Website features pre-teen girls scantily clothed, modeling or pornography?
A central Florida man is under fire for running a website that features pre-teen girls (models) who are photographed while scantily clothed. The public is growing more incensed and allegations of child pornography are hurled at photographer, David Hardman. What type of clothing are the pre teen models wearing, you ask? We’re talking about young girls between the age of 10-17 years old wearing thong underwear and lingerie posing in bathtubs or lying on beds.
The parents of these girls sign a consent form, agreeing for their children to be photographed. They are also paid $500.00 for the shoot. Is this child exploitation? Is it a crime in Florida? Is it legal to buy these videos? Is this child pornography? Is David Hardman a pedophile?
These questions and more have been asked across Tampa Bay. The Tampa Topix forum has hundreds of comments from outraged parents calling for the website to be shut down.
Lori from Land O Lakes, Florida wrote, “The guy is sick and should be put out of his misery. I saw his website and [sic] its disgusting. What kind of parent would let their child pose for a sicko like this? I am sorry, but they are just as sick. I feel so sorry for the children. Our world needs a serious makeover
. Evil has taken over......”
If you think the authorities can step in and shut down Hardman’s website, think again. Under Florida law what Hardman is doing is absolutely legal because the parent’s have given consent. WFTV, who reported on David Hardman several years ago for another website he created, says that Hardman is careful not to step over the boundaries and break the law.
Topix reader Vanessa left her comments regarding the legality of the situation. She asked, “Yeah how can this be legal?? Because the parents are ok with it?! Something is wrong here and I don't understand how this schmuck can get away with blatant child pornography! Wake up people! 13 year olds in thongs etc is not modeling. it's child porn and this guy should be put out of business and put away.”
What are your thoughts? Would you let your child participate in a similar photo shoot in order to promote her modeling career?
Please leave your comments below.
Comments
There is a federal law concerning 2257. I would think there must be some sort of crime here.
Actually it is illegal. Models do not have to be naked if it falls under "lewd and lascivious".
People have been convicted under this at least twice in the USA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_erotica#Legal_issues_in_the_United_St...
Even if the legal basis is tricky, prosecutors should go after them anyway because most people would be desperate for a plea as it would be very difficult to win over a jury for obvious reasons.
Great idea about the prosecution. The US has so many laws, I'm sure a prosecutor could make *something* stick - on anyone, not just this guy.
And of course, just the accusation will incline the jury to vote guilty - why, Helen Keller couldn't escape a charge of possessing child pornography in today's climate, and being deaf and blind she couldn't have stopped anyone from planting the evidence either - although, of course, seeing how easy it is to breach the average user's computer security, most people - even with all five senses in good working order and paying attention - wouldn't even be aware if the cops or someone else planted child pornography on their computer.
But there's no doubt we have to act! After all, child sexual abuse has been proven to be the fifth most harmful type of child abuse, after physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse and emotional neglect. We can't just sit on the sidelines, and if some innocent people accidentally go to jail and end up on the sex offender list for the rest of their life, that's just the price society will have to pay for protecting our children!
What a hullabaloo about nothing.
You Americans should learn that children posing for photographs does not automatically constitute child pornography.
You should also stop letting that puritan ethic control your every moment. Educate your children properly about sex, drop the age of consent to a reasonable value, 14 or less, in line with the age of puberty and start keeping your kids out of jail and off those pernicious sex offender registries which do more harm than good.
Why associate a puritan ethic to a topic that is antithetical to the questions being asked Mr stupid? How about basing your obviously unsubstantiated response on the very ethics codes developed by the Art and Film Industries prior to the years (1965 to present ) when AMericans became stupid and stopped learning due to the socialist agenda of dumbification of America - Your response directly mirrors your ignorance about the issues asked. I make my living as a image maker - paintings drawings prints and photography and the esthetic boundaries between beauty art and what might be mistaken as pornography are very difficult to determine sometimes. Please find a brain from some road kill that a physician might transplant into your skull to replace the one you lack -- then perhaps you might express your uninformed self at that point.
Guess we should arrest every parent for taking a picture of their kid in the bathtub or backyard pics of them playing in a swimming pool wearing ... oh my gosh ... just a bathing suit.
Guess we should also go after the teen magazines on the shelves ... Teen Vogue, etc. ... for taking modeling pics of young teens and selling them for a profit. Heck we could name Barnes and Noble as co-defendants for being in on the profit.
Also, let's go after some teen actresses that appeared nude on film before the age of 18. Brooke Shields would be the most popular.
You people are a bunch of prudes.
My daughter wants to be a preteen model so I started to look into to it on the internet and what I found repulsed me. I do not think it is right for a girl to be clothed and placed in these erotic positions to me it is smut and illegal. Then I came across this article and had to comment. This man has broken fed. laws and so has the parents. It is erotic photos put across borders over the internet which would be fed. laws being broke. I have seen men put away for much less. these photos are exploiting our children and something should be done even if Florida can't do anything. And I can say without a doubt my daughter will not be taking part in this trash.
That is so sick
I am a mom myself , my daugter wanted to be a model. That man is so vile and cruel>
SOCIETY HAS gone through an evolutional paradigm shift...... little girls everywhere are dressing sexy... take a look around!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!