tonight on "nightline," too sexy too soon. selling clothes to pre-teen girls is a business worth billions. with celebrities like miley cyrus and taylor momsen setting trends across the land. but how did cute and adorable get replaced with blatantly sexual? guns in bars. a new tennessee law makes it legal to pack heat in places where people pound drinks. but what happens if someone opens fire in a place like this? and big country. on country music's biggest night, country's biggest stars, brad paisley, reba mcintyre, keith urban, and more join us for a special edition of the keith urban, and more join us for a special edition of the "nightline" play list. captions paid for by abc, inc.

good evening, everyone. i'm bill weir. and as long as there have been pre-teen girls, there have been parents agonizing over how they dress. young ladies come into their own fashion sense in that 8 to 12 range, and as a group they spend an astounding $10.7 billion of their own money annually. chasing that market are all manner of companies run by adults and young celebs and they are daunting opponents for parents fighting to keep kids kids as long as possible. my co-anchor terry moran has our report. >> reporter: roll out the pink carpet. it's a big night at macy's department store in manhattan. there's madonna and her 14-year-old daughter lourdes. and there's taylor momsen of "gossip girl" fame. she's 17 years old. and that's why it's a pink carpet. this is an event for girls. >> what have you learned working with your daughter on this line

of clothing? >> she's actually very focused. very, very detail-oriented. and she takes her job very seriously. i'm happy to know that. >> reporter: on this night last month madonna was a proud mom. it was the unveiling of a new line of clothing, material girl. she and her daughter have created for girls. and taylor momsen is the face of the new line. she's wearing some of the clothes. >> it's very much about putting your own look together to be yourself. ♪ >> reporter: she's certainly being herself in her latest video, "you make me want to die." times sure have changed. ♪ dear mr. gable judy garland was 15 when this song from "broadway melody of 1938" made her a star. 15 was very different back then. ♪ i'm too old for toys ♪ and i'm too young for boys >> reporter: but even into the 1970s, on "the brady bunch" and

other mainstream tv shows, teen and pre-teen girls were still dressed and portrayed as cute more than hot. adorable more than sexual. >> that's so cute. >> yeah, i love that. >> reporter: but some things haven't changed. >> i want to get new dresses for the dance tomorrow. >> reporter: grace bristol and olivia lamonides are 12 years old, and like just about every girl their age they are beginning that beautiful journey of figuring out who they are and how they want the world to see them. ♪ i know a place >> reporter: and our culture inevitably shapes them. ♪ california girls we're undeniable ♪ ♪ daisy dukes ♪ bikinis on top >> reporter: grace and olivia love katy perry's "california girls." we went on a shopping trip with grace and olivia and grace's mom, diane goldie. >> so pretty. >> that's cute. >> i like the sparkle a lot. >> reporter: forever 21, h&m, and a lot of energy.

>> that's the one on the "glamour" cover. >> i don't really like it. i don't know. it's just not a young person's outfit, really. >> no. >> you don't like it? >> i don't like it. >> reporter: is it easy to find stuff that you both like? >> a little bit of an effort sometimes. >> reporter: later, we asked them about that age-old balance between moms, daughters, and clothes. >> grace had really liked this dress that was black and it was kind of sheer. and it came up here. i call them butt huggers. they come right under the -- kind of there. and she came out and said, "how do i look?" and i said, "you look absolutely fabulous. and when you're 18 or 21, you're going to look even better in this. and you're not getting it now." >> reporter: you thought you looked good? >> yeah, i did. >> reporter: corporate america has fallen in love with girls like grace and olivia. tweens, kids roughly between 8 and 12. they've got tremendous buying power. "tween" is a term popularized by

