Sexualization
![]() | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (July 2021) |
Sexualization (sexualisation in Commonwealth English) is the emphasis of the sexual nature of a behavior or person.[1][2] Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification, treating a person solely as an object of sexual desire. According to the American Psychological Association, sexualization occurs when "individuals are regarded as sex objects and evaluated in terms of their physical characteristics and sexiness."[3] "In study after study, findings have indicated that women more often than men are portrayed in a sexual manner (e.g., dressed in revealing clothing, with bodily postures or facial expressions that imply sexual readiness) and are objectified (e.g., used as a decorative object, or as body parts rather than a whole person). In addition, a narrow (and unrealistic) standard of physical beauty is heavily emphasized. These are the models of femininity presented for young girls to study and emulate."[4][5]
Culture and media
[edit]Sexualization has been a subject of debate for academics who work in media and cultural studies. Frederick Attenborough states the term has not been used simply to label what is seen as a social problem, but to indicate the much broader and varied set of ways in which sex has become more visible in media and culture.[6] These include; the widespread discussion of sexual values, practices and identities in the media;[7] the growth of sexual media of all kinds; for example, erotica, slash fiction, sexual self-help books and the many genres of pornography; the emergence of new forms of sexual experience, for example instant message or avatar sex made possible by developments in technology; a public concern with the breakdown of consensus about regulations for defining and dealing with obscenity; the prevalence of scandals, controversies and panics around sex in the media.[8][9]
According to the Media Education Foundation's documentary Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women, the sexualization of girls in media and the ways women are portrayed in the dominant culture are detrimental to the development of young girls as they are developing their identities and understanding themselves as sexual beings.[10]
The terms "pornification" and "pornographication" have also been used to describe the way that aesthetics that were previously associated with pornography have become part of popular culture, and that mainstream media texts and other cultural practices "citing pornographic styles, gestures and aesthetics" have become more prominent.[11] This process, which Brian McNair has described as a "pornographication of the mainstream".[12] has developed alongside an expansion of the cultural realm of pornography or "pornosphere" which itself has become more accessible to a much wider variety of audiences. According to McNair, both developments can be set in the context of a wider shift towards a "striptease culture" which has disrupted the boundaries between public and private discourse in late modern Western culture, and which is evident more generally in cultural trends which privilege lifestyle, reality, interactivity, self-revelation and public intimacy.[12]
Criticism
[edit]The Australian writers, Catharine Lumby and Kath Albury (2010)[13] have suggested that sexualization is "a debate that has been simmering for almost a decade" and concerns about sex and the media are far from new. Much of the recent writing on sexualization has been the subject of criticism that because of the way that it draws on "one-sided, selective, overly simplifying, generalizing, and negatively toned" evidence[14] and is "saturated in the languages of concern and regulation".[15] In these writings and the widespread press coverage that they have attracted, critics state that the term is often used as "a non-sequitur causing everything from girls flirting with older men to child sex trafficking"[16] They believe that the arguments often ignore feminist work on media, gender and the body and present a very conservative and negative view of sex in which only monogamous heterosexual sexuality is regarded as normal.[17] They say that the arguments tend to neglect any historical understanding of the way sex has been represented and regulated, and they often ignore both theoretical and empirical work on the relationship between sex and media, culture and technology.[18][16]
The way society shapes ones personal interest is presented in a book review of Girls Gone Skank by Patrice Oppliger,[19] Amanda Mills states that "consequently, girls are socialized to participate in their own abuse by becoming avid consumers of and altering their behavior to reflect sexually exploitative images and goods."[20] The belief that women are powerful and fully capable as men is stated in the text "Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic As Power" by Audre Lorde stating that the suppression of the erotic of women has led them feeling superior to men "the superficially, erotic had been encouraged as a sign of female inferiority on the other hand women have been made to suffer and to feel opposed contemptible and suspect by virtue of its existence".[21]
Effects on children
[edit]Children and adolescents spend more time engaging with media than any other age group. This is a time in their life that they are more susceptible to information that they receive. Children are getting sex education from the media, little kids are exposed to sexualized images and more information than ever before in human history but are not able to process the information, they are not developmentally ready to process it, and this impacts their development and behavior.[10]
Sexualization of young girls in the media and infantilization of women creates an environment where it becomes more acceptable to view children as "seductive and sexy".[10] It makes having healthy sexual relationships more difficult for people and creates sexist attitudes.
Some cultural critics have postulated that over recent decades children have evidenced a level of sexual knowledge or sexual behaviour inappropriate for their age group.[22]
Australia
[edit]In 2006, an Australian report called Corporate paedophilia: sexualisation of children in Australia[23] was published. The Australian report summarises its conclusion as follows:
Images of sexualised children are becoming increasingly common in advertising and marketing material. Children who appear aged 12 years and under are dressed, posed and made up in the same way as sexy adult models. Children that appear on magazines are seen older than they really are because of the sexualised clothes they are given to pose in. "Corporate paedophilia" is a metaphor used to describe advertising and marketing that sexualises children in these ways.
European Union
[edit]In 2012, a draft report a European Parliament resolution gave the following definition of sexualization:
[S]exualisation consists of an instrumental approach to a person by perceiving that person as an object for sexual use disregarding the person's dignity and personality traits, with the person's worth being measured in terms of the level of sexual attractiveness; sexualisation also involves the imposition of the sexuality of adult persons on girls, who are emotionally, psychologically and physically unprepared for this at their particular stage of development; sexualisation not being the normal, healthy, biological development of the sexuality of a person, conditioned by the individual process of development and taking place at the appropriate time for each particular individual[24]
Scotland
[edit]However, in 2010, the Scottish Executive released a report titled External research on sexualised goods aimed at children.[18] The report considers the drawbacks of the United States and Australian reviews, concluding:
[T]here is no indication [in the APA report] that the media might contain any positive images about human relationships, or that children might critically evaluate what they see.
