The young mother held her daughter’s hand as the tiny girl leapt off the curb, hustled ahead, then slowed down–her mother’s arm was a satisfactory tether. The open-air shopping center had enough square footage, shops, restaurants, and parking to keep people busy as long as they wished.  There were not crowds in most areas, but there was something of a congregation as the mother and child approached Victoria’s Secret. The doors to the shop were propped open and the remarkable perfumes flooded the sidewalk.  A furious looking woman in underwear took up the whole window display–her hair tousled by professionals, her airbrushed body revealed, her brow furrowed with allure.  The mother moved her daughter to hold her other hand, putting a barrier between child and the shop.  Yet, the small girl gazed up at the advertisement, taking in this creature.

And as they passed this ideal she pointed, in case…