marketers and advertisers, an age group defined to sell them stuff, from books and entertainment to clothes. >> with the tween fashion industry you're talking about a multimillion-dollar industry. >> reporter: alex morris is a reporter for "new york" magazine. she recently wrote about tweens and fashion. >> you're talking about an age group that is sort of a sweet -- in a sweet spot, because these kids, for the first time, are -- have access to their own money. >> reporter: 8 to 12-year-olds now have $43 billion in spending power in the u.s. every year. and sex sells in america. so corporations targeting all that teen and even tween money are selling sex to them. critics even have a term for it -- corporate pedophilia. >> you have a rack of clothing that is appropriate for an 11-year-old next to a rack of clothing that isn't, it's certainly blurring the lines. and it's making it harder for parents to be able to sort of set boundaries. >> reporter: and the entertainment industry isn't making it any easier for

parents, either. a few years ago, miley cyrus was the sweet hannah montana on the disney channel. now she's in black leather hot pants. she's 17. ♪ can't be tamed >> reporter: ashley tisdale of "high school musical" is now cranking it up. and nickelodeon's amanda bines graced "maxim's" cover. >> the easiest way for a female celebrity to sort of transition from being a child star to an adult star, the pathway is through their sexuality. >> reporter: there's new research proving that all this sexuality aimed at younger girls is harmful. the american psychological association released a report earlier this year finding that girls exposed to such imagery are more likely to experience body dissatisfaction, depression and lower self-esteem. but maybe the pendulum is swinging back a bit. ann shockett is the editor of

"seventeen" magazine, the bible on what to wear for so many teen and preteen girls. >> if you look at the girls who are the big stars these days, taylor swift, miranda cosgrove, victoria justice, lucy hale, selena gomez on the disney channel, you know, these are good girls. >> reporter: grace, like so many strong young ladies, as they used to say, knows what she likes, and it isn't trashy. >> something comfortable but it also looks like kind of edgy or high fashion, like urban chic kind of. >> oh, my gosh. >> i think the thing that you'll see is that teenagers are very aware of who they are. and it's all about pushing boundaries. >> it's just a little low cut. >> reporter: diane, grace's mom, knows her role in all of this is crucial for her daughter. >> it's a little -- a little hoochie coochie. >> no, it's not. >> i don't have to be her friend. i'm her parent. she can like me when she's 30. we can be great friends.

but you know, for now, like sometimes we do have the back and forth. >> reporter: back on the pink carpet, we asked madonna about all of this, and some of the clothes in the material girl line like those taylor momsen wore have been criticized as too racy. the question brought out the mom in madonna. >> i'm very strict about the way my daughter dresses. so i mean, you know, we have arguments about how short the skirt is or you know, is there cleavage. >> reporter: you think the line of clothes will start arguments in houses around the country? >> i think it's appropriate. it depends if they cut them off short or yank -- it depends. you can work a dress and, you know, if she wears short shorts i always make her wear tights with them. like that kind of thing. so it depends. >> reporter: how does that work for you with mom? >> i mean, obviously, i don't agree with all of her decisions. but i mean, i know it's -- i know it's coming. so -- i mean, i know she's going to say something. i might as well try and see what happens. >> reporter: and that's what moms do. >> say no? yes.

>> reporter: say no. they are so precious, so beautiful, and they aren't some corporation's next big demographic, their next meal ticket. they're our daughters. for "nightline," i'm terry moran. >> and i've got a 6-year-old girl at home. and with any luck when she's ready to dress like taylor momsen i'll be dead. thanks to terry for that. when we come back, a controversial new law in tennessee that allows people to carry guns inside bars. we talk to the women who support that law. [ woman ] you know, as a mom, i worry about my son playing football. which is why i'm really excited. because toyota developed this software that can simulate head injuries and helps make people safer. then they shared this technology with researchers at wake forest to help reduce head injuries on the football field. so, you know, i can feel a bit better about my son playing football. [ male announcer ] how would you use toyota technology

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any aficionado of the wild west could give you a few vivid examples of why guns inside bars can generally be a bad idea. yet tennessee joined three other states that explicitly allow firearms inside places where brooz is served. and the women we meet tonight say there is a need for this law and explain why to chris bury.

