the mere ideas of "sexy" and "what everyone's already doing," they can instill a deep sense of status anxiety at an early age. This anxiety is not only easy to create (as the age group is highly hormonal), it feeds off of existing social hierarchies that are emerging. And, I believe, the advertiser hopes it is the beginning of a lifelong addiction to buying things in order to feel worthwhile.
I hope you don't take this to be hyperbole; I'm actually surprised it came out as dark as it did. But, now that I think of it, it is violence against the soul, and thus, evil.
The interesting part is that it's not always clear to me why this exploitation is done, i.e. why dress the girl in the Mystery Island movie so provocatively (target age is probably around 10) or why Vanity Fair, whose target is not teenage boys, had those photos taken, etc.
The really worrying thought is that the sexual gratification explains only part of it, the rest is the worship of the youthful energy/sexuality of teenage girls by not only men and by everyone.