There is a dance class’s recital performance that has gone viral on the internet. (I assume it is from a recital – it is that time of year, but they could be competing for one of the many ridiculous shows out there right now for all I know.) It is now not just viral on the internet, it is getting coverage on local news shows and everybody is weighing in with their opinion.
Back in my day, I wowed the audience with my rendition of Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. And my bikini was truly “itsy bitsy” and did not cover nearly as much as the girls doing the Beyonce piece. I was too young to have heard the song prior to my routine, but I knew how to wiggle my little five year old butt and to twirl my parasol provocatively – never fully hiding my adorable bikini, of which I was quite proud. I believe it was a Tap routine. I do know it brought the house down.
No one was shocked. Or if they were they kept it to themselves. And we had no internet in the day. And the local news certainly had no interest.
When did our minds get so twisted that kids being cute, doing their “party pieces” move into the area of child porn? Sure there are people who argue that the video is being viewed by perverts. Well, my little dance was viewed by our next door neighbor. And it was not long after we saw his name in the paper – he was arrested on charges of “lewd, wanton, and lascivious behavior”. They didn’t use “child molesting” in the Journal back in those days. And I don’t know how many other perverts were in the audience that day but my guess is that percentage wise, it is probably about the same as the number of perverts amongst all the “normal” people who watched the video.
I just do not think we can let the fact that perverts exist stop us from liking cute kids being cute. My mother had her share of pictures of us running around bare assed or playing in the tub. No one ever commented that it was inappropriate. I have my share of my kids. Probably more than most – two reasons: my kids were abnormally fond of taking off their clothes and I happen to be a camera freak. Only once have I ever had a negative comment. My daughter was from what I used to jokingly refer to as “the Joan Collins school of fashion”. Slap on some sequins and throw on a boa and she was good to go. One of her favorite games was playing movie star on my bed. It had a satin spread… I also had to supply her with my fur coat, a scarf that had boa trim and what she called “my movie star phone”. This could keep her playing happily for a good hour. One day, I did a series of photos. 
In my opinion, they were adorable but when I showed them to the nurses in my daughter’s doctor’s office, while most oohed and aahed, one stated they were pornography and I should be reported! This was about 27 years ago and I doubt I had even heard about kiddie porn, so I was quite taken aback.
All in all, while I do understand some people being upset, I think I just have to come down on the side of there is nothing wrong with cute kids behaving like cute kids and having a good time. And frankly, the perverts aren’t the only ones that need to get their minds out of the gutter.
Kate Eileen Shannon 