♪ good old southern kind >> reporter: in nashville, the honky tonks are hopping, the beer flowing. ♪ western town in the usa ♪ is boogie tennessee >> reporter: and nikki is getting ready for a night out on the town. her constant companions, an ammunition clip in her pocket and a loaded.38 smith and wesson revolver that slips into a hidden pouch in her purse. >> we need to be protected, because bad guys are going to carry their guns. >> reporter: on this night, she's meeting friends at a nashville bar and restaurant. >> reporter: how many of you at this table have concealed weapons right now? three people here at your table, packing weapons. >> i want more than a cell phone and a prayer. i want more than that. i want the ability to save my own life. >> reporter: tennessee's new law

explicitly allows handguns even in places where alcohol is served, as lock as the gun toters hold state permits. similar laws are now on the books in arizona, georgia, virginia and maine. the catch is, no drinking while you're packing a gun. is it a good idea to mix guns and alcohol? >> there is absolutely no alcohol being mixed with guns at this table. all of us are drinking nonalcoholic beverages because we're law-abiding citizens. >> reporter: nikki is convinced she is safer in this bar with that gun in her purse. >> the police aren't -- they're not going to be there in enough time. they're going to be there in enough time to put up the crime scene tape and take pictures of your loved one. i've been there. >> reporter: she has. in april 2009, she and her husband ben were running a karaoke night when a man, bothering her, was asked to leave. >> he pulled out a gun and shot

my husband multiple times right in front of me. >> reporter: at the time, her husband was killed, tennessee law banned guns from all places serving alcohol. >> i had to leave my permitted legal weapon locked in my vehicle that night and i'll probably wonder for the rest of my life if i could have saved ben. >> it's a smaller gun. it's perfect for pocket carry, perfect for concealed carry. >> reporter: gun shop owner phillip tells us the new law has spurred sales of small guns. and he teaches owners how to use concealed weapons, like the one nikki carries. >> what she'll do is, with her hand in the purse, simply lunge to the target and shoot it. >> reporter: tennessee residents need to be 21, free of felony convictions and complete eight

hours of training. you think i'm ready to handle a loaded weapon now? >> i think you are. >> reporter: after a few lessons, even a complete novice, like me, can hit a stationary target under carefully controlled conditions. >> ready? fire. >> reporter: not going to win any awards, but it would hit the target. >> you've stopped the threat. both of those shots, first time you've shot a gun, you stopped the threat. >> reporter: but to fire a gun at someone, the threat must only be perceived as deadly. if someone is, say, ten feet away, they've got a knife, broken bottle, coming at me, i can just shoot him, here in tennessee. >> ten feet. >> reporter: inside a bar? >> absolutely. >> reporter: no problem? >> no problem. >> reporter: imagine a gun going off in a place like this. >> it makes me nervous, because at a bar, people are drunk, make stupid decisions. >> alcohol, guns, does that mix? no. >> reporter: in nashville, where some bars draw huge throngs of tourists, many employees are

wary and worried. even if their gun-toting patrons are not the ones drinking. >> maybe this person who has the gun is not drinking but the guy over here has had several, has an attitude. >> after a couple of drinks and stuff, they start getting cocky. they start swinging fists. i've seen people knock down chairs, knock people out. >> reporter: the permit hold earls believe they actually make bars safer. >> do i feel like i could stop someone from hurting innocent people -- i think so. >> if somebody had to defend themselves, they wouldn't shoot anybody unless they knew they could take a shot. >> reporter: but these restaurant workers are not convinced even a sober shooter can hit the intended target in the chaos of a bar fight. >> if my hand is the gun and i would point at the bad guy over here, the difference between this bad guy and someone who is literally two feet away is about that far, you're not talking about -- >> in a fight, someone pushes --

>> you can have multiple shots fired in a matter of seconds. >> reporter: even arrington, a long-time police officer, cannot shoot nearly as well when drawing a concealed weapon. look at the difference, the blue target shows deliberate shots. the red one, a quick draw. even for an expert like you, the more deliberate shot gets the better shot. >> absolutely. >> reporter: the new tennessee law does allow bars and restaurants to ban guns if they choose, by posting no gun signs like these. a choice that bar owners know may alienate many of their customers. >> i would rather not have to, you know, say one way or the other. >> reporter: nikki's choice is clear. she only wishes the law had been in place that april night in 2009 when she left her gun locked in her car. are you convinced that had you had your gun at that moment, you would have saved your husband's life? >> you know, i'll never know that, will i? >> reporter: so, now that .38

special is always in her purse, locked and loaded, making her feel safer, inside a bar or anywhere else. i'm chris bury for "nightline" in nashville, tennessee. >> something to think about your next night out down in nashville. thanks to chris bury for that. coming up next, brad paisley, not only the host of the cma awards tonight, but the big winner. and he's just one of the country music stars who talks with us about his all-time favorite tunes. if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil.

