I feel that this subject needs to be discussed heavily and at the same time I am almost feel that it is taboo to the words "sex" and "children" in the same sentence. In today's society everything we see is surrounded by sex because let's face it "sex sells". When it comes to the sake of young children we have to be able to step back and really look at the world through their eyes and see if we are putting sex at the headline of everything. Girls and boys constantly encounter messages and images that they cannot understand and that can confuse and even frighten them (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). One event that I can think of on a personal note is the annual Victoria Secret Fashion Show. This airs every year and has done so for the best 10 years more than likely if not more. Young women prance across the walkway in beautiful lingerie/pajamas that reveals all of their curves, flat stomachs, tight rear ends, and long lean legs. It gives the image of what society thinks sexy looks like. If most women are like me and I mean they could lose a few more pounds (or alot more due to children :) ), they be short, flat chested or big breast, and our backside is not our best side then this show does damage to our self image. What do you think young girl feel like? The image is showing that to be attractive you must look a certain way and that is not true. Young boys are taught that men hold power, they are the CEO's of company's, they wear Axe body spray, and drive luxury cars. Can all little boys really hold up to this image?
We are setting our children up for failure without even knowing it. We are making them change their body image to meet a criteria before they fully develop the mindset of who they are. Children are engaging in sexual activity at an earlier age. How often have I heard of a 13 year old girl being pregnant! Too often let me tell you. STDS and HIV are happening at such an alarming rate this is another indicator that sex is being displayed way too much. Children are engaging in conversations and activity that they have not learned how to process yet. A third example that is on a professional level is when I had an encounter with a 7 year old girl. She stated that her boyfriend was cute and his parents had three cars and he lived in a big house in their neighborhood. I asked her if her parents knew she had a "boyfriend" and she replied no that they started dating that day. It blew my mind that at the age of 7 this child had a boyfriend. I believe that we need to make a stand against this over stimulation of sex. As parents we need to monitor more closely what I children are watching, for example, Disney channel is not as child like as it used to be. We need to pay attention to the clothes we by and ask if we are helping to portray the image that society is showcasing. As professionals we need to be able to have an open positive discussion with parents if we hear or see anything alarming in reference to image that a child may be feeling. If we have the discussions early on it may help to benefit that child. Because of this course I am able to look at this issue with a different set of eyes and it has made a great impact on what I will allow my children to engage in. Children need to remain innocent as long as possible until they are able to make sense of the world around them.
Kami,
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more, regarding the shows that are on television. Regarding the Victoria Secret Fashion Show, I noticed that they always have musical performances by people that target a young crowd, for example Taylor Swift. Many young girls look up to her and would want to watch to see her performance. However, to do so they are inundated with images of scantily clad models. These images send girls the message that you have to be this way to be accepted (Taylor, 2010). The message that it sends to boys is that women are objects and nothing more (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). And I also agree with your assessment of the Disney Channel. I have even found myself screening cartoons for my two-year old on the junior channels. Between violence and sexualization I am becoming disenchanted with broadcast television.
Thank you for your comments,
Amanda
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.
Taylor, A. (2010). Troubling childhood innocence: Reframing the debate over the media sexualisation of children. Australasian Journal Of Early Childhood, 35(1), 48-57.
I couldn't agree with you more. This message that there is one type of beuty is so prevalent it even affects adults I know. I worked with a beautiful woman who was very curvy, her beauty was completely different from what society presents as beautiful and so she had a hard time seeing herself as beautiful. When we make physical beauty standardized and rigidly define what is and is not beautiful we disenfranchise so many people from having a positive self concept and we also marginalize the importance of being beautiful inside such as being kind, compassionate, and empathetic.
ReplyDeleteKami nice post . I enjoyed reading it. There is a lot of advertising sex on television and other media. I have notice that preschoolers are a little more out going not the shy baby that hide behind mommy and or daddy. The other day I had to tell a little boy about all that hugging and talking about having babies. I didn't say it in a negative way but I did a lesson on bad touches and good touches. This child loves being up in the little girls faces. There be girls in the classroom that would go to blows trying to sit next to the little boy. When you speak to some parents they don't see anything as a problem. This may be because they are babies themselves and don't know what to say or do.
ReplyDeleteKami,
ReplyDeleteYou highlight significant ideas here. I think some parents don't even realize the harm they doing or are aware of the message they are sending to young children when do some things. I have seen many parents put their toddlers up to things that the parents just play off as cute when in reality they are making a huge impression on their child that don't even notice. For instance, one of the 3 year olds I babysit went on a "date" with one of her friends who was a boy. The parents set a table up complete with a table cloth and a vase with flowers. While the parents played this as a cute date night with their toddlers, the kids could have easily perceived "dating" as desired behavior at their age which would then flow into their future identity developments. I'm not saying it is what was perceived, it is just something to be careful and conscious of. This is an interesting discussion and one I will stay engaged in from now on. Thanks for your thought provoking post!
~Jalice
Kami,
ReplyDeleteYou make some great points on the subject. I agree with you that girls are dressing, doing, saying, and texting things that you and I were never exposed to that these young ages. With the explosion of technology, computers, phone, and tablets, children and teens are exposed to way to much sexuality and inappropriate content and it's just at their fingertips. I have recently come across my 16 year old stepson's inappropriate texts between he and his girlfriend. I was blushing reading some of these messages! I hope that my parenting and loving of my two other daughters somehow overrides the media's obsession with them becoming grown up before their time. It is now more than ever the time for parents to rise up and guide our children in the right direction.