The kid in the photo below, taken for French Vogue's most recent publication, is ten years old.  She is dressed up like a prostitute, complete with what are vulgarly termed "f**k me" stiletto heels.  Posed as a seductress with a prematurely suggestive, come-hither pout on her lips, she surely is alluring -- for pedophiles, that is.

Is there anyone out there who defends the latest trend toward younger and younger fashion models outrageously posed as sexual bait for perverts?

The answer, at least as far as fashion expert Anne Riley-Katz is concerned, is "Yes." 

Ms. Riley-Katz, according to Fox Entertainment, said that while such photo shoots might indeed push boundaries, that doesn't mean they are wrong.  She relies heavily on the traditional hiding place for the fashion industry; namely the world of "art," which apparently is off-limits when it comes to the morality of portraying ten year old girls as sluts.  She says of art, apparently one of the few inviolable refuges for complete scoundrels:

"The creative and artistic direction in the fashion world is intended to be far afield from traditional commercial advertisement, often by being outrageous. The photographers, makeup artists and stylists will most certainly be adults, and for luxury and high fashion ads, will be very experienced - they want the best for the ads. Does that make them pedophiles? I would strongly disagree," she said. "The ads make more of a statement. Whether that translates into sales for a luxury label is harder to measure, but it creates unmistakable - and valuable - brand awareness. There may be questionable innuendo in the ads, but short of pornography or something actually illegal, it's near impossible to regulate taste level."

Ms. Riley-Katz, is also on record defending the fashionable use of the burka, some images of which can be found here. After all, she said in a recent article in Myloredofox.com, using Islamic dress could be viewed in either a positive or negative light.

"It's risky in the regard that it might be construed as offensive - both in terms of trivializing traditional Islamic dress and may be seen by Westerners as glamorizing what is considered the oppression of women in Islamic culture," she said. "The flip side of that is that some, perhaps designers themselves, might see it as an attempt to integrate elements of Islamic culture into the Western view; a visual way of melding cultures and generating acceptance."

Of course. I'm sure Western women can't wait to add the burka to their wardrobes.

So tolerating the exposure of children to pedophiles and seeking to accustom Western women to burka-like clothing styles is just a matter of "art" and "taste."  No moral questions need be involved.

Such sleazy reasoning is merely a thin veneer for disguising the truth behind the veil and the stiletto-wearing children. The real reason the fashion world is pushing the envelope is because sexual scandal and cultural shocks make lots of money.

The result: Even little girls are to be the sacrificial lambs offered to the gods of Sex and Mammon.