Examples Of Sexualization Of Girls Today

Sexualization of Girls Today
In 2007 the American Psychological Association defined sexualization as the act of being sexualized or sexualizing oneself, which includes reducing physical attractiveness to sexiness, valuing someone based solely on sex appeal, or treating someone as a sexual object rather than as a person (Starr and Ferguson 2012). The American Psychological Association believes the two earliest factors of sexualization for young girls from media and their mothers due to the amount of time young children spend at home. By the modeling observed gender-linked behavior. For instance, when a young girl imitates her mother in putting on lipstick. Children usually adopt gender-linked behaviors when their actions are rewarded or unpunished.
However, the young girl could use the lipstick in hopes of achieving social attention or attraction to look pretty like her mother. For the most part, girls learn gender roles, attitudes toward their body, and sexualized attitudes from their mothers. “The turn of the new millennium has spawned an intriguing phenomenon: the sexy little girl…with preternaturally voluptuous curves, and one whose scantily clad body gyrates in music videos, poses provocatively on teen magazine covers, and populates cinema and television screens around the globe she is Lolita (Durham 2008, p.22).
This quote comes from Durham and The Lolita Effect which explains how sexuality is overlapping with young girls and how they are viewed in the public culture of sex. The Lolita effect thrives since desire is for public display, defined by a narrow or nonexistent ideal, the property of youth, more exciting if it is violent, and about male dominance over females. The Lolita Effect delineates formative social influences promoting premature sexual knowledge and behavior in young children (Solberg
2008).
Among the idea of “new sexualized childhood,” it is believed that manufacturers take advantage of children by pushing sexually suggestive products on them such as Barbie dolls and Bratz dolls. Dolls may have defined as leading to sexualization in a young girl in the U.S. Society (Starr and Ferguson 2012). In the twenty- first century when the Bratz doll came out it was a doll that sent targeted messages to young girls on sexuality due to the appearance of the doll. The Bratz doll was an adolescent-figured doll modeling sexy clothing and makeup on huge eyes and plump lips. Doll franchises claim that they produce sexualized dolls because that is what young girls want to play. Finding also shows that young girls believe that sexiness will boost their popularity among other young girls. The American Psychological Association thinks the pressure young girls feel to be popular may be part of the reason they want to look sexy. “girls anticipate that they will accrue social advantages, such as popularity, for buying into the sexualization of girls and they fear social rejection for not doing so” (Starr and Ferguson 2012).
Not only did these dolls have a significant influence on young girls but believed that social media plays a huge role in influencing girls sexuality and creating idealized images of beauty. Since 1980 American public has bombarded with media-driven depictions of what characteristics are desirable for a female in our society. The body image of women depicted in media is exceptionally skinny, as portrayed by fashion models, emphasized on having large breast, and youthful appearance. However, in are media-driven culture, our views of women and their bodies are shaped by fantastic images. Women in the media look perfect due to airbrushing techniques and plastic surgery. But many young girls and women of today are influenced by these ideal photos and spend millions of dollars each year on products and operations or become ill form disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Body Dysmorphia, and Muscle Dysmorphia. From dieting and building their bodies up beyond reasonable limits. The problem, according to critics of this trend, is that the “glamorization of gaunt’ must lead many girls and women to internalize unhealthy and unrealistic expectations of what their bodies should look like (Ballaro and Wagner 2017). Its estimated that millions struggle with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem over negative body image.
However, the media has not been predicted to be the leading cause of sexualization in young girls it is the maternal self-objectification. Girls with mothers who have a more objectified view of their bodies are at higher risk for equating sexiness with popularity. Therefore, girls with self-objectified mothers may model their mother’s self-objectified attitudes and behaviors. Then the girls will begin to self-sexualize and self-objectify in reinforcing images they see in the media. When mothers communicate the message with their daughters that other characteristics are more important than sexuality, they help their daughters realize that it is not only their sexuality that makes them attractive, desirable, or valuable to others in society.
Childhood sexualization can have many harmful effects on young girls. In 2007 The American Psychological Association pointed out some of the negative consequences of girls sexualized. Focusing on appearance as the main source of acceptance can decrease a girls cognitive abilities, can lead the child to have a passive role, it negatively influence their perception of their virginity and sexual relations which could lead to factors as premature pregnancy, abortions, or sexually transmitted diseases, It can also influence young girls relationships with other girls over competing for boys, and influence the view girls have about going out with boys (Diaz-Bustamante and Llovet-Rodriquez 2017).
“The hyper-sexualization of girls makes them a sexual object at a very early stage by encouraging them to adopt sexually stereotyped roles and behaviors that do not correspond to their age (Serrano 2013).
In conclusion, the question of whether sexualization is good or bad many factors have been shown to prove girls who are sexualized are at significant risk of having adverse outlooks of who they are, and their appearance compared to others in society.
References:
Ballaro, B., & Wagner, G. (2017). Body Image & the Media: An Overview. Points of View: Body Image & The Media, 1.
Diaz-Bustamnte-Ventisca, M., & Llovet-Rodriguez, C. (2017). EMPOWERMENT OR IMPOVERISHMENT OF CHILDREN FROM SOCIAL NETWORKS? PERCEPTIONS OF SEXUALIZED IMAGES OF GIRLS IN INSTAGRAM. El Professional De La Informacion, 26(1), 77-87. Doi:10.3145/epi.2017. ene. 08
Ream, T.C., & Ream, S.C. (2008). Girls on Display. Christianity Today, 52(9), 91.
Solberg, J. (2008). The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It. Library Journal, 133(11), 82.
Starr, C.c., & Ferguson, G.f. (2012). Sexy Dolls, Sexy Grade-Schoolers? Media & Maternal Influences on Young Girls’ Self-Sexualization. Sex Roles, 67 (7-8),
463-476