Girls as young as six aspire to be sexy. A recent US study may have unlocked WHY they want to be sexy. And better yet, they may have some ideas that work to protect our daughters from precocious sexualisation.
I saw this on HuffPo and found it really interesting. The study used two dolls – a sexily dressed doll and a trendy, but loose-fitting dressed doll – and girls were asked questions and use the dolls to answer those questions.
I’ve written about this topic before and to be honest, the sexualisation of our children is one of those hot button topics that get me in a rage. An easy, obvious place to lay some of the blame is the revolting music videos that saturate the industry and that our kids are exposed to.
Things researchers in the US study found that contribute to girls aspiring to be sexy:
- sexy is equated with popularity at school
- mothers who comment about their own weight and appearance are a factor
- media consumption is also a factor contributing to higher rates of aspiring to be sexy
Factors that seem to point to protecting girls against sexualisation:
- mothers who use media as a teaching moment
- mothers who are religious
- girls with limited access to TV and movies
Go to the Huffington Post to read the article in full (highly recommended).
Interesting article. I do think there is a lot we can do as parents to protect our children from this – all is not lost! We just need to be there to moderate what our kids are exposed to and to be open to using media for our own purposes. We have so much more available to us now than when we were kids but that can be a good thing too. Kids don’t need to watch TV to keep up with current music. So, for eg, instead of plonking the kids down in front of a music TV show, we do things like have Friday night music night where we all take turns choosing songs for a playlist on youtube. So then everyone gets to see exactly what they want without wading through the crap that’s on TV and it’s supervised (and I get the chance to indoctrinate my kids into the music *I* like!)
Penny, I couldn’t agree more! I should point out, so far, this is a small study done by a midwest US college, not a big university with well-resourced researchers. But it still raises interesting points, and the most encouraging is that parents CAN still influence their children and raise them with the values of their choosing. As you succinctly point out – all is not lost!
I fear many parents feel powerless against the onslaught of the mass media. At times, I do. For example, when my husband drives to work with the children in the back seat, my 7 and 6 year olds read the billboards as we pass by. One is for a topless bar in Fortitude Valley and features the words “sexy” along with a scantily clad woman. Middle child asked what “sexy” meant. It was a sad moment that was fobbed off with, “Grown-up stuff, mate”.
But we are determined and we still have the greatest influence over our young children, so we will continue to exploit that influence! (good to be blogging again and nice to see you Penny! Thinking of you during the Tour de France!).