The Scottish review also notes that:
[s]uch accounts often present the sexualisation of children as a relatively recent development, but it is by no means a new issue … While the public visibility of the issue, and the terms in which it is defined, may have changed, sexualised representations of children cannot be seen merely as a consequence of contemporary consumerism.
It also notes that previous coverage "rests on moral assumptions … that are not adequately explained or justified."[25]
United Kingdom
[edit]The report 'Letting Children Be Children',[26] also known as the Bailey Review, is a report commissioned by the UK government on the subject of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood.[27]
United States
[edit]As early as 1997, reports found that sexualization of younger children is becoming more common in advertisements.[28]
The causes of this premature sexualization include portrayals in the media of sex and related issues, especially in media aimed at children; the lack of parental oversight and discipline; access to adult culture via the internet; and the lack of comprehensive school sex education programs.[29]
In 2007, the American Psychological Association (APA) first published Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, which has had periodic updates. The report looked at the cognitive and emotional consequences of sexualization and the consequences for mental and physical health, and impact on development of a healthy sexual self-image. The report considers that a person is sexualized in the following situations:
- A person's value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or sexual behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics;
- A person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness (narrowly defined) with being sexy;
- A person is sexually objectified—that is, made into a thing for others' sexual use, rather than seen as a person with the capacity for independent action and decision making; and/or
- Sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person.[4]
Research has linked the sexualization of young girls to negative consequences for girls and society as a whole, finding that the viewing of sexually objectifying material can contribute to body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, low self-esteem, depression, and depressive affect. Medical and social science researchers generally deployed "sexualization" to refer to a liminal zone between sexual abuse and normal family life, in which the child's relationship with their parents was characterized by an "excessive", improper sexuality, even though no recognizable forms of abuse had occurred. The American Psychological Association also argues that the sexualization of young girls contributes to sexist attitudes within society and a societal tolerance of sexual violence as well as that consumerism and globalization have led to the sexualization of girls occurring across all advanced economies, in media and advertisements, to clothing and toys marketed for young girls.[4]
The APA cites the following as advertising techniques that contribute to the sexualization of girls:[4]
- Including girls in ads with sexualized women wearing matching clothing or posed seductively.
- Dressing girls up to look like adult women.
- Dressing women down to look like young girls.
- The employment of youthful celebrity adolescents in highly sexual ways to promote or endorse products.
The APA additionally further references the teen magazine market by citing a study by Roberts et al that found that "47% of 8- to 18-year-old [girls] reported having read at least 5 minutes of a magazine the previous day."[30]
A majority of these magazines focused on a theme of presenting oneself as sexually desirable to men, a practice which is called "costuming for seduction" in a study by Duffy and Gotcher.[31]
Studies have found that thinking about the body and comparing it to sexualized cultural ideals may disrupt a girl's mental concentration, and a girl's sexualization or objectification may undermine her confidence in and comfort with her own body, leading to emotional and self-image problems, such as shame and anxiety.[4]
Research has linked sexualization with three of the most common mental health problems diagnosed in girls and women: eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression or depressed mood.[4]
Research suggests that the sexualization of girls has negative consequences on girls' ability to develop a healthy sexual self-image.[4]
In 2012, an American study found that self-sexualization was common among 6–9-year-old girls. Girls overwhelmingly chose the sexualized doll over the non-sexualized doll for their ideal self and as popular. However other factors, such as how often mothers talked to their children about what is going on in television shows and maternal religiosity, reduced those odds. Surprisingly, the mere quantity of girls' media consumption (television and movies) was unrelated to their self-sexualization for the most part; rather, maternal self-objectification and maternal religiosity moderated its effects.[32]
A result of the sexualization of girls in the media is that young girls are "learning how to view themselves as sex objects".[3] When girls fail to meet the thin ideal and dominant culture's standard of beauty they can develop anxieties.[3] Sexualization is problematic for young children who are developing their sexual identity as they may think that turning themselves into sex objects is empowering and related to having sexual agency.[10]
Products for children
[edit]Some commercial products seen as promoting the sexualization of children have drawn considerable media attention:
- A number of doll lines have drawn controversy. The original Bratz Dolls, marketed to children as old as 12, were considered by at least one preteen to be “sexy” and were noted for their more mature styles such as shrunken sweaters, shredded jeans, and other suggestive clothing. They were noted in a New York Times article to “look as though they might be at home on any street corner where prostitutes ply their trade.”[33] Bratz Baby Dolls marketed at 6-year-old girls that feature sexualized clothing, like fishnet stockings, feather boas, and miniskirts also advertised fashion similar to that of the mainline "Bratz" line.[3] The My Scene Barbie line, aiming for children in the 8-12 age demographic as the answer to the Bratz line, also drew criticism as the dolls wore low-rise pants, revealed the navel, and wore lots of makeup.[34]
