Lifetime's 'Dance Moms' Reaches New Depths: Girls as Young as 8 Dance Burlesque in Nude Bikinis

Lifetime network's Dance Moms -- a show similar to TLC's Toddlers and Tiaras -- will be sure to raise pulses after reaching what many will consider new depths of child exploitation. In one of its recent episodes, the show's resident dance instructor asked her child-contestants -- some as young as eight-years-old -- to dress in nude-colored bikinis and perform a burlesque routine on stage.

Burlesque, of course, is longtime dance form in which its moves are purposefully sexually suggestive. Most burlesque dancers eventually strip down to full nudity, or merely don apliques in lieu of clothing.

Yet somehow, the folks at Lifetime, along with these young girls' mothers, think the routine permissible.

Even more shockingly, a clip from this week's show features dance teacher Abby Lee Miller dressing the children in neutral colored bikinis to give the impression of nudity, before asking them to act as if a man "can't afford" them.

After Miller announced that the young contestants must "act like showgirls" and dance as if they were "completely topless," she showed not a glimpse of remorse as she brushed off parent's concerns by reciting a tough: "this is showbiz and you have to get used to it" mantra in front of the camera.

Below is a clip from Lifetime's featuring the episode. It's difficult to imagine this was not a put-on for ratings but in today's day and age, it may be real:

Below is a trailer for the show:

For reference, below are some of the most famous burlesque figures of our time. Are these the sultry women Dance Moms is suggesting these little girls portray?

(h/t: The Daily Mail)