Blog Assignment: The Sexualization of Early Childhood

To be totally honest, I was not at all surprised by the findings in the article. The media and the influence from those around children are to blame for this. “Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture” (Levin and Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2). I can see how children are practically forced into being this way. They simply observe and mimic what they see. I have witnessed this many times. Here are a few examples:

Just the other day when I was getting my eye brows waxed, the lady who was waxing my brows started telling me how much of a diva her 4 ½ year old is. She told me that her daughter asked her if she can wear make-up to school so she would look beautiful. She said she allowed her to do so. I was shocked that she would allow her very young daughter to wear make-up. Then, she went on to say that she arches her eye brows for her. She even told me that her daughter asked for her to wax her brows. She said she did, but her daughter said that it hurt too much to do again, so she will just make her pluck them.

While working as an afterschool teacher, there was a little girl who never liked to play when we went outside. She was always dressed nicely and even kept her nails done. Her nails always matched what she was wearing. She always applied lip gloss every few minutes, as she looked into her compact mirror. Many of the other children would say that the girl thought she was better than everyone else. When her mother picked her up, she seemed to be the same way as her child. Her nails always matched her outfits and she, too, applied lipstick and gloss while she waited for her daughter to gather all of her belongings.  

I once observed a group of boys rating girls as they passed by them. This was in a shopping mall in the food court. The boys looked like they were about 7-10 years old. While sitting at their table, I could hear them saying things like, “Yeah, I’ll date her,” “No, she is flat chested,” and “Dang, she looks good.” I assumed that they observed what was considered “beauty” and what was not based on what they media portrays.

During outside time, I once heard a group of girls talking about their weight and size. One girl offered another girl advice to “eat more rice and peanut butter sandwiches because she was too skinny.” Another girl was telling the other girls that she started doing squats with her older sister so she would have toned legs and a bigger bottom.

Children can face many implications regarding this issue. “In the most extreme cases, the media’s incessant sexualization of childhood can contribute to pathological sexual behavior, including sexual abuse, pedophilia, and prostitution” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p.4). This is really an issue that should be taken seriously. People may think it is harmless or “cute” but children are actually affected by this. I would take the time to research this and advocate for the well-being of children and their futures. I would even discuss this issue with children and their families, expressing how important it is to be yourself and be proud of who you are. Reading about this topic has allowed me to really see just how much children are focused on the wrong things at such a young age. They should be more concerned about enjoying their childhood and not what they look like.     

Reference

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. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf