Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition: On "mouthy" little girls

There has been a lot of criticism of little JoJo, both on the show and off. I have heard this kid described as all of the following and more:

• Mouthy
• Rude
• Bratty
• "Too outspoken"
• "Too much lip"

This kind of thing depresses me, because it's a classic example of how society tries to squash women into shape. The proper female is quiet, speaks only when spoken to, and perfectly respectful. Women who speak out, at any age, are quickly corrected.

Part of the problem is that JoJo looks like "the perfect little girl." She is dainty and adorable and blonde: all the qualities that we as a society covet in a little girl. When she says something snarky, it betrays an internal dialogue which is at odds with what people want that little girl to be, which is to say, passive and polite, always smiling, and never saying "no."

Without getting too explicit about the horrors of the world? Let's just say, we don't do our girls a favor when we teach them to never say "no."

JoJo refuses to accept the patriarchal bargain, and her mother refuses to try and force it on her, and I admire them for that.

Here's another thing you might notice: JoJo may, in Abby's estimation, speak out of turn. She may be blunt, even catty at times. But she hasn't thrown a temper tantrum, used foul language, snapped at another dancer, called people names, or lashed out. The worst she's done is defended herself when Abby corrected her (when Abby felt she should have kept her mouth shut and took her criticisms silently), and muttered retorts like "jealous" to herself when the other moms criticized her.

JoJo isn't bratty, and she's not rude, unless you consider it rude when little girls speak as though their opinions carry the same weight as those of an adult. If you don't feel that children are people who are worthy of respect, then yeah, I guess that's rude. The dance world may want little girls to be silent and obedient, but let's look at the bigger picture here: it's better not to be.

(Her mom, though: that's a different story. Frankly it's a miracle that JoJo's as good a kid as she is, with a Dance Mom like that raising her. Yikes.)

Image copyright Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition/Lifetime