This billboard appears on one of the most crowded streets of Male.
Instead of representing the little girl in this image as a child, the designers appear to have made her strike a pose of a much older woman, a seductress. Although the costume worn by the little girl may seem more suited to seedy nightclubs, it is a fact that Maldivian parents often dress up their little ones in fluffs and feathers.
In this particular picture, the little girl is made to lie on a couch with her head tilted suggestively and her legs parted slightly (this part is strategically positioned in the centre of the frame).
Although this billboard is probably an extreme example it, nevertheless, is representative of a media culture in which children are often dressed up as adults and highly-sexualised. The annual TVM school song competition is a case in point with under-five-year-olds often dressed up as much older pop stars. Cameramen then tilt their cameras slowly over the bodies of the children, in what can be regarded as visual caressing.
Hulhevi Media calls for the removal of this billboard, and also takes this opportunity to ask our colleagues in the media industry to adopt ethical standards that have clear guidelines on the representation of children.
