As I read the article So Sex So Soon, I noticed all the blame was placed on the media, but I feel that parents should share in some of the blame as well. Our children cannot afford to buy their clothes, cell phones, Ipods, get their nails done, eyelashes arched and so on. We all need to take responsibility in the part we play in devaluing our children’s self worth. Our children’s foundation begins at home.
Yes, I agree children are paying an enormous price for their childhood. In actuality, their childhood is being taken away from them because they are being forced to grow up before their time. According to Levin & Kilbourne (2009) “Children are robbed of valuable time for age-appropriate developmental tasks, and they may begin to engage in precocious sexual behavior” (p. 3). I think parents look at this as providing the best for their children without considering how their efforts are negatively impacting the development of their children. Our ignorance is putting our children at risk for sexual violence, low self-esteem and depression, to name a few risk factors. The industry’s goal is to make money and unfortunately, this is done by promoting sex and violence.
Sexualization treats individuals as objects of sexual desire instead of as people with genuine sexual emotions and appeal of their own (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). This sends the wrong messages to our children that their value and success are dependent upon the way in which they look. Movies, music, TV programs, video games, and even toys marketed to children are rife with degrading images that objectify and sexualize girls and woman. Boys are also affected when sex is commodified, presented in the context of harmful stereotypes, and intertwined with power and violence. Unfortunately, I see how sexualization
A four year old girl comes to school every week with her nails freshly polished
and a new hairdo. She is dressed in clothes that a teenager would wear. Boots with hills, designer jeans, and tops that either reveals her midriff or shapes her upper body.
A five year old boy walks into the classroom wearing shades, baggy jeans that are hanging half way his buttocks, revealing a clear view of his jockey shorts, and an oversize blue t-shirt with matching jacket displaying a violent character on the front.
A parent rides through the parking lot playing loud offensive music while he drops his child off to school. The lyrics by Usher are screaming,
“She don't know that she makin' me want her, (Yeah.)
No more she tryna keep me from her.
She don't know that she makin' me me love her, (yeah.)
No more she tryna keep me from her.”
“That girl is so cold, she know what I know,
No more she tryna keep me from her.
She don't know that she makin' me me love her, (yeah.)
No more she tryna keep me from her.”
“That girl is so cold, she know what I know,
but she keep her mouth closed.
She's so sexual, and she knows.
She don't know it's killin' me inside cause I want her body.”
When I see this, I think to myself, how can we, as professional educators change our children’s way of thinking if the parents are their number one role models. Many of our parents are dressing the children the way they dress. They are exploiting their children without even realizing it. We have to get the parents buy-in first.
Therefore, I think is our responsibility as early childhood educators, to educate our parents on ways in which the media is negatively impacting the lives of our children now and in the future. I feel that we can discuss this one-on-one or in an open form in order for everyone to share their thoughts concerning this issue. I think it would be a good idea to have the So Sexy So Soon article readily available for their reading along with related articles so that they can see how the trends have evolved over the past decades. I have always been aware of sexualization, but reading the article So Sexy So Soon has brought the issue to the forefront.
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
Brenda,
ReplyDeleteYou are right the media gets alot of blame, but it's not just them. Parents need to share alot of this blame too. One of my coworkers had a make a phone call home because the kindergarten girl was at school in full makeup everyday. When did being 5 years old stop being all about play, cute sweaters/jumpers/turtlenecks and start being about looking "hot"?
The media markets these products to our children and parents feel pressured by society and fitting in that they buy them. I don't see much changing until enough parents are on board with making a change. The media and retailers will continue to market their products as is until they aren't making the money on it anymore. Hopefully through education enough parents will realize the negative effects and stop forcing their children to grow up way too early.
Hi Brenda, so true...parents need to step up to the plate, act like mature adults, set standards for their children, and act as role models for them.
ReplyDeleteHi Brenda,
ReplyDeleteYou are right; even though a lot of the messages children are seeing and hearing come from the media, in many ways they are supported and reinforced by parents. I agree with you that parents may not even realize the effects this has on their children; many parents are allowing their young daughters to wear make-up, allowing their children to listen to music with explicit lyrics, etc. without even thinking twice. Like you and Molly above said, I think that we play an important role in helping educate parents on the impact these things have on their children. As early childhood professionals we can work to facilitate healthy, age-appropriate discussions about body images, stereotypes, and the different ways we are beautiful aside from our looks. We can also make sure that inappropriate language, behavior, clothing, and actions are not allowed in our classrooms and clearly explain our reasoning to parents. I also like your idea of sharing "So sexy so soon" with parents and caregivers, this is a great way to share information on this topic with them. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Brenda,
ReplyDeleteI agree that kids are growing up to fast this day and age. I remember when I was four years old my only worries was where my stuffed bunny rabbit is and whether my brother had taken her and hid her (it was one of his favorite games). I never worried about what kinds of clothes I was going to wear and whether if I was pretty enough to have friends. I also agree that parents are partially to blame for the way their children act because many parents do not monitor what their children are listening to on the radio, what television shows and movies they are viewing and what things they are looking up on the Internet. I feel if parents took the time to monitor what their children are doing then children would not be in such a hurry to grow up.
Brenda -- I was thinking how I could educate my preschool parents on the medias sexualized exposure to our young children. I wrote about the show Toddlers and Tiaras. I know that many of my preschool parents have allowed their children to watch that show and many of the girls have come to school mimicking some of the things they saw on the show. I've mentioned it to the parents and many of them say they find humor in the show and the kids seem to enjoy it. They also mention since there are no curse words, or adult language they find it ok for their children to watch it.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
ReplyDeleteWOW!! You really touched on many great points that relate to how sex is brought in the lives of children. I have seen children especially little girls that are allowed to grow up to soon and wear clothes that are inappropriate. I feel it is so important to educate the families so that they understand how this will affect children in the classroom. I know that offering parenting classes will shed light on families so that they will see how sex affect young children's lives.