- Highly sexualized and gendered Halloween costumes marketed at young girls, such as the "sexy firefighter", a costume that consists of a tight fitted mini dress and high heeled boots. A girl’s version of a policy officer costume also designed similarly.[35] Costumes made for somewhat older girls, such as those around ten-years-old, may be much shorter in length. Comparing and contrasting similar costumes designed by pre-tweens and tweens, the differences in costumes for the somewhat older girls was so dramatic that one observer noted that “According to the costume manufacturers of America, once a girl child reaches double digits, it is officially time for the Halloween hoochification process to begin.”[36]
- Thong underwear designed by Abercrombie & Fitch made specifically for ten-year-olds. Released in 2002, the thongs were “adorned with the images of cherries and candy hearts and also include the words "‘kiss me’" and "‘wink, wink.’" While a company spokesman specifically stated that the thongs are not appropriate for children younger than ten, the thongs may have been small enough for girls as young as seven-years old to wear.[37] Despite the controversy, at least some of the thongs were sold; one Abercrombie clerk stated at a mother bought thongs for both of her daughters, who looked to be ten or younger, because all the others girls in their class had at least one.[38] While the Abercrombie & Fitch thongs were eventually pulled, girls aged 10 and 11 wearing thongs in primary school became a regular enough occurrence in at least English school that the headmaster sent a letter asking parents to not allow their daughters to wear them.[39] In France, also in 2003, girls, some of them ten-years old, revealed whale tails on their way to school by exposing their thong underwear above their pants.[40]
- Clothing such as T-shirts being marketed for young children in preschool and elementary school with printed slogans like "So Many Boys So Little Time."[10] Other examples include the retailer Big W selling T-shirts for young girls with the slogan “nice baubles” in 2014 and the UK-based company Twisted Tee selling t-shirts that had nipple pasties. Some onesies also drew controversy. A Target onesie made for baby girls with the phrase “I only date heroes” and a TinyHaute Couture creating a cotton onesie for babies that had designs of a lace corset on it.[41]
- Clothing originally aimed at young adult women marketed to tweens. Advertised to tween girls since at least the year 2000,[42] low-rise jeans, tight-fitting miniskirts,[43] and shirts that expose the midriff,[44] once worn predominately by young adult women, became core fashion staples for many American tweens in the 8-12 age range in the 2000s.[45][46] These styles, sold across the country, were so popular at one point that finding other styles for preteen girls became a difficult task for parents.[47]
- Padded bras on bikinis aimed at seven-year-old girls. The bikinis were pulled after complaints in 2010. [48] While made for girls slightly older, previously, in 2006, an Australian Target began selling a lightly padded Target brand bra designed for girls as young as eight-years-old.[49] However, there is also evidence that with the mean age of puberty declining in Western cultures, a higher percentage of preteen girls will have enough breast development to justify wearing a functional brassier than ever before.[50]
The Scottish Executive report[18] surveyed 32 High street UK retailers and found that many of the larger chains, including Tesco, Debenhams, JJ Sports, and Marks & Spencer did not offer sexualized goods aimed at children. The report noted that overall prevalence was limited but this was based on a very narrow research brief. Whilst this shows that not all High street retailers were aiming products deemed sexualized by the researchers, the research cannot be taken out of context and used to say that there is not an issue of sexualization.[original research?]
Effects on women of color
[edit]The sexualization of women of color is different from the sexualization of white women. The media plays a significant role in this sexualization. "The media are likely to have powerful effects if the information is presented persistently, consistently, and corroborated among forms. As a media affect, stereotypes rely on the repetition to perpetuate and sustain them."[51] According to Celine Parrenas Shimizu, "To see race is to see sex, and vice versa."[52]
African American women
[edit]Many scholars trace the sexualization of African American women back to slavery, where certain stereotypes were invented as a way to dehumanize African American women. These stereotypes include the Jezebel, seen as a light skin overly sexual African American woman with no control over her desires; the Mammy, an African American woman who was asexual in nature and whose sole purpose was to cook for a white family; the Sapphire, first shown on the Radio/Television show Amos n' Andy, she was a loud, crude, jealous woman, who took joy in emasculating men.[53] These stereotypes have carried over to the way young African American girls view themselves and how society views them. The Jezebel stereotype, in particular, has reemerged in the form of hip-hop video vixens. These images seen in music videos have two effects: they influence how black women are viewed in society and they also shape how African American women view themselves.[53]
"Representations of African-American girlhood in the media and popular culture suggest that African-American girls face a different set of rules when it comes to sex, innocence, and blame",[54] the consequences of the sexualization of African American girls can be seen through the 2004 trial of R. Kelly. The immediate response from the public cleared R. Kelly of any wrongdoing while subsequently blaming the young girl for her abuse. One respondent to a Village Voice article claimed that she was not disturbed by the video because in her words, "It wasn't like she was new to the act. [She--the respondent] heard she [the victim] worked it like most of [her] 30 something-year-old friends have yet to learn how to do". This desensitization is directly linked to a music industry—and subsequent fans—who value the artist over their potential victims.[54]” Instead of being correctly labeled as victims these women are instead turned into "groupies, hoochies, and chickenheads".[54] One of the jurors on the R. Kelly case noted that he believed the defense because her body "appeared to developed".[54] Sika A. Dagbovie-Mullins acknowledged that "this harmful and skewed reasoning reflects a national troubling tendency to view black adolescent females as sexually savvy and therefore responsible themselves for the sexualization and exploitation of their bodies".[55]