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>> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with bill weir.

well, a big "nightline" congrats to brad paisley, who took out entertainer of the year honors at the 44th country music association awards tonight. we spoke to many of the stars out there tonight about some of their favorite tunes, and now we begin a special edition playlist with reba mcentire, who appeared on stage at the cmas and sang a song made famous by beyonce. ♪ i think i would understand ♪ how it feels to love a girl ♪ i swear i'd be a better man >> at first, i wanted to be a world champion cowgirl. the singing was great and i loved it and it was a great pastime, but i wanted to be a cowgirl. ♪ my blue ridge mountain boy >> dolly parton, her first album "my blue ridge mountain boy," was one of my all-time favorites. when i was in the ninth grade, i went to basketball camps because i loved basketball. and i would be the entertainment

after our evening meal. and that was the songs that i'd sing, is "gypsy joe and me" and "my blue ridge mountain boy" and songs avenue that album of dolly's. later on i got to meet dolly, starstruck as ever, but she is just a wonderful, wonderful person. ♪ because you're mine ♪ i walk the line >> "walk the line." johnny was one of the first concerts i ever saw. my dad took my brother and i to see johnny. i think i was probably 7 or 8. it was a pretty memorable experience. my mom was into everly brothers and neil diamond. so somewhere in the midst of all that i sort of started making music. ♪ i'll just keep on falling in love ♪ >> "until i get it right" by tammy. she was an absolute hottie. and one of the sexiest, most beautiful women alive, and yet

had the most vulnerable, tender heart. and so she was a real combination of different things. like a wounded bird. she was the kind of woman that you never forgot who she was and where she came from. she was a hairdresser, you know, and she still had a hair salon in her home when she passed. ♪ crazy ♪ for thinking that my love >> i think every girl singer loves to sing "crazy" by patsy cline. that was one that i always, you know, looked forward to singing. my dad is a farmer and had a country band as a hobby. rehearsing in the living room with his band and teaching me songs and -- we would sing in church and at different events. he would play guitar and i would sing. it was just always something that we did together. my little brother played guitar. my mom ran the sound board. i'm really grateful that he included me when i think about it because it could have been his hobby, his thing that he

went out and did by himself. but by including us kids in it it just really gave me a great start and a great outlet to perform. ♪ i can't make you love me if you don't ♪ >> i've been listening to bonnie raitt since i was in high school. and so there were a lot of her songs that really influenced me. but it was the song, it was "i can't make you love me" that everybody loved, that i loved, too. and that's one of the songs that, you know, i don't know, 16, 17 years later still is an amazing song. and she has become not only just a great artist influence, but a good friend. i mean, she's been the poster child for being herself and being true to her music. ♪ looks like i've got a tiger by the tail ♪ >> the first musical memory of song is buck owens' "tiger by the tail." when i was a little kid, they would play that.

and it had this great thing that kids like, which is that sort of -- whatever it was that buck did, that train beat, that thing which was that sort of -- ♪ i've got a tiger by the tail ♪ it's plain to see and they would play that record on the stereo at home, and i would run around in circles until i fell down. ♪ so turn it on ♪ and turn it up ♪ and sing along ♪ this is real ♪ this is your life ♪ in a song ♪ yeah, this is country music >> jimmy: tonight, chris pine, danica patrick, music from blake shelton and national unfriend day is only one week away. tonight, we fire up the unfriendliness. "jimmy kimmel live" is next. tonight, we fire up the unfriendliness. jx jk is next. [ cell phone rings ]

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