redqueen (1000+ posts) Wed Jun-16-10 12:56 PM
Original message
The sexualization of girls and mental health problems
In response to reports by journalists, child advocacy organizations, parents, and psychologists, in 2007 the American Psychological Association (APA) created a Task Force to consider these issues. The Task Force Report concluded that the sexualization of girls is a broad and increasing problem and is harmful to girls' self-image and healthy development. Sexualization is defined as occurring when a person's value comes only from her/his sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics, and when a person is sexually objectified, e.g., made into a thing for another's sexual use. The report states that examples of sexualization are found in all forms of media, and as 'new media' have been created and access to media has become omnipresent, examples have increased.
The APA Task Force Report states that sexualization has negative effects in a variety of domains:
* Cognitive and emotional health: Sexualization and objectification undermine a person's confidence in and comfort with her own body, leading to emotional and self-image problems, such as shame and anxiety.
* Mental and physical health: Research links 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.
* Sexual development: Research suggests that the sexualization of girls has negative consequences on girls' ability to develop a healthy sexual self-image.
http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/how_raise_girls_healthy_selfesteem
I just read a blog post bemoaning the fact that there's no T&A on display at soccer games.
So I thought I'd post this as an OP, because apparently far too many people are still not quite clear on objectification and why it's bad.
For thousands of years, men had to work for it. They had to prove, to somebody, that they could provide for a woman and any offspring they may have, generally. Else, they weren't gettin' no lovin'. Then along came people demanding ease of access to chemical birth control and on demand infanticide known as abortion. Those old men in the long robes said crazy things then. They said that such would lead only to the objectification of women. That it would lead men into viewing women as mere toys for their satisfaction. That it would damage women and lead them to demean and debase themselves in pursuit of attention from men. And how pray tell did they know that this craziness they spoke to be true? Because they knew history and human nature.
Forty odd years later, and leftists will deny the fruit of their own seeds. Of course, we have been warned about that as well.
Octafish (1000+ posts) Wed Jun-16-10 12:59 PM
Response to Original message
1. K & R
Many parts of American culture serve to teach girls to forget that women are people, not things.
Yep, and if I attacked one of those parts, say the vulgar lyrics referring to women in rap, you would berate my cultural insensitivity.
DailyGrind51 (1000+ posts) Wed Jun-16-10 06:34 PM
Response to Reply #2
42. I could not agree more!
There is little qualitative difference between the bikini mud or jello wrestling matches conducted in some college town bars and beach volleyball. The fact that the latter is an Olympic event says more about what has happened to the modern games than contributes dignity to the women's beach contest.
Wait rolling around in mud and jello, something that requires little practice and skill, is now the same as a sport that requires hundreds of hours of dedicated practice at to be any good. Got it.
CoffeeCat (1000+ posts) Wed Jun-16-10 01:25 PM
Response to Original message
7. As a parent of two girls...
Edited on Wed Jun-16-10 01:26 PM by CoffeeCat
...ages 9 and 10, I feel as if I am constantly fighting EVERYTHING, in order
to keep my girls from thinking that their self worth and value to society
lies only in their ability to be drop-dead gorgeous.
It's commercials. It's the Disney Channel (don't eeeeeven get me started). It's
the clothing in the malls. It's music on the radio that is highly sexual and
demeaning to women. It's how boys treat girls.
I might sound like some puritanical weirdo, but I'm a pretty hip mom. I was
a cheerleader in high school and don't mind that kind of stuff. But what
we're seeing is hyper-sexualization of young women and even girls. It's pretty
creepy.
Young female pop stars are also a lovely tidal wave to fight. Miley Cyrus got
little girls hooked on Hannah Montana, but now she's decided to "grow up" and
have you seen what she considers "grown up"? She's only 17, with her father
managing her career, and this is what they deem is "grown up" for a young
woman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjSG6z_13-Q Why isn't grown up being
smart, funny, joyful and wise? Why does grown up mean slithering around on the
floor and spreading your legs? Miley Cyrus is a multi-millionaire and she
doesn't have to do this. But this is what she does. Don't get it. I wouldn't
be so concerned about this if she didn't have millions of ten year old girls
watching her every move. SAD.
/climbs off soap box...
My, my, how judgemental of you. BTW, conservatives were sounding the alarm about the Smiley Virus more than a year ago.
seabeyond (1000+ posts) Wed Jun-16-10 01:51 PM
Response to Reply #7
13. as a parent of two boys,
..... ages 12 and 15, i feel as if i am constantly fighting EVERYTHING, in order to teach my boys how girls are being conditioned and taught their self worth is only in their looks and sexuality. and why a girl that feels this little respect for herself is not going to allow my boys to have the kind of relationship with a girl that they want.
i teach my boys how all the commercials, comments, porn, show, movies are continually telling these boys what it is to be a man, and their role with females, that are damaging to both genders
you are right
ALL the time
ALL over the place
there are lessons for my son to see, what the conditioning of society does to their generation.
keep up the good work.
Even back in the Dark ages of the early 1990's when I went to high school, most boys swirled around the girls with self esteem problems like sharks drawn to blood. They knew how to make these girls give them what they were after. Generally, there wasn't any real relationship to it. The objectification of women was in full swing by then.
Nuclear Unicorn (1000+ posts) Wed Jun-16-10 05:42 PM
Response to Reply #31
34. Well, you know my story.
And lately I think I've learned a lot about who I am as a person and how I should be treated.
I made myself a sex object in the past thinking I was being free.
I was only being used.
Now I have a guy that respects me and he still knows how to push all the right buttons.
And sister I love it when he pushes the right buttons.
I hope your niece can learn that she isn't making friends she's only attracting flies.
Yup, because society decided to not only allow it, but to encourage it.
Sex sells, always has and always will. But just because that is true does not mean women are objectified any more than it means men are objectified. Creating a male fantasy of relatively low risk of consequence sexual activity is the problem, though not one DUmmie gets around to admitting that.