Dagbovie-Mullins introduced new problems in regards to the sexualization of Black girls, completely dichotomous to the sexualization of Black girls is the infantilization of Black women.[54] Both of these problems are caused by denying the agency of African American women. Both the infantilization of African American women and the sexualization of young girls are about looking at African American women purely through the lens of their sexuality, without regard to their agency. There is a link between the images of a submissive woman being portrayed by a girl and a willingness for people to believe that young African American girls can give consent.[54] This is a narrative that is supported by the sexy school girl image portrayed in media. The image girls off the illusion of being unavailable—both from a moral and legal standpoint—while at the same time being available. "Music, music videos, and images play a pivotal role in the messages individuals hear and see. These messages can be positive or negative, and they can influence how consumers and producers respond to and interrogate them critically, socially, physically, and emotionally".[54]
The images portrayed "in both African American and mainstream American culture reinforce the lenses through which the everyday experiences and ideal for adolescent African American women are viewed".[54] Shows like the Flavor of Love which rely on the stereotype of the Black pimp and the submissive women, where Flavor Flav strip women of their real name and gives them nicknames such as "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" showcase the denial of the agency of Black women.[54] This denial of agency makes it easier for people to see them as little more than sex symbols. Infantilizing them and stripping them of all things that make them individuals creates a culture in which Black women are no longer seen as people, but objects used for individual male pleasure.[54] Making it easier to side with men when Black women accuse them of assault because Black women cannot be assaulted when all they want is sex.[54]
Along with a deflated sense of self-worth, these stereotypes can also influence African American girls—notably poor ones—that their sense of worth and an escape from poverty can be found through their sexualization.[53] The more modern version of the Jezebel—a black woman who is highly sexual and materialistic—may also have the most importance to inner-city Black girls, "The sexual links to poverty and its relevance to survival are clear. Their lives have been called 'ghetto fabulous', where they are socially embedded in a culture of poverty, yet have the economic means to procure middle-class goods".[53]
Even women are guilty of the sexualization, Nicki Minaj who made the phrase "Barbie Bitch" popular and raps about how she only "fuck[s] with ballers" draw on stereotypes such as the gold digger in order to promote her brand.[56] While the "Bad Bitch Barbie" character was developed out of a history of over-sexualizing the bodies of Black women, it has also been used as a way of Black women to reconquer their sexuality.[56] No longer is it men using their bodies for the enjoyment of other men, but it is they themselves who are showcasing their features as a way of uplifting who they are.[56] Hence, duality is created within hip-hop culture the sexualization of Black women is still being seen, but with the emergence of female artists, we also see an emergence of a counter-culture reclaiming the sexuality of Black Women as their own. While are the same time the "Bad Bitch Barbie" still creates unrealistic images for black girls to compare themselves to. By reclaiming the sexuality that was robbed of them by men, they have introduced a new problem of body dimorphism as Black girls face the pressures to recreate themselves in the images being presented.[56]
In an NPR interview with Professor Herbert Samuels at LaGuardia Community College in New York and Professor Mireille Miller-Young at UC Santa Barbara, they talk about sexual stereotypes of black bodies in America and how even in sex work, already a dangerous job, black women are treated much worse than their counterparts due to the effects of their over-sexualization and objectification in society.[57] Black women's bodies are either invisible or hypervisible. In the 1800s, a South African woman named Sarah Baartman was known as "Hottentot Venus" and her body was paraded around in London and Paris where they looked at her exotic features such as large breasts and behind. Her features were deemed lesser and over sexual.
Asian women
[edit]The image of Asian women in Hollywood cinema is directly linked to sexuality as essential to any imagining about the roles they play as well as her actual appearance in popular culture. Asian female fatale's hypersexualized subjection is derived from her sexual behavior that is considered as natural to her particular race and culture. Two types of Asian stereotypes that are commonly found in media are the Lotus Flower and the Dragon Lady. The Lotus Flower archetype is the "self-sacrificing, servile, and suicidal Asian woman." The dragon lady archetype is the opposite of the lotus flower, a "self-abnegating Asian woman…[who] uses her 'Oriental' femininity, associated with seduction and danger to trap white men on behalf of conniving Asian males." According to film-maker and film scholar, Celine Shimizu, "The figure of the Asian American femme fatale signifies a particular deathly seduction. She attracts with her soft, unthreatening, and servile femininity while concealing her hard, dangerous, and domineering nature."[52]
Latina women
[edit]Latina characters that embody the "hot Latina" stereotype in film and television are marked by easily identifiable behavioral characteristics such as "'addictively romantic, sensual, sexual and even exotically dangerous',[58] self-sacrificing, dependent, powerless, sexually naive, childlike, pampered, and irresponsible".[59]
Stereotypical Latina physical characteristics include "red lips, big bottoms, large hips, voluptuous bosoms, and small waists" and "high heels, huge hoop earrings, seductive clothing." Within the "hot Latina" stereotype lies three categories of representation:
- The Cantina Girl, the Faithful, self-sacrificing señorita, and the vamp. The Cantina Girl markers are "'great sexual allure', teasing, dancing, and 'behaving in an alluring fashion.'"
- The faithful, self-sacrificing Señorita starts out as a good girl and turns bad by the end. The Señorita, in an attempt to save her Anglo love interest, utilizes her body to protect him from violence.
