The Sexualization of Early Childhood

There used to be a time when you could find three and four-year girls playing with rag dolls and three and four-year boys playing with trucks in the sand but times have changed to the extreme.  Children are growing up to fast and instead of adults putting a halt to it they are encourage such provocative behavior.  We no longer screen or monitor what our children are watching.  We feel because styles are popular or we see a celebrity on TV wearing this article of clothing our children must have it.  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 & Kilbourbe, 2009).  We don’t have to be subjected to this behavior.  We can set a standard to the way this society and generation is falling victim to.  Little girls see a sexy dancer and they mimic what they saw.  They call it twerking nowadays.  If we don’t step in and make a change somewhere we are going to lose a whole generation because there are more who are encouraging such behavior, then those who discourage it.

            Young children are being exposed to a highly sexualized environment more than ever now.  Girls are attracted to Brittney Spears and Beyonce`, to name a few, because of their moves but at the same time those singers are exposed, there’s nothing left to guess and because it’s shown on TV does not make it right.

When you look at commercial about Hanes underwear the models are sex symbols.  Focus is not on the comfort of the underwear but on the models who are topless needless to say.

Both girls and boys, but especially girls, are pushed into precocious sexuality in appearance and behavior long before they understand the deeper meaning of relationships or of the sexual behavior they’re imitating (Levin & Kilbourbe, 2009).  As I started my Christmas for my granddaughters, every year I add to their collection of Barbie dolls.  Now, Barbie has a bump!  We all know that bump didn’t just happen to appear one day.  That bump came from sex.  And then once we open up this issue we are not prepared to explain what had transpired. 

The sexualization of childhood is having a profoundly disturbing impact

on children’s understanding of gender, sexuality, and relationships (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).   Children are receiving the wrong view.  They see adults laughing and they think it’s alright.  Maybe for an adult but not a child.  The exposure to such is disturbing as well as misleading.  Children grow up believing in order to be a star or to look pretty you have to half dress or you have to pile on makeup to show your beauty.  Children also grow up thinking this is the type of behavior they should display when in all reality it is not healthy for them. 

            We must come to the realization children are being exposed to too much before the necessary time.  They see and hear entirely too much.  As adults we can’t just sit back and say their minds will catch up to their bodies.  The thoughts are already there.  We must seek ways to reduce the negative effects that sexualization has on young children.  The problem or issue will not go away by itself.  We must go back to the times where we knew what children were watching, we knew the music they were listening, and we knew the activities they were engaging in.  It’s time to take a stand against those things which are provoking negative responses.  We must not ignore this fact.

            My awareness to this subject has been very much increased.  I am now aware that sexualization is not the same as sexuality or sex. It has to do with treating other people and sometimes oneself as objects of sexual desire…as things rather than as people with legitimate sexual feelings of their own (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009).

References

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.