EmailBy Ashley Louszko and Elisa Cervone
Last fall Wendy Dickey, a “pageant mom” featured on the TLC reality show “Toddlers and Tiaras,” was scorned after she dressed her three-year-old daughter in a costume based on the hooker played by Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman” — complete with blonde wig and leather boots.
Her critics included not just those who charge that pageants and the TLC show sexualize little girls, but other pageant moms are even finding fault with the Pretty Woman get-up.
This at a time when pageant moms have increasingly been swapping Cinderella gowns for fake hair and teeth, butt enhancements, breast padding and leather boots.
“What Would You Do?” decided to replicate the “Pretty Woman” hooker costume to test how bystanders would react, creating a scenario that asked, “How young is too young?” Both the pageant mom and her toddler were actors hired by “WWYD.”
We set up our hidden cameras at Stage Left, a girls’ clothing shop in Franklin Lakes, N.J., and had our pageant mom, Mia, direct her daughter to “show us sexy.” It didn’t take long before bystander Debra was stunned speechless by the getup.
When she confronted Mia, Mia said, “We’re going for the sexy look — that’s what’s selling.”
Debra replied, “I’m feeling like it’s provocative for a little kid.” Even when Mia reiterated that it was just a costume, Debra shot back, “But I wouldn’t dress my kid up for Halloween like a prostitute if she was five.”
What would you do? Vote below and see other dramatic reactions on “What Would You Do?: Child’s Play” TONIGHT at 9 p.m. ET
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