I had a small moment today as I was walking to Kings gallery in Melbourne’s CDB, when I inadvertently saw a picture of a semi-naked girl on the front page of the Herald Sun with the caption underneath “Mum defends 10 year old bodybuilder”. As I looked at the picture (this is her underneath wearing a lot more clothes than the fullsize front cover photo did) I shook my head, almost bemused. I started thinking that it was ridiculous that the parents were allowed to enter her and that her body hadn’t developed for her to be in a competition like this etc etc etc blah blah blah…….
In my righteousness, I shook my head at the parents from afar. However almost immediately I began to link this “outrage” to the Bill Henson media extravaganza that has been playing out over the past few weeks in the Australian media. Of course, who couldn’t draw parallels? children in compromised positions, sexualisation of minors, questionable guardianship, media beatup…
What is the difference between the parents of the bodybuilding girl and the parents of the subjects in Bill Henson’s photos?
Now, up until now I had been defending Bill Henson’s right to express his art, but I wonder if the fact that I am an artist has clouded my viewpoint on this? If I was a member of the Bodybuilding fraternity would I think that this was all a media beatup and there is nothing wrong with kids getting fit? After all, we are now the fattest nation on earth.
