Controversial 7 Year Olds Dancing to Beyonce’s Single Ladies Song

Sara 61

I’ve been hearing about this video for a couple of days but only just today got to actually see it. The girls involved are 7 and 8 year olds in a competition. Incredibly talented, or walking pedophile bait- what do you think?

  • Tdiddy

    this just adds to why girls have such poor body images. They are supposed to be “sexy” at 7 and 8. It’s ridiculous. Same reason beauty pageants are a joke.

    • Collin Tan

      they are performing their dance. not showing their body. people who feel that they are just slutting around are those people who dun understand what is dance. the costume is just to be pairing with the performance.

      • Kristine

        I’m sorry, the girls may be dancing, which as a dancer I can appreciate, however some of those moves are extremely inappropriate!!

        • Very Concerned

          I also feel that those moves are extremely inappropriate for young girls of their age to be performing!! What’s worse is that their parents don’t see the harm in allowing them to do this.

          This world is truly going to hell at a rapid rate.

    • Zil

      What bothers me is that this ends up setting a precedent for the actions to go on in these girls’ lives–regardless of whether they see it as sexual, I’d guess (note that this is mostly my speculation) that the success of these types of dances will encourage them to use most of the moves (including the dirtier ones) on the dance floor, sexualizing themselves without feeling sexualized and potentially confusing others with whom they dance. Perhaps it’d be different with other clothes (though some of the moves are distinctively sexual regardless of outfit), but it makes me a little uncomfortable. Most of the dance is fine, but I’d rather not see some of the grinding. But that’s just me.

    • Yup

      Is this supposed to be sexy? – Do you view this as sexy? Because, if you do…

      Personally I view this as 5 very, very talented dancers, who can move to a beat better than all the adults, let alone the children I know.

      Their dress, yes, I can understand that it may be perceived as a little risque, but I ask whether a child running around on the beach in a swimming costume – or even naked – having fun is also inappropriate?

      Personally, I do not see these girls as sexy. If you look past the clothes they’re wearing, and admire the fact that they must have worked damn hard to perfect that dance routine, I would argue the opposite to what you say:

      They should be seen as role models for the young as what is achievable when you work at something.

      • Maggie

        You are a blind, sad person!!

  • Jeremy

    Talented kids and pedophile bait. What parents in their right minds would let kids that young dress like whores?

    • Neci

      what kind of person would put the word “whore” in the same sentence with 7 & 8 year old girls

      • Jane

        Oh come on. They look like whores. It doesn’t matter how old they are, we can still use that word. You can replace it with “sluts,” or “prostitutes” but it still means the same thing. They look like trash.

        • Kristina

          This is true. The word ‘whore’ may not be fitting, but ‘tasteless’ is better. This is horrible.

    • Nicole

      I totally agree. Who in their right mind would allow their 7 or 8 yeah old to go dance in that costume? But then their parents did allow them to so who are we to be upset about it? Poor costume choice great dance talent! I am betting if the costumes were more age appropriate there would be no controversy here.

  • natatat

    wow….what kind of mother would ever let their daughter dance like that or much less dress like that????? child services should look into that

    • JT

      Child Protective Services? Really? Never mind the kids that are beaten, starving and neglected, CPS should run to the aide of these kids dancing, whose parents can not only afford dance lessons, AND costumes, AND I am sure a trip to where they were performing, yeah, hurry Superman and save them! And whores? Where can I find a whore that dresses like that?!?! All the whores I pick up… er… I mean lend money too, are missing teeth and have drug addictions, let alone the coherency to learn a dance routine! And not children before all you freaks go spamming that I’m a ped!

  • Dancer

    I can tell you right now that these outfits are no more scandalous than other dance uniforms that little girls where. They’re easy to move in, and they won’t overheat. As for the dancing, they girls are incredibly talents. Dancing does not equal sex, people. Also, are you all aware that households that are open about sexuality have children that wait longer to have sex, and when they do they’re more open, safe, and responsible about it? Women who are comfortable and familiar with their sexuality actually have a BETTER self image, and are less likely to suffer from depression. They are not telling these girls to go have sex, and, furthermore, the SONG is not ABOUT sex. It’s a powerful song, if you listen, about women being strong about their standards, being alone, and knowing that they are worth a lot without a man’s approval. I will put money down that these girls will all grow to be strong, smart, independent, and charismatic women.

