Week 6- The Sexualization of Early Childhood

            The topic of sexualization is sad, but true. The media has a big impact on everyone; it not only strives to persuade people to do things, but also influences on how we should live our lives. Unfortunately, young children and adolescents are at a vulnerable state in their lives, which ultimately affects their development.  According to Levin and Kilbourne, “ [girls] learn at a very young age that their value is determined by how beautiful, thin, “hot,” and sexy they are. And boys, who get a very narrow definition of masculinity that promotes insensitivity and macho behavior, are taught to judge girls based on how close they come to an artificial, impossible, and shallow ideal” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2).

            One example that illustrates how media exposes children to a highly sexualized environment is the movie, “13 Going on 30”. In this movie, a 13-year-old girl, Jenna is searching for acceptance and wishes to look like the models in the magazines. On Jenna’s birthday she invites people to her party and dresses up like a grown up in a crop top, short skirt, wearing makeup, and with a stuffed bra to create breast. Overall, this girl wishes on her birthday to be “Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving”, and the next day Jenna’s wish comes true.

            Another example is when I was growing up, the women in the media including magazines, movies, and celebrities were often sexualized and were often thin, tan, and pretty. At the time, these were the expectations to look up to. According to Levin and Kilbourne, “children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 1). Unfortunately, this was my experience as a child growing up, however I believe that because more are aware of the implications of how this affects the child development, the media is getting better.

            Another example is where I have children in my class singing a Taylor Swift song. In this particular song the lyrics talk about Taylor Swifts lists of ex-lovers, how love is a game, and how men are players. At the time I did not think much about the girls in the class signing this song, however now I feel like I should have said something. Levin and Kilbourne states, “when children are young, long before they can fully understand the meaning of sex and sexual relationships, the foundation is being laid for the kind of sexual relationships they will have when they grow up. It is built from their experiences, of course, both positive and negative” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 4).

            Levin and Kilbourne mentions, “in the most extreme cases, the media’s incessant sexualization of childhood can contribute to pathological sexual behavior, including sexual abuse, pedophilia, and prostitution” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 4). Now, these are the extreme implications on how the media can affect children.

References:

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf