Disney Under Fire for Child Exploitation, Pulls Panties from Shelves

From Dictionary.com the first definition of exploitation is as follows, "use or utilization, esp. for profit". For the purpose of this article, adjust the definition slightly, "use or utilization [of children], esp. for profit". It is important to understand before reading further that this is not an article about child pornography or violence against children. If you were to do your own web search for child exploitation you will find mostly references to sex and violence and human trade. It appears that the general exploitation of children has been buried beneath far more obvious forms of child exploitation. Do not be fooled. The following article will inform you that child exploitation is more than just the physical treatment of children, but also psychological.

In a bid to continue cashing in on legalized child exploitation, one of the many product promotions for the Disney runaway hit movie "High School Musical 2" includes a line of young girl's panties. In the profitable child exploitation industry where most children's underwear have logos and other images that promote their favorite animated heroes, Disney decided to stand out with a line of young girl's panties with the printed words, "Dive in". Their bid for attention worked and caught the ire of parents in Britain.

This is only the latest episode in the recent Disney trend of child exploitation. From Miley Cyrus' racy photography escapades to bill boards in China depicting young girls in their under garments, Disney seems to be doing everything it can to benefit from child exploitation. It is no secret that much of the entertainment medium takes advantage of children, however, child exploitation appears to be a financial blessing as well as a corporate image nightmare for Disney.

Disney cannot be blamed for wanting to dabble in child exploitation. Just walk down the girl's toy aisle in any major department store and you will see scantily clad dolls complete with fishnet stockings, bright lipstick, and lots of flesh, not unlike the sexy girls seen in most hip-hop and rock videos. Even clothing stores are attempting to cash in on child exploitation. They draw young girls into their shops with large wall pictures of girls showing off anything from undergarments to lacy lounge wear. One has to ask, who is going to be seeing these young girls in the risqué attire? The answer should be no one other than a parent, sibling, or doctor.

The awful truth is that sex sells in all forms, even young children are not exempt from the ongoing corporate cash-in. It started with the magazines that tell young girls how to dress to impress the boys. The psychological impact of child exploitation is that it teaches young children to begin stressing over their appearance and to act like a sexy adult at far too young an age.