- The Vamp representation "uses her intellectual and devious sexual wiles to get what she wants." The media represents Latinas "as either [a] hot-blooded spitfire" or "[a] dutiful mother".[60]
The sexual implications of the "hot-blooded" Latina has become an overgeneralized representation of Latin people. This has led many to see the Latin people as "what is morally wrong" with the United States. Some believe it to be wrong simply because the interpretation of this culture seems to go against white, Western culture.[60] Culturally, the Latina is expected to dress "as a proper señorita" in order to be respected as a woman which conflicts with the Western ideals that a girl is sexual if she dresses "too 'mature' for [her] age".[61]
Even in the business world this stereotype continues; "tight skirts and jingling bracelets [are misinterpreted] as a come-on". This sexualization can also be linked to certain stereotypical jobs. The image of the Latina woman often is not in the business world but in the domestic.[61] The sexualization of Latina women sexualizes the positions that they are expected to occupy. Domestic servants, maids, and waitresses are the typical "media-engendered" roles that make it difficult for Latinas to gain "upward mobility" despite the fact that many hold PhDs.[61]
Dominican women
[edit]In the Dominican Republic, women are frequently stereotyped as sultry and sexual as the reputation of Dominican sex workers grows.[62] Many poor women have resorted to sex work because the demand is high and the hours and pay are often dictated by the workers themselves.[62] White European and American men "exoticize dark-skinned 'native' bodies" because "they can buy sex for cut-rate prices".[62] This overgeneralizing of the sexuality of Dominican women can also carry back to the women's homes.[62] Even "women who...worked in Europe have become suspect..." even if they had a legal job.[62] They have become "exports" instead of people because of their sexualization.[62]
Native American women
[edit]Starting from the time of white colonization of Native American land, some Native American women have been referred to as "squaw." "The 'squaw' [stereotype] is the dirty, subservient, and abused tribal female who is also haggard, violent, and eager to torture tribal captives." Another stereotype is the beautiful Indian princess who leaves her tribe and culture behind to marry a white man.[63]
See also
[edit]- Child sexuality
- Sexualism
- Bratz
- Kogal
- Miss Bimbo
- Rape culture
- Sexual objectification
- Pornographication
- Social impact of thong underwear
- Sexualization in the video games industry
- Pornified
- Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Sexualization (definition)". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ "Sexualize". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d Dewar, Gwen (October 2012). "The sexualization of girls: Is the popular culture harming our kids?". parentingscience.com. Parenting Science.
- ^ a b c d e f g APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (1 February 2008). Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (Report). American Psychological Association.
- ^ Peter, Jochen; Valkenburg, Patti M. (March 2007). "Adolescents' exposure to a sexualized media environment and their notions of women as sex objects". Sex Roles. 56 (5): 383–384. doi:10.1007/s11199-006-9176-y. Pdf. Archived 17 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Attenborough, Frederick T. (November 2011). "Complicating the sexualization thesis: The media, gender and 'sci-candy'". Discourse & Society. 22 (6): 659–675. doi:10.1177/0957926511411693. JSTOR 42890113. S2CID 144244885. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ Attenborough, Frederick T. (2013). "Discourse analysis and sexualisation: a study of scientists in the media". Critical Discourse Studies. 10 (2): 223–236. doi:10.1080/17405904.2012.736704. S2CID 144614399. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ Attwood, Feona (February 2006). "Sexed up: theorizing the sexualization of culture". Sexualities. 9 (1): 77–94. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.452.7825. doi:10.1177/1363460706053336. S2CID 677691.
- ^ Attwood, Feona (2009). Mainstreaming sex the sexualization of Western culture. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 9781845118273.
- ^ a b c d e Jean Kilbourne (writer/presenter), Sut Jhally (director) and David Rabinovitz (2010). Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women (Video). Northampton, Massachusetts: Media Education Foundation. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ Paasonen, Susanna; Nikunen, Kaarina; Saarenmaa, Laura (2007). Pornification: sex and sexuality in media culture. Oxford New York: Berg. ISBN 9781845207045.
- ^ a b McNair, Brian (2002). Striptease culture sex, media and the democratization of desire. London New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780415237345.
- ^ Lumby, Catharine; Albury, Kath (May 2010). "Introduction: children, young people, sexuality and the media". Media International Australia. 135 (1): 56–60. doi:10.1177/1329878X1013500108. S2CID 146153727.
- ^ Vanwesenbeeck, Ine (July 2009). "The risks and rights of sexualization: an appreciative commentary on Lerum and Dworkin's "Bad Girls Rule"". Journal of Sex Research. 46 (4): 268–270. doi:10.1080/00224490903082694. PMID 19657946. S2CID 26026911.
- A commentary on: Lerum, Kari; Dworkin, Shari L. (July 2009). ""Bad Girls Rule": an interdisciplinary feminist commentary on the Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls". Journal of Sex Research. 46 (4): 250–263. doi:10.1080/00224490903079542. PMID 19657944. S2CID 24616468.
- ^ Smith, Clarissa (January 2010). "Pornographication: a discourse for all seasons" (PDF). International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics (Submitted manuscript). 6 (1): 103–108. doi:10.1386/macp.6.1.103/3.
- ^ a b Egan, R. Danielle; Hawkes, Gail L. (December 2008). "Endangered girls and incendiary objects: unpacking the discourse on sexualization". Sexuality & Culture. 12 (4): 291–311. doi:10.1007/s12119-008-9036-8. S2CID 144988236.
- ^ Lerum, Kari; Dworkin, Shari L. (July 2009). ""Bad Girls Rule": an interdisciplinary feminist commentary on the Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls". Journal of Sex Research. 46 (4): 250–263. doi:10.1080/00224490903079542. PMID 19657944. S2CID 24616468.
- ^ a b c Buckingham, D.; Bragg, S.; Russell, R.; Willett, R. (2009). Sexualised goods aimed at children. Report for the Scottish Parliament Equal Opportunities Committee. The Scottish Parliament (Report). Archived from the original on 26 August 2011.
- ^ Oppliger, Patrice (2008). Girls gone skank: the sexualization of girls in American culture. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company Inc. ISBN 9780786435227.
- ^ Mills, Amanda (November 2011). "Book review: "Girls gone skank: the sexualization of girls in American culture" by Patrice Oppliger". Feminist Review. 99 (1): e16–e17. doi:10.1057/fr.2011.45.
- ^ Lorde, Audre (2000) [1984]. Uses of the erotic: the erotic as power. Tucson, Arizona: Kore Press. ISBN 9781888553109.
- Also available as: Lorde, Audre (2010), "Uses of the erotic: the erotic as power", in Kirk, Gwyn; Okazawa-Rey, Margo (eds.), Women's lives: multicultural perspectives, New York, New York: McGraw-Hill, pp. 168–172, ISBN 9780073512303.
