Getting my panties in a wad

I'm not sure when I became such a prude, but evidently, it happened when I became the mom of curious Kindergartner.

You see, lately, whenever we go to the mall, we happen to pass nearly life-sized ads for Victoria's Secret, featuring scantily clad models in their skivvies, posing oh so provocatively. And my daughter, being the inquisitive person she is, always asks me why there are photos of ladies in their underwear and what they are doing in the mall. Now, pre-kids, I would have never given such advertisements a second thought. But now that I'm a mommy, it dawns on me that it is a bit confounding that I would get arrested for indecent exposure if I showed up at my local shopping center in a bra and panties, but yet it is perfectly acceptable for massive pictures of other women in their unmentionables to be plastered all over the place.

When did I become this person who is bothered by things like this? I mean, I even worked part-time at Victoria's Secret when I was in college! I remember when people raised a red flag about tv shows they deemed were inappropriate for kids being aired before bedtime hours and I thought, "Well, if they don't like it, they can change the channel." And in the 1980's when Tipper Gore waged her campaign against obscene lyrics in music, I recall thinking that she didn't have to listen to it if it bothered her so much and that most parents would be smart enough not to tune into those songs with kids around.

Ah, to be young and naive again!

The problem is, when I walk through the mall with my kids, I can't really avoid, or even know ahead of time, where these ads are located. And the idea of avoiding the mall entirely with kids in tow is just not realistic. Plus, I doubt kid-friendly venues like Gymboree and The Gap would be very happy if moms like me were dissuaded from giving them business if we could only shop sans children. But unlike a radio or television, I can't change the channel, so to speak, or rather, prevent my kids from seeing such inappropriate images when we are doing something as innocuous as shopping.

I'm not out to have my daughter be ashamed of her body or feel self-conscious about it in any way. At home, she knows that it's ok to ask for privacy, but it's also ok for mommy or daddy to be with you while you are changing or in the bathroom. She's showered with me on many occasions and I never feel self-conscious around her in the comfort of our own home. It's just hard to explain to her that it's not socially acceptable for her to walk around in her panties or bathing suit while we are out shopping for new school clothes, yet there's a photo of a scantily clad woman right as we walk in the door to the mall.

Is this the price I pay for freedom of expression these days? I know there have been controversies with advertisements in the past (ie: Abercrombie & Fitch and their risque ad campaigns) but as a mom, I'm extra-sensitive to images that are just "out there" rather than hidden away in a magazine for me to censor appropriately.

I'm curious to hear what other moms think. Am I in danger of joining the conservative party or is my paranoia in this case somewhat justified?