What happens to girls when we sexualize them?
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We talk about how popular culture and the media sexualize girls. But what exactly is sexualization, and what impact does it have on a young person’s future? This video, produced for educational purposes as a project for a Women in the Media course at Prescott College, documents the increasing prevalence of sexualization, society’s often blasé acceptance of it, and how it affects children when they become adults.
The report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls says sexualization is when any of the following four things occur …
- a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or 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.
The negative effects of sexualization on women include: cognitive and emotional deficits, mental and physical health problems, diminished sexual health, and the development of self-limiting attitudes and beliefs.
Sexualization of women also affects men:
The sexualization of girls can also have a negative impact on other groups (i.e., boys, men, and adult women) and on society more broadly. Exposure to narrow ideals of female sexual attractiveness may make it difficult for some men to find an “acceptable” partner or to fully enjoy intimacy with a female partner (e.g., Schooler & Ward, 2006).
Creating a standard of perfection for women that is impossible to achieve sets them up to fail. While the focus of this video is on women, it is important to note that advertising objectifies men as well, in both similar and different ways.
I am astonished that so many people seem to be missing the relevance of this to men. The sexualisation of young girls is aimed at us men. It plays into and amplifies our conditioning that girls/women are sexual objects. The peeling back of the lid from the putrid tin of festering paedophilia that has infested UK society, particularly since the 1970’s shows us how deeply entrenched this conditioning is.
Uh, don’t boys and men get sexually exploited too? Why don’t we ever talk about that?
Given that this is, in fact, a website for men, it is surprising that women’s experiences are the ones that are centered and men’s and boys’ experiences are only mentioned tangentially toward the end of the article. Weird ha? There are already a plethora of blogs and websites and magazines and media outlets that cater to and focus on women’s problems to the exclusion of males but apparently, some GMP writers think that’s not enough! They do the same with articles about sexual assault and domestic violence: women remain the focus and male victims are briefly mentioned toward the end… Read more »
Moderator termination in 5…4…3..2.1.
Cindy, if you are interested in talking about how boys and men are sexually exploited, please do write an article. I am sure GMP would love to receive it. They are always looking for new content. Mary, I actually think it’s pretty cool that a website geared to men takes the time to address issues that do affect girls and women. Isn’t it important for men to understand females better and women to understand males better? Instead of making this some kind of gender war, how about we encourage discussion about BOTH and ALL topics about either gender. But you… Read more »
Well said Erin!
well spoken Mary and Cindy, this was what I was thinking reading this. I think perhaps its because they still follow, despite the good intentions, the old narrative on teach men not to be sexist. I dont mind if there is a article on women time to time, but most of the times the articles here are generally in line with ‘ dont be sexist’ or dont rape or blablabla. IMO waste of bits and online space.
Lets put women aside and talk about men, thats why we are here.
One of the reasons I’m not visiting this site anymore. Its all about women. I dont come to this site for women, I come for men. Women already have a billion other venues. Men surprisingly have little considering our unendless privilege.
Actually even if this article is about sexualization of girls, you can go further and apply this to men and boys whom are currently being affected as well. Maybe this article miss to talk more about the implications of the sexualization of women in men but if you go further to find more information you will find out the impact in me. Is not only the case that men can feel less attracted to their girlfriends or wife but there is a lot more, it is suggested that sexualization can intervene in how men interact to women (whatever if is… Read more »
GMP talks about a lot of things, for both men/boys and women/girls. And this article is about little girls. It’s that easy.
Good points about stopping exploitation of girls and women by media and marketing. Personally, having experienced social attitudes before and after the “sexual revolution” and “women’s lib”, we still have a way to go. I am not sure that “empowerment” of women is the ticket to real freedom: the examples given tend to emphasize sports and strength, as if being more competitive and athletic is the goal. Still sounds like a man’s view of what is valuable. No, women need to be valued as women, certainly not as sex objects but also not as social objects for societal manipulation. Women… Read more »