- ^ Kaeser, Fred (30 October 2001). Towards a better understanding of children's sexual behavior (PDF). NYU Child Study Center.
We know that exposure to sexualized messages, particularly those that are incomprehensible, can have several effects on children.
Fred Kaeser Ed.D. is the Director of Health Services for Community School District Two, NYC. - ^ Rush, Emma; La Nauze, Andrea (2006). Corporate paedophilia: the sexualisation of children in Australia (discussion paper number 90) (PDF). Population Ageing: Crisis or Transition? (Report). Canberra: The Australian Institute. ISSN 1322-5421. OCLC 156752334. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2018.
- ^ Skrzydlewska, Joanna (20 June 2012). Draft report on the sexualization of girls (PDF). European Parliament Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ Mayo, Ed; Nairn, Agnes (2009). Consumer kids: how big business is grooming our children for profit. London: Constable. ISBN 9781845298807.
- ^ Bailey, Reg (2011). Letting children be children: report of an independent review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. London: The Stationery Office. ISBN 9780101807821. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ NSPCC (2011). Premature sexualisation: understanding the risks: outcomes of the NSPCC's expert seminar series (PDF). London: NSPCC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2021.
- ^ O'Donohue, William; Gold, Steven R.; McKay, J. Sean (October 1997). "Children as sexual objects: historical and gender trends in magazines". Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment. 9 (4): 291–301. doi:10.1177/107906329700900403. S2CID 145272581.
- ^ Lamb, Sharon (2006). Sex, therapy, and kids: addressing their concerns through talk and play. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 9780393704792.
- ^ Roberts, Donald F.; Foehr, Ulla G.; Rideout, Victoria (March 2005). Generation M: media in the lives of 8-18-year olds (Report). Menlo Park, California: Kaiser Family Foundation. Pdf. Archived 15 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Duffy, Margaret; Gotcher, J. Micheal (April 1996). "Crucial advice on how to get the guy: the rhetorical vision of power and seduction in the teen magazine YM". Journal of Communication Inquiry. 20 (1): 38. doi:10.1177/019685999602000103. S2CID 141847161. ResearchGate pdf Archived 19 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Starr, Christine; Ferguson, Gail (October 2012). "Sexy dolls, sexy grade-schoolers? Media & maternal influences on young girls' self-sexualization". Sex Roles. 67 (7–8): 463–476. doi:10.1007/s11199-012-0183-x. S2CID 144196586.
- ^ La Ferla, Ruth (26 October 2003). "NOTICED; Underdressed And Hot: Dolls Moms Don't Love". New York Times. US. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Stauffer, Cindy (17 December 2002). "Hey, who's the trampy-looking chick with the belly bracelet?". Lancaster Online. US: Lancaster Online. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Delisle, Riana (18 October 2014). "Halloween costumes are sexualizing our youngest trick-or-treaters". The Huffington Post. Canada: AOL.
- ^ Ferrier, Lindsay (29 October 2014). "Here's Proof That Tween Girl Halloween Costumes Are Way Too Sexed-Up". Huffington Post. US. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Delgado, Ray (23 May 2002). "Retailer courts more outrage -- sexy undies for little girls / Abercrombie & Fitch offers thongs with adult allusions". SFGate. US: SFGate. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Stepp, Laura Session (18 June 2002). "Retailer courts more outrage -- sexy undies for little girls / Abercrombie & Fitch offers thongs with adult allusions". SouthCoastToday. US: SouthCoastToday. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Staff writer (28 May 2003). "Pupils warned not to wear thongs". BBC News. UK: BBC. Retrieved 22 February 2007.
Parents have been urged by a head teacher to stop their daughters wearing thongs to a primary school.
- ^ Thorsen, Eve (11 October 2003). "Thong Uproar in French Schools". The Independent. p. 28. Retrieved 2 June 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Murano, Grace (23 February 2015). "11 Inappropriate Pieces of Kids' Clothing". Oddee. US: Oddee. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Koppel, Dale (6 August 2000). "What's hot what's not". The Palm Beach Post. p. 336. Retrieved 4 June 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ D’Innocenzio, Anne (9 August 2001). "New fashions put parent vs. kid". Wisconsin State Journal. Associated Press. p. F1. Retrieved 4 June 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Johnson, Patt (10 September 2002). "'Tweens' raise buying power as parents screen styles". Des Moines Register. p. 15W. Retrieved 4 June 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Johnson, Patt (10 September 2002). "'Tweens' raise buying power as parents screen styles". Des Moines Register. p. 15W. Retrieved 4 June 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ D’Innocenzio, Anne (9 August 2001). "New fashions put parent vs. kid". Wisconsin State Journal. Associated Press. p. F1. Retrieved 4 June 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Kinsey, Angie (5 September 2003). "Today's teenagers in fashion quandary". The Paducah Sun. p. 33. Retrieved 4 June 2024 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Barr, Robert (in London) (16 April 2010). "Outrage at girls' padded bikinis". The Age. Melbourne, Australia: Fairfax Media.
- ^ "Sexy, Sassy, Still in Primary School". Sydney Morning Herald. 23 December 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ Aksglaede, Lise; Sørensen, Kaspar; Petersen, Jørgen H.; Skakkebæk, Niels E.; Juul, Anders (May 2009). "Recent decline in age at breast development: the Copenhagen Puberty Study". Pediatrics. 123 (5): e932–e939. doi:10.1542/peds.2008-2491. PMID 19403485. S2CID 207162497.
