Little Beauties:

I guess the usual reaction to this is to think it's exploitative and deviant, which I do, but I also think it's kind of weak to point to it and suggest that it somehow evinces a deeper cultural psychology. I think this is a fringe practice, and I don't think it was created to please men. Instead, I think it was created to officialize and sanction an obsession with cuteness that is mostly harbored by older women. The sexualization of the girls is, I think, part of the usual topsy-turvy of the cute factor: like a puppy in sunglasses, or a little boy in a suit. Little kids dressing up like or acting like adults has a definite charm.

But, as with dolls and the Uncanny Valley, this charming precocity can spill over into seriously creepy territory.