    On a different note, with america’s skyrocketing obesity ratings, it’s a GOOD thing that these girls are active.

    • Kathy

      There are dance outfits out there that cover their bodies better that they can still move in AND show that they have respect for themselves!

    • AlmaGirl

      I completely agree with everything you say………………….if they were OLDER. 7 and 8 is a completely inappropriate age for this, 14, 15..ok fine yes this shows that they are proud of their bodies. But not at 7 or 8

      • Ava

        I think it would be much worse at a middle/high school age. At that point, the girls will be TRYING to be sexy and attract guys. Those little girls are dancing their hearts out because they want to dance. They don’t care if they are sexy, they don’t even know what that is! I think it’s awesome. The costumes could have covered more, but the only difference between it and other dance costumes is it wasn’t pastel colors! :)

        The song is empowering to women, the girls have phenomenal talent, I’d be proud to have my daughter dance like that, and it is not “sexualizing little girls”.

    • James

      Dancer,

      I agree with you that it is a good thing that these girls are in a physically demanding activity (dancing) that requires tremendous skill, dedication and practice. I also do not think the outfits are problematic; as you said they are nothing different than what dancers wear…this is not the 1920′s and females are no longer consider slutty if they show to much ankle.

      I guess my [respectful] disagreement with you is on the notion that the dance itself is not highly sexualized. While you are spot on that the lyrics and the message of the song pertain to female empowerment, the choreography serves as a sexual metaphor that is a supplement to the empowerment of females. I am assuming that the girls doing the dance have no idea that that is what they were doing in the dance. To them, I am sure they were simply working hard to perfect the choreography and put on the best show they could. So I do not think the parents should be chided for “sexualizing” the children.

      My only concern comes from how shadier elements of society will react to this video. Not that children should be held hostage by concerns over the atrocious intentions of pedophiles and sex offenders, but I can see how this could perpetuate some sick fantasy of dangerous sexual deviants. However, i see the flaw in my reasoning as if applied in a different context. it would be tantamount to me making the claim that a girl would not be raped if she had not dressed in a certain way. I guess my concerns over the video arise from a “gut reaction” as opposed to any easily articulated rationale or some outdated puritanical view of what is “appropriate.” Regardless, I get concerned with some of the comments seeking to ban such competitions and performances due to subjective notions of cultural morality that would seek to prohibit/restrict one’s right to intimate association (i.e. one’s ability to express themselves) in situations where a disinterested party (e.g. NOT the parents of these girls) takes issue with something that is none of their business. It would obviously be an entirely different story if this were a case of child pornography or other form of atrocious sexual exploitation of a child. However, a flawless interpretation of a song-that does not have any “R Rating” or warning of “Explicit or suggestive lyrics” by these young ladies is probably not something people should panic over.

    • deb

      As a mother of a competition dancer….well, I couldn’t have put it any better myself…

  • Jessica

    PLEASE are there any other videos????

  • Lou

    It is really crazy but in terms of paedo’s, any psychologist will tell you that a paedo is attracted to children and the image of children, not as most people think, children dressed up as adults.

    A second thing is that when we were all kids, we all dressed up in silly clothes and put on discos and performances, this isn’t that different.

    However, I do think it creates a real problem of sexualising girls far too early. And the issue this creates is not about paedo’s but more that these girls that are far more likely to allow boys their own age to get further with them. Girls are losing their virginity younger and younger, and boys their age have become used to seeing women as purely sexual.

    Unfortunately this is not a win win situation. You can’t tell celebrities to calm it down as that is censorship and you can’t stop kids from wanting to be like their pop idols.

    Parents need to take the reigns here and decide what limits to place for their kids. E.g., allow them to imitate Beyonce (they will anyway), but whilst wearing appropriate clothing and not child bikinis.

  • Kathy

    My 12 year old daughter goes to dance competitions and we see this kind of crap all the time and it totally disgusts myself and the other parents in our group. I don’t see how any parent could allow there young daughters to dance like this. It’s a shame. It’s really not the girls fault, it’s the fault of the parents,the studio instructors and the promotors of the dance competitions to allow this type of dancing at this age. It’s no wonder we have teen (and younger) pregnancies….