- ^ Merskin, Debra (2007). "Three faces of Eva: perpetuation of the hot-Latina stereotype in Desperate Housewives". Howard Journal of Communications. 18 (2): 133–151. doi:10.1080/10646170701309890. S2CID 144571909.
- ^ a b Park, Samuel (May 2009). "The hypersexuality of race: performing Asian/American women on screen and scene (review)". Theatre Journal. 61 (2): 346–347. doi:10.1353/tj.0.0193. S2CID 191628417.
- A review of: Shimizu, Celine Parreñas (2007). The hypersexuality of race: performing Asian/American women on screen and scene. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. ISBN 9780822340331.
- ^ a b c d Townsend, Tiffany (September 2010). "I'm Not Jezebel; I Am Young Gifted and Black: Identity, Sexuality, and Black Girls". Psychology of Women Quarterly. 34 (3): 274. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2010.01574.x. S2CID 145313044 – via Gelman Library Database.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Dagbovie-Mullins, Sika (August 2013). "Pigtails, Ponytails, and Getting Tail: The Infantilization and Hyper-Sexualization of African American Females in Popular Culture". Journal of Popular Culture. 46 (4): 745–771. doi:10.1111/jpcu.12047.
- ^ Dagbovie-Mullins, Sika (August 2013). "Pigtails, Ponytails, and Getting Tail: The Infantilization and Hyper-Sexualization of African American Females in Popular Culture". Journal of Popular Culture. 46 (4): 746. doi:10.1111/jpcu.12047.
- ^ a b c d Lavoulle, Crystal (Fall 2017). "The Bad Bitch Barbie Craze and Beyoncé: African American Women's Bodies as Commodities in Hip-Hop Culture, Images, and Media". Taboo. 17: 65–86. ProQuest 2049663069.
- ^ Farai Chideya (host/producer), Herbert Samuels (guest) and Mireille Miller-Young (guest) (7 May 2007). Sex stereotypes of African Americans have long history (Radio program). NPR news. NPR. Retrieved 9 December 2015. Transcript. Archived 2 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mastro, Dana E.; Behm-Morawitz, Elizabeth (March 2005). "Latino representation on primetime television". Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. 82 (1): 125. doi:10.1177/107769900508200108. S2CID 36353391. Pdf. Archived 8 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- Cited in:
- Merskin, Debra (2010), "Three faces of Eva: perpetuation of the Hot-Latina stereotype in Desperate Housewives – Representing sexualities: Latina stereotypes in U.S. popular culture", in Dines, Gail; Humez, Jean, eds. (2011). Gender, race and class in media: a critical reader (3rd ed.). California: Sage Publications. p. 328. ISBN 9781412974417.
- Cited in:
- ^ Citations:
- Arredondo, Patricia (1991), "Counseling Latinas", in Lee, Courtland C.; Richardson, Bernard L. (eds.), Multicultural issues in counseling: New approaches to diversity, Alexandria, VA: American Association for Counseling and Development, pp. 143–156, ISBN 9781556200823.
- Gil, Rosa Maria (June 1996). "Hispanic women and mental health". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 789 (Women and Mental Health): 147–160. Bibcode:1996NYASA.789..147G. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1996.tb55643.x. PMID 8669781. S2CID 5894916.
- King, Lourdes Miranda (Spring 1974). "Puertorriquenas in the United States: The impact of double discrimination". Civil Rights Digest. 6 (3): 20–28. ISBN 9781845118273. OCLC 424945644.
- Lott, Bernice; Saxon, Susan (August 2002). "The influence of ethnicity, social class, and context on judgments about U.S. women". The Journal of Social Psychology. 142 (4): 481–499. doi:10.1080/00224540209603913. PMID 12153124. S2CID 43280780.
- All four cited in:
- Merskin, Debra (2010), "Three faces of Eva: perpetuation of the Hot-Latina stereotype in Desperate Housewives – Representing sexualities: Latina stereotypes in U.S. popular culture", in Dines, Gail; Humez, Jean, eds. (2011). Gender, race and class in media: a critical reader (3rd ed.). California: Sage Publications. p. 328. ISBN 9781412974417.
- All four cited in:
- ^ a b Vargas, Deborah R. (2016) [1993], "Representations of Latina/o sexuality in popular culture", in Andersen, Margaret L.; Hill Collins, Patricia (eds.), Race, class, and gender: an anthology (9th ed.), Boston, Massachusetts: Cengage Learning, pp. 188–192, ISBN 9781305093614.
- ^ a b c Cofer, Judith O. (2016) [1993], "The myth of the Latin woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria", in Andersen, Margaret L.; Hill Collins, Patricia (eds.), Race, class, and gender: an anthology (9th ed.), Boston, Massachusetts: Cengage Learning, pp. 188–192, ISBN 9781305093614.
- ^ a b c d e f Brennan, Denise (2004), "Selling sex for visas: sex tourism as a stepping-stone to international migration Archived 9 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine", in Andersen, Margaret L.; Hill Collins, Pauline, eds. (2004). Race, class, and gender: an anthology (9th ed.). Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. pp. 243–248. ISBN 9780534609030.
- ^ Mihesuah, Devon Abbott (2003), "Finding a modern American indigenous female identity", in Mihesuah, Devon Abbott (ed.), Indigenous American women: decolonization, empowerment, activism, Lincoln, Nebraska and London: University of Nebraska Press, p. 102, ISBN 9780803282865.
Further reading
[edit]Books
[edit]- Buckingham, David; Bragg, Sara (2004). Young people, sex and the media: the facts of life. Houndmills England New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781403918222.
- Carey, Tanith (2011). Where has my little girl gone? How to protect your daughter from growing up too soon. London: Lion. ISBN 9780745955421. A guide for parents on girls' body image and other issues.
