The Sesame Street clip that's too hot for television (Yes, really.)

To me, this seems right on that line between acceptable and not. However, I'm going to side with the censors on this.

Not only because the outfit feels inappropriate, but also because it's Katy Perry and the song is uncomfortable (at best). Had it been an outfit that was less revealing... a song about her chasing Elmo would have felt less sexual and could have kept it's innocent vibe. In the song she actually says "you're in and you're out" and.... dare I say... I almost thought "That's what she said".

I quickly remembered what I was watching and felt horrible.

The fact I felt horrible means there's still hope for me, right?

In all seriousness, though... I side with the 'better safe than sorry' philosophy.

Eh, ballerinas and female gymnasts wear far more 'suggestive' clothing than this. Even the talking heads on the MSN made the point that Katy almost looks like a cartoon character anyway. Very few if any kids are going to "read into" the combination of the song lyrics and her outfit the way adults have anyway.

So yeah the song is silly and the actual setup for the video was basically shortsighted, but worthy of censorship? Hardly.
This is a classic case of making a mountain out of a molehill, regardless of the amount of "cleavage" involved.

Was what she was revealing too much for prevailing norms? No.

Are prevailing norms seriously illogical, misogynist, oversexualized, and double standards? Yes.

It used to be women in Victorian times (and the Ancient Near East [and some places in the Modern Near East]) had to be covered from ankle to wrist to neck (and even hair covered). Why? So that no man except her husband may look on her as a sexual object of lust.

Now, there is the expectation for women to be *uncovered* as much as possible. Why? So that *every* man may look on her as a sexual object of lust.

That ain't women's liberation.

Look at the formal, black-tie wear of the Oscars: Men covered from ankle to wrist to neck; Women in as little as possible: sleeveless, shoulderless, strapless, backless, collarless bustier/halter top dresses. Are the seats in the theater heated for them? Why the difference in the amount of skin showing?

Sexism. Pure and pure sexism. Which everyone has bought into as 'normal' even though it is so darned illogical.

Would it be OK for a male pop star to be in a Sesame Street skit in a skimpy tank top and tight cut-off short shorts where the context was not 'beach manners'?

If there's a question of whether it's 'too much', ask oneself: "Would be OK if a man was wearing that?" And if you revulse in horror, then it's too much.

On a related note, there is plans for an adult Sesame Street (no, not a revival of Avenue Q)

There need to be more breasts on childrens shows - it might make them less immature when they grow up
There's this weird thing where breasts are ok from the day the baby is born up until a certain age, then they become something shocking that have to be hidden from the child - but then they become totally ok again later on at another certain age.
Like if it's ok for a child of 2 to get really up close and personal with breasts, why do they have to be hidden when the child is 7?

I'm glad this got pulled. It's not because of what she's wearing. She could be wearing a one-piece jumpsuit for all I care. Kids should be allowed to go as long as possible without learning the sad truth.....that this is considered good music.

Thank you for posting that list. I was going to compare Katy Perry with Madonna, but I wasn't sure if she was ever on the show before. Didn't see her on the list. In fact... I couldn't immediately identify anyone on that list that's as trashy as Katy Perry.

*edit* Perhaps I should use a less offensive word. Uuummm... Provocative?

Okay, I wasn't really interested in anything except posting the phrase "Too hot for Sesame Street", but now that two people have, in a row, posted the implication that Katy Perry is the absolute worst person that Sesame Street has ever invited on, I feel like a gauntlet has been thrown.

Let me go through the list. Here are a couple people I find interesting choices. Mind you, I don't mind any one of them being on Sesame Street. Just that when people decry and imply that Perry is the worst evahhhh, I bring these names up.

Celebrities that may be more inappropriate for Sesame Street than Katy Perry:

• Will Arnett: Explain a role for which he is famous that you would ever let your children know about.
• Jason Biggs: The American Pie Guy.
• Candice Bergen: Extremely controversial role on Murphy Brown
• Margaret Cho: I'd probably get a warning if I linked you to any five minutes of her work.
• Cheech Marin: Like, dude... you missed this one, dude...
• Megan Mullally: Most famous for her role as an alcoholic who cheats on her husband and wastes his fortune.
• Bill Nye: Chronically and blasphemously insistent that the Earth rotates around the sun.
• Sarah Jessica Parker: Sex and the City.
• Gene Simmons: I want to Rock and Roll all night, and play tag with Elmo everyday.

Since someone listed Jason Biggs, I'd add him to the list of people that was linked who I'd think twice about letting on Sesame Street. He meets the criteria of "pastries and private parts" which was my issue with Ms. Perry in the first place - someone who's new video has her wearing cupcake bras with cherries for nipples, and whose public persona is about sex isn't someone I'd expect on Sesame Street.

There's no hate for Ms. Perry here, or mockery of those who think she's fine on Sesame Street. Just an acknowledgement of the means with which she's made herself famous, and pointing out that those means and what Sesame Street is probably shouldn't be compatable. It was a mistake to have a sexy star dress even mildly sexy on a kid's show.

I'm still not seeing what's upsetting about that opinion, besides that a differing opinion's been expressed. Baffling.

Ook. Ugh. Fire bad.

Not upsetting at all. I don't really mind a difference of opinion here or there. As I read it, though, it seemed like you and Rock Crag seemed to think she was especially egregious. I was just pointing out that Sesame Street has a long standing history of having people whose "Day Jobs" aren't appropriate for children. That's all.

Dangit, I'm going to have to watch that Katy Perry video at some point, aren't I? I've almost made a career out of avoiding it...

Yeah, that I can understand - usually they just don't have traces of it bleed into the show, though, which is why I think this one got pulled. *shrug*

The video's worth a watch. It's not ALL pastry body parts, mind you; just a few scenes where they sort of get down into why they're playing "candy land," if you know what I mean. I liked it, but fair warning: it's got a "Rainbow Brite's all grown up" kind of vibe.