The documentary Little Big Girls by director Hélène Choquette sheds light on the phenomenon of early-onset puberty. Today, it isn’t unusual to see the earliest signs of puberty in girls younger than the age of 9, though this was not the case a few decades ago. The result, inevitably, is a disconnect between the girls’ physical and emotional maturity. Far from being a marginal issue, early-onset puberty is fast becoming a worldwide public health concern. A number of causes are suspected: Could obesity and exposure to environmental contaminants, for instance, be to blame? While the causes may still be misunderstood, the physical, psychological and psychosocial repercussions on young girls going through this change so early are all too visible. Little Big Girls alerts us to the need to adapt, as a society, so as to minimize the impact of this phenomenon on our children.

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