­pageants—the serious sexualization for the girls, the skimpy halloween costumes, garish beauty products and risque party moves as soon as associated with prostitution. In 1996, this seemed like a dark disclosure, a national scandal. Next arrived Young Children & Tiaras . Now, parents post movies regarding daughters suggestively shimmying to Taylor Swift and Nicki ­Minaj—­videos that stand up endorsement reviews, sometimes even multimedia interest and ad purchases.

In Boca Raton, Fla., a rich seaside urban area with a society of approximately 90,000, about 50 miles north of Miami, I found Julie, Maggie, Cassy and Leah, several 13-year-old girls—two white, two Latina—at the city heart shopping mall. Dressed in short-shorts and tank clothes, Converse and flip-flops, they glided across the air-­conditioned halls past most of the storage.Continue reading→