Taylor Momsen...

To be perfectly honest, I had never heard of this girl until a couple of weeks ago. Or if I had, then it had not really registered as being anything special. However, it seems that it is getting increasingly difficult to avoid knowing more than one wants to about this 17-year-old with a penchant for trouble and going beyond the edge of the "appropriate" line.

Yet, the latest antics which involve exposing her 17-year-old mammary glands to a whole lot of music fans attending The Pretty Reckless concert at Don Hill's in New York City last week. The idea of an underage girl flashing her 'assets' is disturbing. However, it would seem that Momsen had thought this through sort of as the most naughty bits of her assets were covered with gaffer tape. So, this begs the question "did she really flash or not?" I ask this question in a strict legal sense. If you cannot see the naughty bits, then has she committed a crime by doing what she did.

It is a desperate act of sensationalism, agreed. But, is it illegal?

Needless to say, there has been plenty of outrage in the cyber-sphere about how bad and evil this is, and why it is high time her parents intervened and brought her under much stricter parental control. Maybe they should. Sometimes it is easier said than done. There are plenty of parents out there in the real world who will attest to that!

Momsen's antics sort of make the attempts by Miley Cyrus to portray a more adult image look pretty tame. In fact, the recent kerfuffle about the of-age GQ photo shoot by the stars of Glee look almost angelic in comparison.

I have no qualms about posting the picture of the gaffer-taped breast bearing shenanigans of Taylor Momsen. Simply, what is under those pink little stars is gaffer tape. There is nothing to see!

However, whether these sorts of actions are appropriate for a 17-year-old is a different debate to the strict legal one. Whether Momsen has any obligations to behave in a particular way because she is a role model is worth a thought. Ultimately, though perhaps the consumer is the one who needs to be pro-active here. Is this a case of supply and demand, the larger the demand for the sensational from her the more she strives to satisfy that demand. Chicken or the egg?

I wonder whether the producers of Gossip Girls are going to reprimand her for her silliness and stupidity? Or, do the ratings outcomes justify the means and the ends in this case? If what Momsen did was bad, then advertisers could conceivably pull the plug on all the advertising that they do on the show, right? This might make a statement that would have people taking notice for all the right reasons; certain behaviour is not tolerated and will cost you.

The final point is that perhaps this stupidity on Momsen's part will lead to a more sustained argument about the sexualisation of our children and who drives this, adults or the children themselves.