Childhood Branding

As I was reading the article about how three year olds recognize and understand branding through the power of advertisement, it brought me back to my summer job as a nanny. I nannied two little girls, a three year old and a six year old. The more the article proved how kids can recognize this and shape their views on life, the more I realized that these girls totally are in the core of this. Not only are they playing on their iPad's all day and dancing to Rihanna songs, the are getting expensive, brand named clothing and refuse to wear anything else. The three year old knew exactly what she wanted to wear everyday. No matter how much I tried to help or give input on what she should wear for the day, if it wasn't this particular skirt with this shirt, she refused to put it on. The six year old showed me all the things her mom had bought her the day prior and she pulled out the trending shoes that have the hidden heal inside (they look like space sneakers with a flat bottom but have a hidden heel inside). A six year old wearing heels and refuses to wear them with nothing else but her Children's Place skinny jeans. Now I don't think that it is their fault that they are so focused on the things they are wearing and what brand or style it may be. They were born into this culture and lifestyle through nurture. The generations keep getting younger and younger and I think it's incredibly important to pay close attention to the materialism that is developing in very young children.