  • Alvin

    Holy shit, pedo bait or not, these girls are extremely talented and if they continue dancing they’ll have a great future ahead of them!

  • cynthia

    To dancer:First off do you have kids and if so any girls?! Probably not right that’s why u r saying the crap u r. First off no mother should let their child especially a girl dress like this!!! Why?! In the long run dressing them like this will come back and bite u in the a@#$ because when they get to 16 they r going to ask you why they cant dress the way they did when they were younger and what will Ur comeback be?! Nothing and i will tell you why…..cause if they r allowed to dress like this as kids then u wont be able to control them when they get older. I have a 7 year old and she wants to do cheer but if they expect for her to dress like this it would a big no no for me and her daddy. Dancing can be sexual and no maybe they r not telling this Lil girls to have sex but here is the thing can you imagine a pedophile watching this?! I cant even begin to tell you what they could be doing to themselves while watching something like this!!! Think about it before you go and say some shit you know nothing about!!!!

  • OddestOtter

    I’m a teen, throwing that out there, and I know for a fact that as a younger girl, I used to do stuff like this. I used to dance around and dress in little girl bikinis. I’m in favor of the little girls. They’re doing what they love to a song they obviously loved. They shouldn’t take shit about it if they loved what they were doing. As far as the outfits go, they obviously didn’t care. They don’t have any boobs right now anyway. Now, if they’re doing this at age twelve, where they DO have boobs, then there’s a slight problem, because it’s at the point to where they should know better. I’m 16 right now and don’t do this kind of stuff anymore. I spend my time with soccer. But at least they’re staying active as well, and doing what they love at such a young age.

  • AlmaGirl

    I would just like to say that i used to dance as a child, and we did competitions , and we were pretty damn good and we NEVER did anything like this, at least not till we were older, say middle-school/high-school. Yes, these girls are talented, but there are ways to show that talent off without sexualizing little girls. This really goes to the parent though, personally if my daughters coach showed me this was the outfit my 7 year old daughter would be wearing, she would not be competing, simple as that.

    And Oddest Otter? There’s a difference between little girl bikinis and stripper costumes complete with boots which is what they are in

  • Dancer

    Dearest Cynthia, learn how to use punctuation.

    Also, I do have children, two actually, and I know quite a lot about sexuality and children.
    Girls who know about sex and are strong and comfortable about it are generally NOT the girls who cause teen pregnancy issues. Those are the girls raised in households where sex is evil. They’re ashamed to ask for condoms and they’re not taught about birth control. They get pregnant from ignorance or fear, and by no fault but their parents’.

    Furthermore, as was said above, paedophelia is NOT spurred by children dressing like adults. It is spurred by CHILDREN, just being children. They’re more likely to get a paedo to touch himself or them while in their Sunday’s best, pigtails, mary-janes, and milk moustache.

    I am talking about things I know, you, obviously, are not.

  • Collin Tan

    They are great~ we should support them
    why should we hide thier talent. its a discrimination towards those kids performing on international stages. Dance is for every people who exist, regardless their age, religion, and races. why you all were thinking about sex onli? how about showing some appreciation towards their incredible dance moves? they should be training day and night to be so good. Why they can’t be sexy in the age of 7? its the same when you were dressing sexy at the age of 18. Or you people prefer to be sexy in the age of 80? in this century, human should be more open minded and stop criticize what people good at. this performance is 100% not related to any issue about sex. pedophile was a psychological disorder. So they should care their own **** before blaming others. AlmaGirl- i completely disagree with you. we shouldn’t be proud of our body at the age of 7?

  • k7apple

    that was adorable. those girls can dance and they are confident in themselves and they’re little bodies. good for them! the only people that have a problem with this are old or prude or repressed and uncomfortable with their own bodies and sexuality, because for these girls this has nothing to do with sex, it just a fun song to do a dance to. I’m a young person of 22 yrs, trust me and welcome to the new generation of confident girls who will become confident women soon enough.

    • Unwantedreamzmail

      You know what I see from confident women these days? No self respect. Go ahead and applaud them but you do them no sevice in that action. You may be 22yo but it seems as if that is a very immature 22.

