AND ITS CONTROVERSIAL EFFECTS ON ITS CAST MEMBERS

AND YOUNG VIEWERSBy Jennifer Principe

COM 410Renee Hobbs

•Girls ages 6-13•Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania•Nia, Brooke, Chloe, Paige, Mackenzie and Maddie

Abby Lee Miller Dance Company

EXTREMEIdeas

Portrayed on the show

SEXUALITY

And

VIOLENT/ VULGAR

LANGUAGE

From an article on the website ‘The Blaze’:•Imagery of topless burlesque dancers•Sexually suggestive•“Must act like showgirls”•Nia says she “feels beautiful”

From an article on the FOX News website:

“All the girls and I feel kind of nervous because we feel kind of naked.”

“I’m hot, I’m mean, you can’t have me, you can’t afford me.”

Abby tells the girls to think:

•“Afford me”= selling sex for

money?•Predators?

Things to think about…

Violent language

used on ‘Dance Moms’

Exchanges between Abby and the moms:

•Costumes•Practice/ rehearsal•Payments/ money•The girls’ performances

Kelly: “Don’t even go there you whore… oh you are a whore”Reporter asks if she regrets her choice of wordsKelly does not regret it because Abby “went below the belt”Abby asks why she used that word

Kelly reconsiders and says that if she had thought about it, she

would’ve called Abby a virgin, implying this is a bad

thing

What is this teaching the

girls about both language

etiquette AND sexuality?

More concepts from ‘Dance Moms’ will be discussed by Allison

Thank you!