This has gone way too far

I generally have a problem with the fetishizing of celebrity pregnancy and babies. From the co-opting of the British slang "bump" to the "Is she pregnant?" articles to the rush to get the first pic of a newborn, it's all too unsettling for me.

Even US Weekly editor Janie Min admitted last year that "Pregnancy mania is running so high right now that often we get photos in from agencies and the captions from the agencies read, 'Is she pregnant or did she just have a big meal?' It's very Salem witch trials, but in a more positive way of course. We hunt down and find the next pregnant person."

I don't really see anything positive about this coverage. It reduces a celebrity mom to a sexual role only, discounting her actual career accomplishments. It sends a message that no matter how successful and talented you may be, your only real purpose in life is to procreate.

And when the first pictures of baby Shiloh Jolie-Pitt were published last week, this celebrity baby obsession reached a creepy critical mass.

Fan and gossip sites all over the Web published the photos (only to be quickly deleted when threatened with lawsuits) and fans chimed in on such weighty subjects as the "love in Angie's eyes as she gazes at Brad," etc. The most disturbing comments, though, had to do with Shiloh's facial features and speculation about whether or not she'd be "hot" when she got older.

Men said they couldn't wait to see how she looks in 15 to 20 years. There were comments about "sexy baby lips" and even the New York Post called her "the sexiest baby alive."

And now a site has gone way over the line and posted a countdown clock that ticks off every second until this poor baby turns 18. Now pedophiles everywhere can salivate over this newborn, picturing the day when she becomes "legal" and, presumably, fair game to the male American public.

Somehow, this kind of coverage needs to stop. Children are sexualized at too early an age as it is, and this kind of thinking is about as sick as it comes.