The mere fact that there is actually a topic such as
sexualization of early childhood is just unthinkable. Growing up in the early
1960’s as a child, we were not exposed to the sexually explicit terms and
images that our young children are exposed too today in a world that I consider
as being oversexualized world. It wasn’t
until deregulation of television in the 1980’s which allowed an increase in violent
and sexually explicit TV programming that depicted little boys as being told
they have to be macho and ready to fight and sending the message to girls that being
just pretty and sweet is not enough but they have to be sexy and sexualized as
well. As much as parents and/or early childhood educators would like to protect
our children from these sexually explicit terms and images at such an early
age, children are sure to encounter sexually explicit photos and lyrics from
the media, their peers and the school environment.
Our goal as educators and parents should be
to help keep them safe first and far most and keep an open dialogue with our
young children to allow them to ask questions about what they see and how they
feel about themselves in regards to the sexually explicit terms and images they
may encounter. Help them to understand
the images they see and come in contact with does not define who they are as a
person, or what they should wear, or how they should or should not look.
Because of the growing age of technology, it’s nearly
impossible to protect children from exposure to sexual imagery in the media and
popular culture. Most children as early
as the age of three have hand held computers or access to computers in their
home, videos games and their own TV in their bedrooms with little or no parental
guidance as to what type of music they are listening too or TV programs they
watch.
In order to counteract sexualization in early
childhood both parents and educators will have to narrow such stereotypes of
boys and girls in commercial culture by helping boys learn alternatives to
tough and violent behavior and encouraging girls to be physically active and
independent, rather than focusing on their appearance and sexiness.
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
Hello,
ReplyDeleteYou had mentioned an interesting point about technology. Our technology is rapidly growing and our children have much more access to it now than ever. I have toddlers who are allowed to go on ipads and watch videos. Some preschoolers have their own ipads and TV in their rooms. The amount of messages received from technology is enormous and even through commercials and ads sexualization can be seen. “Children are paying an enormous price for the sexualization of their childhood. Girls and boys constantly encounter sexual messages and images that they cannot understand and that can confuse and even frighten them. Gender roles modeled for children have become increasingly polarized and rigid. A narrow definition of femininity and sexuality encourages girls to focus heavily on appearance and sex appeal” (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2). It is also true that most of these children have no parental guidance with their TV’s and ipads. Parents should be extra careful of what their children watch and hear, this is where the sexual messages will be encountered.
Referene
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
Sandra,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post, your point about keeping open conversation with our children. Thank you thank you, thank you! This is one of the single most important things we can do to prepare our kids for the real world while still keeping them protected.
Great post!
Mitchell