Sexy Seven-Year-Old: Preteen Girl Named A Rio Carnival Queen

It's hard to see a leading role for children in Carnival, Rio de Janeiro's annual mega-festival, for which the Brazilian government will hand out 55 million free condoms, in an attempt to promote AIDS awareness and safer sex. But the naming of 7-year-old Julia Lira as the drum corps for the Viradouro samba group has stirred an intense controversy over whether children should be involved in the hyper-sexualized roles usually reserved for female Carnival participants.

The AP reports that "a judge is considering blocking Julia's participation. A state agency that defends children's rights says she's too young to take on a traditionally sexy role." There seem to be some strange parental influences: Julia's father, who just happens to be the president of the Viradouro group, "says Julia is a natural who can easily samba through the 80-minute parade route in Rio's sweltering summer heat."

The hyper-sexualization of children has been an issue in Brazil in the past, and some argue that permitting Julia to be drum corps queen will simply exacerbate the problem. It "would increase the treatment of children as sexual objects in Brazilian society," said Carlos Nicodemos, director of the Rio de Janeiro state Council for the Defense of Children and Adolescents. "We can't put a 7-year-old girl in a role that traditionally for Carnival has a very sexual focus."

It seems unclear as to how revealing Julia's costume will be, and whether she's being coerced into the role. When asked why she wanted to be drum corps queen, she said, "I'm happy because I like to dance." But there's also a question of whether she can physically handle the 80-minute-long parade in sweltering Brazil heat.

more . . . http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-rights/blog/sexy-seven-year-olds-preteen-girl-named-rios-carnival-queen/

:eyes:
Yeah, "child" would have been a much better description.

7 year old is at least 7 years too young, imo.

I guess we'll have to go to the GOP website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8501724.stm (scroll down)

This makes my skin crawl.

the drum corps queen. As long as she isn't scantily clad and dancing too suggestively, I don't think it's a problem. We have little girls dance and twirl batons in our Mardi Gras parades and no one bats an eye.

The role of samba queen in carnival is a hypersexualized role and no 7 year old has any business doing it.

Both are creepy for the same reason.

don't hear this being said in the media about the MOTHERS who put their daughters through the pageant ordeal.

it's repulsive and hard not to watch all at once.

competing. It's a national sport.

It's not like dressing up as a cowgirl and
doing a pole dance at a kiddy beauty pageant.

consisting of fast hip pumps, gyrations and butt shaking. Actually, most of these moves that strippers do were stolen from the samba.

A traditional samba at carnival...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPOSxIVi7cE&feature=related

Here is a Brazilian vid with more traditional
steps and costume. Also men do the same steps as
women but with feet flat rather than on the balls
of the feet (due to heels)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tju7zbNcXcI&feature=related

In Brazil there are a wide variety of Samba styles which had
their origin in tradional African dances. While the Samba is
sensual in the broadest sense. It is not as the say in film
ratings lingo, completely preoccuppied with sex.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samba

Six year old beauty pageant contestants doing rodeo bump and
grind is another matter.

She's just cute kid. Get over it.

Im pretty sick of the pedophile images of little kids being touted in the USA and in the world.
they are kids.
thank god my mom and dad supported me climbing trees and making forts when I was a little girl and did not trot me out in dresses and skimpy outfits to dance around a pole for sick bastards.

Kids are in the circus, on Broadway, and in films. What unique jeopardy will this girl be in? It's a parade! Has everybody been attending the Glen Beck School of Psychiatry?

imm

This is irresponsible. On many levels.