      Being a confident woman should has nothing to do with it. What would the women who fought for your equal rights say about the current situation where by large you have women lowering their standards and tossing self respect out the window in the name of being confident. I’m a 28 yo male and I wouldn’t let my daughter do this because it is confusing.

      If anything the thought processes you exibit would do nothing but confuse a child. What we see here some people call art. Take it out of the competition setting and put it in a bar and it is called dry humping.

  • Mike

    As a 44 year old Australian bloke, this is sickening.
    My gut reaction is this is just wrong, the expression “only in america” comes to mind, a very poor reflection of US culture

    • Timi

      Mike, actually, this is kind of surprising to see in America. The latin american countries have a much more laxed view of things like this. Also, I take it you’ve never seen “Ballet Blue”? It’s from Spain. The reason that this is making such a fuss is that it is from the US. If it were from anywhere else, it would most likely barely be mentioned.

  • Marie

    I think there needs to balance on what is age appropriate for our young children. In reading the previous posts I can see why this is so controversial. Yes, the little girls are extremely talented and they dance incredibly well. Is the way they dance age appropriate? No! But do they don’t know this. It’s our pop culture that has thought young girls that in order to succeed you need to make yourself a sex symbol, and parents have allowed this. I Look at the shows kids watch these days, compared to what I used to, and they are all about dating, sex, kissing, etc. (and I’m only 25). Music videos have naked girls dancing, it’s always more about sexuality than the actual talent of music and dancing. This is what we’re feeding kids these days… they are growing up too quick!
    My parents were always open about talking about sex, yet they would never have allowed me to dress or dance like that at that age, because it’s not age appropriate.
    Unfortunately, this is the way it is! If our society doesn’t see anything wrong with this, then we can only expect it to get worse.

    • James

      So you would advocate restrictions on freedom of expression/speech even though there are no laws being broken? Who sets the standards? What if a very loud minority suddenly decides that hip hop dancing should be banned because it celebrates and condones African American pop culture? What if people determine that moving your hips like elvis is too sexualized. Please check the 200+ years of Supreme Court Cases on Freedom of Speech, Expression, and Association before making such ignorant comments.

      • Marie

        Never in my comment did I state there should be restrictions on freedom of expression nor implied that this type of dancing should be banned. I simply stated that the way these girls were dancing was not appropriate for their age.
        I’m sorry, but if you think that bending down while shaking your butt in a sensual way is not sexual, then you are the ignorant! And if you did a little bit of research you would find out that Hip Hop was originally breakdancing in baggy clothes, not women half naked dancing sexually like it’s portrayed in current music videos.
        Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for all ages.

  • Dancemom`

    My daughter has been competing for a while now. We see stuff similar to this at every competition. There are talented young dancers everywhere. However, this is not the route I would want my child going. There is a fine line between great technique and gyrating. These girls have talent and self confidence…so do many other dancers who are not dancing and dressing seductively at age 7-8. I am thankful that our choreographers select age appropriate costumes, music and dance techniques for our children. I would never have allowed my daughter to dress or dance like this at this age. Beyonce wore a full black leotard in the “Single Ladies” video.

  • Julie

    OMMMGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!! what crap is this video Quote: this is how sluts are born!!!!!!! sorry to say. They are good dancers but put some CLOTHES ON!!!!!

  • customcartoons

    Quite simply, if the girls had one-piece leotards covering their midriffs, and about 5 fewer hip-thrusts, this dance would have been just fine.

    Ironically, I’d have been far, far more uncomfortable seeing 12-14 year olds do this (Yikes!!), with more developed (read: distracting) bodies, than these high-energy 7-yr olds. There are several points in the dance, esp. the kicks and spins, where their sheer talent pulls you out of the controversey, and becomes the real show, as it should. :)

    But, yes, in short: less skin, and no teens, thank you. I also found Mike from Austrailia’s one-sided jab at the USA, rather uncalled for.

