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TLC’s “Toddlers & Tiaras” has been the subject of plenty of controversy, but now it’s more than just spray tans and make-up getting critics riled up. Has the reality show about pint-sized pageant queens finally gone too far? E! explains:
“Blogs are blowing up at this preview clip of 3-year-old beauty queen Paisley dressed as a hooker. She hits the stage in pleather boots, a blue mini, crop top, and blonde wig.”
Now, three-year-old Paisley’s getting more attention than she bargained for. Everybody has something to say about the 3-year-old Pretty Woman and the costume her mother made.
“Absurd, disgusting, egregious, I don’t know how many words. When I watched this, I was physically sick.”
“When are we gonna stop sexualizing our children in the name of being silly and over the top? Your job is to protect your child.”
"Why would you do that to your pure, gorgeous child? Why?”
“...Yeah, like any kid is going like I wanna dress like a prostitute from a movie before I was born!”
Facebook, Twitter, and news websites have also exploded with disapproving comments from the public. Some are even calling for the show to be cancelled.
The girl’s mother, Wendy Dickey, fired back-- saying that it was less revealing than a gymnastics uniform or a swim suit. Joy Behar scored an interview with the controversial mom:
“Maybe I did not give it as much thought as I should have, but it was meant to be, and actually was, hilarious... Paisley had no idea what the outfit represented. None of the other kids there at the pageant did either. It was meant to be comical...”
But it’s not only Dickey’s parenting under fire. The Parent Television Council has taken aim at TLC for even airing the footage. Melissa Henson, the Council’s director of communications and public education had this to say to The Hollywood Reporter:
"We have a serious problem when The Learning Channel features a toddler, who probably hasn't even learned to read, dressed as a prostitute showing off her sexy strut. There's no question, TV executives are complicit in robbing these small kids of their childhood.”
The episode featuring the controversial costume is still set to air this Wednesday on TLC.