The way sex is portrayed in our society is astonishing and to bold and showy. Our children are learning at a young age what it means to be sexy, how to be seen as a possession and not as a human being and what the standard is for being accepted as sexy. This is mind boggling that children are dealing with being sexualized at such an early age. Our media and society needs to take it down a notch and parents need to explain things better to their children and only provide them with appropriate toys, movies, music, etc. Children learn from ever interaction, media, environment and experience.
When I worked at a preschool there was a 4 year old girl that was very girly-girl, had to wear the hippest clothes, be dressed and look cute/good at all times (didn't wear anything like sweats or that was frumpy) and had her nails done, etc. She knew all the words to 'My milkshake is better then yours' and other inappropriate songs and would sing them and dance around..
A little girl who I used to Nanny who is now 4 was 2 & 3 at the time but at 3 she knew some of the lyrics to songs that are not appropriate, like Justin Bieber's song 'Boyfriend'.
There was a little boy in the 3 year old classroom that would hum his cot at nap time and some of the other girls... wow was that shocking.
Experiencing these different sexualized medias will give children the wrong development of their social identity, their self development, attitudes towards themselves and what they are worth. "Today’s cultural environment bombards children with inappropriate
and harmful messages" (Levin, & Kilbourne, J., 2009). Children do not understand these messages or how to handle them. They are too young for them. When children learn the words to songs they do not even realize what they are saying and what the underlying message is in that song. They develop their own ideas and concepts. I think discussing what is appropriate in the school setting and how we are to behave is best and sending home a letter to parents or having a PTA meeting explaining the sexualized messages children are receiving. Parents need to be aware that "In the most extreme cases, the media’s incessant sexualization of childhood can contribute to pathological sexual behavior,
including sexual abuse, pedophilia, and prostitution" (Levin, & Kilbourne, J., 2009).
and harmful messages" (Levin, & Kilbourne, J., 2009). Children do not understand these messages or how to handle them. They are too young for them. When children learn the words to songs they do not even realize what they are saying and what the underlying message is in that song. They develop their own ideas and concepts. I think discussing what is appropriate in the school setting and how we are to behave is best and sending home a letter to parents or having a PTA meeting explaining the sexualized messages children are receiving. Parents need to be aware that "In the most extreme cases, the media’s incessant sexualization of childhood can contribute to pathological sexual behavior,
including sexual abuse, pedophilia, and prostitution" (Levin, & Kilbourne, J., 2009).
I had never really thought much about how prominent the sexualization of children was happening. i was aware of little situations happening but not how common it really is. This definitely is a big issue that I will be sure to address whenever a situation arises that I know is from sexualized experiences.
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
Here is a link to a list of children's books on gender role stereotypes.
journal.naeyc.org/btj/200303/Books4Children.pdf
Here is a link to a list of children's books on gender role stereotypes.
journal.naeyc.org/btj/200303/Books4Children.pdf
Thanks Rica for your views and I agree that the songs some of the children are learning and singing without a second thought are not discussed with them by parents. I have witness parents actually putting their kids on display to sing a particular song that is totally inappropriate for their young child to be singing. We have to start with the parents in educating them to what is appropriate versus what is not. Again, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI too had never given much thought to the sexualization of children before now, or perhaps I had never defined it. I thought young children were too overexposed to adult media and that parents should be taking control of what they wore, watched and listened to. What is scary is the fact that our society is filled with these messages and sadly diverse families may not fully understand the negative impact they have on their children because of a lack of understanding due to language barriers.
ReplyDelete