  • Cassandra

    YOU GO GIRLS!!! YOU GOT THE MOVES!!
    What a ridiculous heap of hipe! These girls are wicked little dancers and should not be critisized for showing the best of their abbilities in a competition setting. The fact that they have based this routine on a chipettes take off of the overly sexual Beyonce video, says much more about commercialism being forced on young children than about the kids that trying to keep up with it. The song had already been adapted to sute a younger audience.
    Ok, they may be scantily clad, but I have seen 2 year olds in pagents wearing less, and that is ‘apparently’ alright. They are also wearing more than beyonce.
    Be proud girls!! your amaizing, Just try not to dance past anyone with a leg fetish. :)

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  • Anna

    Sure, these kids have talent. Is it misused? For sure. Their parents should be teaching them how to have respect for themselves without showing off their bodies as much as possible.

    I don’t know why so many people think that 7 year olds are stupid. They DO know what sex is… Kids are curious, by the time they reach 7-8 they understand whats always right in their face (via music videos, movies, TV shows, ect.) They may not understand it fully, but they are not completely oblivious to the existence of sex.

    So why is it that parents are allowing their children to behave so sexually at such a young age? Isn’t it the parents that are being a bit oblivious here?

    It’s encouraging them to mask talent with sex, because that sells. Quite frankly, I think that teaching children this only influences them to go throughout life treating sex like something they can sell.

  • Rachel

    I can’t believe some of these posts I’m reading. This is absolutely ridiculous! Yeah, they’re talented girls, they can dance, but how far is too far? The talent is being completely masked by them looking like mini prostitutes! What kind of parent would let their 7 year old dance around in that in public? It’s sad for the kids because 1) They’re obviously going to be criticized for what they’re doing by lot of people 2) It’s a sexual predators fantasy and putting them in danger and 3) It’s leading them down the wrong direction. They should be dancing to show off their talent, not their bodies, and people who dance like that in those outfits are generally trying to show off their bodies rather than talents.

    Unfortunately, in our society sex sells more than talent, so this kind of talent should be expressed with as less sex as possible, especially in children. It’s sad that these children are being criticized when it should be the parents and/or the instructor. Those girls were just dancing their hearts out and not knowing how they were being looked at. They can definitely dance without being so obscene.

    But anyone who doesn’t see anything wrong with putting these girls in this position is completely intellectually bankrupt. If this is what America has come to, I’m sad for our country and our future.

  • Ana

    You americans are a damn hypocrates. The dirty is on the eyes of the ones who see it.

  • Christina

    I think the dancing is kind of incredible. I’m 26 and there’s no way I could shake it like that. I think the outfits could have been a little bit more discreet, but I won’t fault the little girls for that. That should have been an adult decision.

    But the dancing itself? Pretty amazing little gals.

  • sandy

    I have to agree, we have crossed a line. I don’t think they should have been showing their bellies or making certain suggestive moves. It’s like the Ms. America pageant and those photos they did this year- every year it gets pushed a little farther and it’s not OK. I danced all through childhood and loved it, we were high energy but never showed that much skin- if skin appeared to be shown it was a “nude” leotard or tights. It’s much like swears on TV, from the time George Jefferson said Damn, a new word has been slipped in every year, it’s like it’s slowly become OK, and well, it’s not OK with me. I want kids to have fun being kids. Guess I’m fighting the main stream.

  • steph

    i don’t think the dance itself is that bad. the girls are super talented and too young to be consciously dancing in a sexy way. and the song isn’t about sex at all. however, the costumes are quite inappropriate. the dance could’ve been done just as well in plain black leotards – after all, that’s what beyonce wears in the video!

  • J-J

    WTF is up with everyone these days? Just cause some kids wear some skimpy outfits an dance around doesnt mean theyre gonna get kidnapped by pedos an it doesnt mean thats what theyre aimin for. Everyone needs to get off this goddamn pedo wagon an see that ACTUALLY the world ISNT full of people that want to hump kids, or people that want to make their kid look 18 when theyre 6. How about you see it for what it actually was, cute kids doin a cute thing and doing it incredibly well. Praise them for what they do good dont tell them not to do it because the outfits chosen for them are skimpy. Hell most the kids in my neighborhood used to run around in the summer near enough naked when we were 7 or 8 and out of about 20 of us non of us got kidnapped or abused.. Stop trying to fault everything and making out everything is bad and see stuff for the good points. If you only want to see bad you only will, but if you want the world to be a nicer place then loosen the reigns a little an let kids have some freedom an stop thinkin every 2 goddamn seconds someones gonna kidnap em, it happens yeah course it does, but you only hear about it so much now compared to a few years ago because of how quickly info can spread.
    ^ that goes for pagents too, you only hear/see anything “controversial” with them because how quick info can spread, doesnt mean it hasnt always happened.

    tldr; Nothin pedo-esc in the video just brilliantly talented kids.

