Pretty Baby: Not A Glamorous Life
Coming across 1970’s ,Pretty Baby, which I have seen before and think “Is this film beneficial to mankind?” The film for the time was critically acclaimed and even won a Cannes Film Festival award.
Courtesy of-
The Duke Mitchell Film Club
Like millions, I’ve seen it before and like millions it honestly disturbed the hell out of me rightfully so. It has a basis in the dark history of America or anywhere really… and still goes on not just overseas but right in the USA. In fact over 300,000 American youths are introduced into the sex trade every year including in home brothels. For Girls the average age is 12-13 for Boys and Transgender the age can be as young as 6. Both genders especially of color those stats hold as well as for Girls it’s 1 in 3, for Boys and Transgender it is 1 in 6. Children in brothels, raised in brothels, and sold into brothels at the time the film was set (turn of the century) that was something that was socially acceptable to a degree as horrendous as it was and in some dark places still is. It was nothing for a 12 year old, 10 year old, or even a 9 year old to be sold in a brothel especially if their Mom was a Sex Worker in that brothel… and sickeningly enough the practice goes on to this day. It may not be paraded around as much as not so long ago but it exists occurring to millions of children every year.
Courtesy of- Fandango
That is what global laws surrounding the sex trafficking of minors and those opposed to the Human Rights violation step in to eradicate it. One of the most dismaying parts of the film was the fact 12-year-old Brooke Shields had no body double as if the nature of the story wasn’t bad enough and to accompany the film there were photos that were in Playboy of a nude Brooke Shields in a bathtub, I’ve seen the photos years ago in a documentary and couldn’t help pondering “Why was social services never called and this Girl’s Mother sent for psychiatric evaluation?” As her stage Mom consistently placed her small daughter in roles and images that were extremely exploitative. The poor Girl’s whole career was based on that before she even hit puberty. I can’t think of any parents of even 20 something year old’s that would be okay with any of that let alone a teen God forbid a minor. The film barely touched on the abuse of that life and the psychological damage it causes. The scene Violet (Brooke Shields) became erratic in her behavior after being sold for her virginity and thus the Madame disproved of her behavior leading to the Girl beaten with a strap it was like “Well Yeah you pimped her out at 12 to grown males. Of course her behavior is going to become turbulent you stupid crypt keeper wench.” Which isn’t too off from behavior exploited youths often begin to exhibit because it’s well exploitation. It demolishes the human spirit especially that of children. It’s amorality and evil no matter how anyone attempts to look at it.
Courtesy of- Wikipedia
It can be assured there is NOTHING glamorous about being exploited especially as a youth. It is nothing like movies such as ,Pretty Baby, portray which thank God could not be made today and prayerfully no one ever does. If there were any truth to it as far as reality,
“It’s ‘respectable’ people who lie on top of you every night.”
If there were no demand there would be no trade. The buyers have money they have to in order to purchase. To garner a real life scope of what Brothels actually are a documentary titled “Born Into Brothels” it is much more actual than Hollywood could ever portray it as glamorous. Reality is the whole trade is based on commodifying, preying on human life and young people for sexual kicks. It is not unheard of for buyers to seek youths to exploit. There’s a reason “Kiddy strolls” exist. If they can’t obtain a youth they’ll request the individual they’re buying to look/behave like a youth which is why you will see a great deal of sex workers and or sex trafficking persons have plastic surgery, have their hair in pigtails or something that suggests youth, dress young, etc etc because that is what buyers often seek freakishly enough. Many of them want a kid to inflict their sexual sick fantasies on I hate to say but it’s true.
Courtesy of- Reuters
Courtesy of- Independent
