Growing up in the semi-rural midwest, I was always told to move to a big city (like Seattle, which I've done) so I can find "acceptance" in that city's gay neighborhood. But, oddly, I found more open acceptance in gentrified/non-gay areas than I ever found in Capitol Hill, Chicago's Boystown, or any of the other gay neighborhoods out there that I've been to. I'm in my late 20s, so I wasn't actively involved in gay culture during the decades prior when gay neighborhoods no doubt played a critical role of open and unconditional acceptance for many gay people - but, while these neighborhoods are still obviously important today, they're much less relevant (or entirely irrelevant) for an increasing number of gay citizens. For me, when I'm now told I should move from Northgate to Capitol Hill so I can find more acceptance and friends, I reply: "What's a gay neighborhood ever done for me?"

I usually can't think of anything.

Eww. Goddamnit! You people that make those crappy, overpriced package costumes stop doing this crap! I don't want to see little girls dressed up racy. I want all my exposed flesh this Halloween to be over the age of majority so that I can ogle with a clear conscience.

That sounds fair.

"The Wall Street Journal reported online Sunday that O'Neal had agreed to resign. Merrill has no severance contract, but O'Neal stands to walk away with well over $120 million, according to the company's latest proxy statement."

Yes, those are good points, however I do agree with @9 there is tremendous societal pressure to sexualize child-like qualities in adult women, as for example the decades-long trend in the fashion industry to depict the "ideal female form" as being androgynous to the the point of fetishizing pre-pubescent physical characteristics such as rail-thin figures, narrow hips and small to nearly non-existent breasts.

The strange thing is, I personally don't know any straight adult males who find women like that particularly attractive, and like @9, I too feel uncomfortably skeezy when confronted with the "Lolita look". At the same time, however, there's clearly no shortage of adult women out there who seem more than willing to starve themselves nearly to death for the sake of being able to fit their boney, little-girl asses into a pair of size -000 designer jeans.

but yes, there is a difference between the appearance of a young woman and a child. i think the reaction of most is something of disgust caused by the incongruity of a child appearing as an adult. those cases scare us because we don't like to think of children that way, and don't like to think of others viewing them that way. this is a fear of others.

regarding the self, however, what is scary about pedophilia is when you have a fifteen year old who dresses and acts like an adult, and embodies the physical characteristics deemed ideal by our culture. here, a natural reaction is deemed wrong/illegal. we don't like these outfits and behaviors because they cause fear of self.

They are meant for the women who would do anything to be them. To be that thin.

Women buy those products and emulate such to capture it.