  • Hughster

    I just don’t get why they keep trying to accentuate their breasts, both with certain moves and with their costume. They don’t have breasts, so it just looks wrong. haha I would personally prefer that these girls did a kind of dance more like belly dancing. They would get just as much exercise and they be doing something actually beautiful, not just sexually alluring.

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  • Guinevere

    Let’s only hope that pedobear doesn’t see this!!!

  • Beka

    I wont’ deny that these girls are increcibly talented, but they could have easily shown their talent with a dance that was a little less sexual. There is absolutely no reason for little girls to be bumping and grinding in tiny little outfits. The directors could have picked another song, or even used the same song, but with less sexualized dance moves, shown off the girl’s talent just as well, but without making them look so slutty.

  • cassie

    well in the film clip byonce wears a leotard.I can see why so many people have a problem with the outfits and perhaps they could of dressed them the same as byonce however lets face it its a song where u shake ur bits to and so regardless of outfit choice they would look pretty silly doing any other dance style to this song.I watched this on a morning show which was putting forward this same question.I agree with customcartoons,Id be far more uncomfortable watching 12-15 yr olds doing the same thing.The dancing talent shown by these girls is amazing.I have a 7yr old and yes i wouldnt let her walk around the supermarket dressed like that till she was 25 lol,it is a completely different enviroment these girls were in.I say well done keep at it and their parent should be proud of their talented kids.

  • erica

    This is very, very, sad to me. Yes, these girls are talented but why the need for the costumes and the sexually explicit dance moves. I am sorry to all of you who call it “dancing” – spreading your legs and bumping and grinding in a 2 piece outfit and stocking is sexually based. They are 7 and 8 – Even Beyonce wears more in the video. What is even more sad is that parents think this is ok.

  • madie

    OMG there amazing dancers!!!!!!! i cant do that im 12 years old, but who cares if there costumes is like that like seriously?? there too young to know. So just shutup LOOK AT HOW GREAT THEY DANCE holy LIEK SERIOUSLY OMG LIKE AHHH. Basically there the COOLEST PEOPLE I’VE EVER SEEN

  • who?

    wow, I don’t Agree with any of you. I think the girls in a few year will see what everyone has said.. think of them it really said how much Blown out of water this has become. Guess no one watched the Chicky Monkeys in BGT? Yall have Trashed these Girls lives with everyone’s comments

  • andrew

    8 YEAR GIRLS SHOULD NOT BE POPPIN PERIOD.

  • Shelby

    Couple of things here… One what dance instructor would teach this to little girls, two the outfits are specifically designed to make them look older than seven, three what parent is ok with this, and four why don’t we just send em to prostitute school now because all this is setting them up for is being outcasts or whores. Having sex at 8 may be ok in other countries but I don’t think we should encourage it here. Where is DCFS on this kind of thing its pretty damn close to child porn… they might as well be naked.

  • stella

    you people can’t just sit back and see this as a group of amazingly talented young girls who are going to grow up to be something great. they are inspiring. all you people care about is the provacativeness of their moves or outfits or whatever. That’s not the point, they got up on the stage to show-off their talent. If you can’t appreciate dance, then don’t watch it.

  • Thinker

    Even as a dancer and understand that um…. showy two piece wear doesn’t over heat and is easier to move in, 7 and 8 year olds shouldn’t be incouraged to wear this stuff even to the beach. By allowing them to wear this stuff we are teaching them that this is how the world works. That you have to look er… older I guess you could say in order to prove yourself. I find a leotard, tights, and loose thin pants work just as well. It’s sad to see such talented people be absorbed in the sick thoughts we have taught them. Plus, alot of these dance moves are not needed. And for those of you who think it “fits” the song. If the choreographer did stumble on such whore dance moves he could have just requested to have the song changed. It is much more disturbing than I thought it would be. I think their parents are very stupid for letting their children participate in such a disturbing expirience. The feeling of being on stage is noncomparable, but find another way to expirience it.

  • Mendoza122

    i am rite their that was me when i was 7

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