- Charles, Claire (2014). Elite girls' schooling, social class and sexualised popular culture. New York, New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781136195884.
- Durham, Meenakshi G. (2008). The Lolita effect: the media sexualization of young girls and what we can do about it. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press. ISBN 9781590200636. Looks at media messages and suggests that it promotes early maturation and sexualisation of pre-adolescent girls.
- Egan, R. Danielle (2013). Becoming sexual: a critical appraisal of the sexualization of girls. Cambridge Malden, MA: Polity Press. ISBN 9780745650739.
- Egan, R. Danielle; Hawkes, Gail (2010). Theorizing the sexual child in modernity. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781403972576.
- Gil, Eliana; Johnson, Toni Cavanagh (1993). Sexualized children: assessment and treatment of sexualized children and children who molest. Rockville, Maryland: Launch Press. ISBN 9781877872075.
- Levy, Ariel (2006). Female chauvinist pigs: women and the rise of raunch culture. New York: Free Press. ISBN 978-0743284288. A review of what Levy regards as a highly sexualized American culture in which women are objectified, objectify one another, and are encouraged to objectify themselves.
- Liebau, Carol P. (2007). Prude: how the sex-obsessed culture damages girls (and America too!). New York: Center Street. ISBN 9781599956831. Looks at sex in contemporary culture and the impact it has on young girls.
- Paul, Pamela (2005). Pornified: how pornography is transforming our lives, our relationships, and our families. New York: Times Books. ISBN 9780805081329. Pamela Paul discusses the impact of ready access to pornography on Americans.
- Sarracino, Carmine; Scott, Kevin M. (2008). The porning of America: the rise of porn culture, what it means, and where we go from here. Boston, Mass: Beacon Press. ISBN 9780807061541. Argues that pornography has become a mainstream part of American culture.
Journals
[edit]- Aksglaede, Lise; Juul, Anders; Olsen, Lina W.; Sørensen, Thorkild I. A. (2009). Tena-Sempere, Manuel (ed.). "Age at puberty and the emerging obesity epidemic". PLOS ONE. 4 (12 e8450): 1–6. Bibcode:2009PLoSO...4.8450A. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008450. PMC 2793517. PMID 20041184.
- Attenborough, Frederick T. (2014). "Jokes, pranks, blondes and banter: recontextualising sexism in the British print press". Journal of Gender Studies. 23 (2): 137–154. doi:10.1080/09589236.2013.774269. S2CID 144338846. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- Coy, Maddy; Garner, Maria (May 2012). "Definitions, discourses and dilemmas: policy and academic engagement with the sexualisation of popular culture". Gender and Education. 24 (3): 285–301. doi:10.1080/09540253.2012.667793. S2CID 145311311.
- Duits, Linda; van Zoonen, Liesbet (2006). "Headscarves and porno-chic: disciplining girls' bodies in the European multicultural society". European Journal of Women's Studies. 13 (2): 103–110. doi:10.1177/1350506806062750. S2CID 145574677.
- Duschinsky, Robbie (Spring 2013). "The emergence of sexualization as a social problem: 1981–2010" (PDF). Social Politics. 20 (1): 137–156. doi:10.1093/sp/jxs016. S2CID 145794607. Pdf.
- Egan, R. Danielle; Hawkes, Gail (2009). "The problem with protection: or, why we need to move towards recognition and the sexual agency of children". Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies. 23 (3): 389–400. doi:10.1080/10304310902842975. S2CID 143736102.
- Evans, Adrienne; Riley, Sarah; Shankar, Avi (2010). "Technologies of sexiness: theorizing women's engagement in the sexualization of culture". Feminism & Psychology. 20: 114–131. doi:10.1177/0959353509351854. S2CID 145136872.
- Gill, Rosalind (2003). "From sexual objectification to sexual subjectification: the resexualization of women's bodies in the media, in Editors' Introduction". Feminist Media Studies. 3 (1): 100–106. doi:10.1080/1468077032000080158. S2CID 216644581.
- Hawkes, Gail L.; Egan, R. Danielle (2008). "Landscapes of Erotophobia: the sexual(ized) child in the postmodern Anglophone West". Sexuality & Culture. 12 (4): 193–203. doi:10.1007/s12119-008-9038-6. S2CID 145198983.
- Hawkes, Gail L.; Egan, R. Danielle (May 2012). "Sexuality, youth and the perils of endangered innocence: how history can help us get past the panic". Gender and Education. 24 (3): 269–284. doi:10.1080/09540253.2012.666232. S2CID 146753285.
- Kehily, Mary Jane (May 2012). "Contextualising the sexualisation of girls debate: innocence, experience and young female sexuality". Gender and Education. 24 (3): 255–268. doi:10.1080/09540253.2012.670391. S2CID 146787635.
- Starr, Christine; Ferguson, Gail (October 2012). "Sexy dolls, sexy grade-schoolers? Media & maternal influences on young girls' self-sexualization". Sex Roles. 67 (7–8): 463–476. doi:10.1007/s11199-012-0183-x. S2CID 144196586.
Reports
[edit]- Papadopoulos, Linda (2010). Sexualisation of Young People Review (PDF). Great Britain: UK Home Office. ISBN 9781849871860.
Online resources
[edit]- "Onscenity". Onscenity Research Network, Sheffield Hallam University.
- Friedman, Jaclyn (29 October 2011). "Cultural Trends/Popular Culture: Women of color seen as always sexually available". Women's eNews. Women's eNews, Inc. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- Lledin, Shantyana C. (28 April 2012). "I'm not your spicy Latina (blog)". thefeministwire.com. The Feminist Wire. Retrieved 9 December 2015.