A cute baby search has turned nasty with children as young as a few months old being the target of malicious comments over their appearance.
The Bonds Baby Search is supposed to be about finding cute babies from around Australia to feature in the 2011 Bonds Baby Campaign.
Parents, however, have been stunned by negative comments towards their babies on the social networking site Facebook. Photos of babies two-years-old and younger can be uploaded and other people can vote for them to be awarded the cutest.
The People’s Choice component opened on Monday, and when parents directed friends and family to the site to vote for their baby, the site was unable to cope. The site went meltdown, allowing people to vote for some babies but not others, leading to angry comments on the Bonds Facebook page. Yesterday Bonds posted a warning on its Facebook site saying that any bullying and negative comments about children would be removed.
The warning said: Bonds Baby Search is designed to be a fun event that celebrates that all of the participating babies are gorgeous in their own right. We will remove anyone from our page who comments negatively on a baby or demonstrates ‘bullying’. It’s simply not in the spirit of Bonds nor the competition. Please, let’s keep this event positive for everyone.
This is a page with pictures of BABIES on it. Are people seriously BULLYING BABIES?
If only this surprised me more. Having worked online for four years now and encountered my fair share of trolls and cyber bullies (targeting me and others), I have been shocked at the behaviour displayed by adults who presumably have jobs, families, loved ones and…..as I have often discovered CHILDREN. These are people who are in sole charge of the welfare of others – and we have to assume the people trolling and flaming on the Bonds website were parents of other contestants who were feeling disturbingly competitive – who think it’s perfectly fine to behave like bullies online. Brave behind the anonymity of a screen, huh?
And adults abusing babies? Dear God…….
Have you ever entered any kind of beauty contest? Or entered a baby competition? Would you? Ever been bullied online?
Top Comments
Electronic 'social media' allow either anonymity or distance between bullies and victims and seem to be allowing (or encouraging) some people to behave in ways that they never would face to face. We are in danger of becoming so devoid of interpersonal skills for conflict resolution or just simple patience with the foibles of others, that it's all getting out of hand. There have always been 'face to face' and 'behind your back' bullies but electronic media like facebook, twitter and txt are allowing people to give in to cowardly urges to bully where they will be protected from any direct consequences of their bad behaviour. I always thought the main point of growing up was to become responsible for your own behaviour but personal responsibility isn't a concept supported by much of our society. Disappointing.
I think baby competitions are quite wrong and immoral.
All babies are beautiful. Period.
Let's leave the objectification and comparisons until they're adults, at a minimum.