Astute.

I spent 25 years in the pop machine and could tell you stories that would make your toes curl. It's always been this way - boys and girls controlled, bribed into sex, coerced into drug habits, and the younger the better. Some of the worst perpetrators are household names. Fame and money...

Alastair Johnson, Alicante, Spain

She creates employment. End of story.

kd, LA, USA

I think it's ridiculous to critise Britney for her X-Factor perfromance. Half of the acts that appeared to sing on the show as special guests mimed. "Same Difference" mimed during their performance and even the X-factor finalists mimed their version of "Hero" when they had to sing it.

Edward Coleman, Ryde,

Britney's appearance on The X-Factor was, in my opinion, insulting.

Here's a show which is supposed to hunt out talent, and judges them based on their live singing performance.

What does Britney do? She mimes, on a show dedicated to celebrating live performance. Shocking.

Sam, Cambridge, UK

I agree that objectifying shows like the article describes are disturbing, but kids naturally become 'sexualized' when they hit puberty. Anyone railing at western culture and suggesting that, left to their own devices, all teenagers would be asexual until they hit 18 is deluding themselves.

Andy, London,

Im all against the sexualising of young children. I get annoyed when my partner puts make up on my 10 yr old BUT Britney was 17 in THAT video, she was legally allowed to have children at 16!
Parents need to take more responsibilty, simple isnt it?

Nick Sutcliffe, Thrapston,

Normally when people have suffered a mental breakdown a return to work afterwards is seen as part of recovery. Who are you to judge Britaney's state of mind, her fitness to return to her job, or to what extent life as child-hood star effected what is reported to be bi-polar disorder.

jim, london,

Sheri - I also read that book and agree: it hits the nail firmly on the head. So difficult for children/teenagers to nurture honest friendships and innocent pleasures against this kind of background.

Nick, Exeter, Devon

Discussions like these always remind me when I was walking through a department store and saw underwear for sale with cherries on them marked for 5-10 year olds.
I thought to myself what kind of a world do we live in when main stream companies encourage the sexualisation of kids

Alex, Edinburgh,

I recently read a book called 'Blind Faith' by Ben Elton. It perfectly demonstrates the kind of culture we are heading towards. I've recently turned 18 and am fully aware of the amount of sexualisation in todays society. My 8 year old cousin copies dances from raunchy music videos.

Sheri, Swansea,

Precisely. There is something hypocritical, and just plain stupid, about a society that panics about paedophiles on every corner while permitting the blatant sexual objectification of children (e.g. Brittany's early pics). Children should be portrayed as, and allowed to be children until grown up.

Nick, Ipswich, UK

There's only one reason.

Money.

There is no "artist development" in music anymore (on the front end), and more importantly, no time for the mainstream artist to develop musically.

Get the product out, blitz the marketing, repeat.

We are in the disposable-lighter period of modern music.

Bradley, Los Angeles, USA

Totally agree. The sexualisation of young girls is out of control and should be of real concern to us all.

ange, London,