Sexualisation damaging young girls

Sexualisation damaging young girls: report

A major US study has concluded that a generation of young girls is being psychologically damaged by a culture of sexualisation.

The report by the American Psychological Association says women and girls are depicted in a sexualised manner throughout US culture - on television and the Internet, in movies, music videos, magazines and video games.The study says it is leading to eating disorders, low self-esteem, depression and poor academic performance.The association says the main culprit is television.

Nearly 70 per cent of American children have a TV set in their bedroom.Through it, they are bombarded with images of girls as sexual objects valued only in terms of how attractive or sexy they are.Such omnipresent images can also have a negative effect on a young girl's sexual development, the study cautions.

Based on a comprehensive review of academic literature, the report notes that young adolescents and girls are particularly at risk "because their sense of self is still being formed."

In one experiment cited, college-aged women were asked to try on and evaluate either a swim suit or a sweater.The completed a maths test while they waited for 10 minutes while wearing the garment.

"The results revealed that young women in swimsuits performed significantly worse... than those wearing sweaters," the study said."No difference were found for young men."

Looking at popular music videos, the authors quoted songs by the Pussycat Dolls, Kid Rock and 50 Cent as sexualising females.

In terms of advertising, the report singles out beer commercials as a major offender.Also cited is a Skechers shoe ad that features pop singer Christina Aguilera dressed as a school girl in pigtails, with her shirt unbuttoned while licking a lollipop.

The study says the popular Bratz dolls depict "girls marketed in bikinis, sitting in a hot tub, mixing drinks and standing around, while the 'Boyz' play guitar and stand with their surf boards".The dolls come dressed in miniskirts, fish-net stockings and feather boas.

The report calls on parents to take a more active roll in helping to shape the sexual self-image of their children and to exert consumer pressure on manufacturers and advertisers.- BBC/AFP

Sexualisation damaging young girls: report. 21/02/2007. ABC News Online