Xou da Xuxa

Finally, a children's show that does what a children's show should do -- let children be children. There are no force-fed messages, very few lessons to learn -- just 30 minutes of non-stop singing, dancing, and fun. Also, unlike American children's shows, Xuxa, the female host, and her assistants didn't feel the need to tone down their look to be "mumsy". These were young, vibrant, pretty women and proud of it -- and something for the little girls in the audience to aspire to. We have the idea in America that beauty is somehow lightweight or not of value. Not so with The Xuxa Show. Xuxa showed a version of femininity that has never been a feature of American children's TV and probably would be extremely controversial. (Sigh) I loved this show.