The Sexualization of Early Childhood

My reaction:                         
My reaction to this topic is one of sadness and disgust.  I am sad because of the way our society feels the need to exploit young people and sad about the fact that this is happening to children of preschool age.  I am disgusted that there are actually people who feel that this is an ok thing to do.  I am also disgusted because industries that are promoting this are making large amounts of money by using sex and violence to get their products to these young children (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).  I breaks my heart that people feel that it is acceptable to rob these children of their innocence and that parents are not doing more to protect their children but instead are promoting this sexualization.  You honestly cannot turn on the television these days and let small children watch without the fear that they are going to see or hear something that is related to sex.  Children are constantly exposed to images of sexual behavior that shows them that there is not a need for emotions or attachments and that sex is a defining activity in a relationship(Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).  Young girls are learning that they should try and be as sexy as they can if they want to have a relationship with a boy and young boys are learning to objectify young girls based on these characteristics.  It is sickening to me when I see images on television that are showing children that girls need to show as much skin as they can and act sexy.  It happens all the time to the young movie stars and singers and you can actually watch them go from young innocent children to objects of sexualization.  I truly wish that the people in America and especially those involved with young children would take a stand against these messages that are being sent and start teaching our children that beauty is on the inside and that love and trust are what should define a relationship. 

Examples:                                                         
As soon as I read the title for this week's blog assignment the first thing I thought of was the television show "Toddlers and Tiaras". I had never heard of the show until last year when I was talking with my sister and she was telling me about how these little girls are dressed up in these little outfits with make-up on and are being asked to parade around this way.  I really didn't believe her when she told me about it and so the next time I was flipping through the channels and I came across it, I turned to it.  Well, I didn't stay on that channel very long because I was appalled by what I saw.  First of all, all of these little girls had on more make-up or almost as much as Tammy Faye Baker and many of them did not seem happy about what they were doing or being asked to do.  Here are these overbearing mothers who are holding them down to put make-up on them, shove them into these outfits and tease their hair when all these children would probably rather be doing is playing.  These children then compete in these pageants where they are being taught that their physical appearance is what is going to get them somewhere in life.  I have needless to say never watched the show again and will not ever watch it in the future.



The next example I have that illustrates the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment actually did not happen to me, but happened to my cousin in a preschool classroom.  It was during nap time and she was there as an aid and had to sit down next to this little boy who was taking a rest.  She said that he grabbed her hand and put it on his privates and said "touch my c***".  She was completely shocked and went right to the teacher and told her what he had said and then she had to go to the guidance counselor and fill out papers.  As we talked about this she said that she couldn't believe that he would know that word and I said that it was very sad that he would know that word but also the action that he wanted her to do.  This just goes to show that he has seen this somewhere before or even sadder, that this is something that has been done to him.  We live in a society where child sexual abuse is everywhere and I honestly believe that much of this comes from the exposure that there is in the media.

A final example that I have of children being exposed isn't of preschool age children, but of preteens.  A few years ago I taught in a sixth grade classroom as a long-term sub and there was a girl in my classroom who fit the perfect example of a child who had been exposed to a highly sexualized environment.  She came to school daily in skirts that were way above her knees or in pants that were very tight.  Her shirts revealed cleavage and were also extremely tight.  She was very sexually overt with the boys in the grade and during the time that I was there, she got caught giving condoms to boys who were in fifth grade.  I can remember thinking that this girl was going to be pregnant before she ever graduated from high school and I'm sad to say that I was right.  She made it to I think 8th or 9th grade and ended up having a baby.  It is sad to me that at that young of an age(before 6th grade) that she was given the idea that she should dress in such a provocative way.  Often in today's society girls are pushed into this type of behavior before they can even understand what the deeper meaning of a true relationship should be and the implications of the sexual behavior that they are displaying(Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).  She should have been more worried about playing with her friends and sports than she was about making herself look sexy to the boys that were around her.

Implications on Healthy Development 
The implications of sexualization in today's society for children is that it is sending harmful and inappropriate messages that can not only frighten them, but confuse them as well (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).  These messages are teaching young girls that they should objectify their bodies and that if they are skinny, pretty, and wear skimpy clothes, then people will like them.  Young boys are not an exception either.  Young boys are given the message that they should be muscular and also that it is ok to look at the bodies of young girls.  Both genders are being sent the message that sex is the most important part of a relationship and the more that you "sell it" the more valuable you are.  This leads to ideas of poor self esteem, lack of self-worth, and can also lead to more extreme conditions like sexual abuse and prostitution(Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).  The best thing that I can do as an early childhood professional is to create a safe and caring place for these children and to teach them that their self-worth comes from the person that they are on the inside instead of what is seen on the outside.  I need to show them that I am a person that they can trust and be available to honestly (of course at their developmental level) answer questions that they may have about the things that they see in the media and possibly in their home environment.  I also need to make the parents and families aware of these issues and ask them to become advocates against the sexualization of our children.  Together we all need to fight the media and marketers of these messages because they are making money at the expense of the self-identities and futures of poor and innocent children. 

Awareness                   
The readings this week have increased my awareness to the idea of sexualization of children and how it impacts early childhood.  It is in early childhood that we need to start because the kinds or relationships they have when they grow up will be a result of the foundation that was laid about relationships in their early years (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).  If they are learning that relationships are based around everything sex related then they are not being sent the right message and their self-esteem, self-worth, and self-identity is going to suffer.  I think that I try not to think about how big of a problem this is today because I have always felt that there is very little that I can do about it.  I have learned this week that we all need to take a stand to fight against this sexualization of our kids and when we see or hear something that is perpetuating this, then we need to do all we can to advocate against it.  I can be a voice for these children and I can also be sure that I am raising my own children correctly and modeling positive relationships for them.  In my classroom I can be a strong support and a role model against all of the negative messages that children are receiving.  It really is time that we fight to take back society from the perverted and sexual monster that it has become and return it to the pure and wholesome country that it started as.     

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