Sex Obsessed -- and Sad

The Times of London reports on a web site that features a game, "Miss Bimbo," targeted at girls between nine and 16. The point of the game is for little girls to create

" “the coolest, richest and most famous bimbo in the world” by spending "bimbo dollars" to purchase lingerie, plastic surgery, diet pills and other items for their Bimbo. According to the report, the girls are "told to buy their virtual characters breast enlargement surgery and to keep them 'waif thin' with diet pills." The game has 200,000 players in Britain and 1.2 million in France.

One doesn't have to read "Prude" to understand why this is such a profoundly destructive and ugly phenomenon. Again, it's an example of the culture telling little girls that "sexiness" is the most important and noteworthy attribute they can possess -- more important than character or intelligence or ambition or talent -- and openly lauding even extreme measures in pursuit of physical perfection.

It's wrong when little girls are encouraged to adopt a mind-set that will lead to behavior that's not wise, healthy or conducive to their long-term happiness. It's another way by which people with interests and agendas far removed from the well-being of young girls can promote invidious messages, and insinuate themselves into girls' lives without the knowledge, or even the consent, of their parents.