The Sexualization Of Women And Girls - 1131 Words

The sexualization of women and girls surround Americans and is damaging to females as well as to American society. Females receive the sexualized messages regarding their appearance and how they should act via the media, retailers, and American society’s acceptance of these behaviors. As a mother, Girl Scout Leader, and school paraprofessional I cannot help but to question are these messages inflicting psychological damage on girls? Whom can I hold accountable for sexualizing female youth? What can I do to prevent sexualization from affecting all of the young girls in my life? The sexualization of girls is unacceptable because it is degrading to females, can cause serious life-long psychological damage and sexist attitudes, and may lead to violence against women and girls. Sexualization differs from healthy sexuality. According to the American Psychological Association Task Force (APA), healthy sexuality is something that develops spontaneously in people that have not suffered any kind of traumatic sexual crisis. Healthy sexuality includes affection, a relationship and/or companionship, respect, and healthy intimacy between consenting people (APA 1). Sexualization, on the other hand, is something that is forced upon a person. The APA defines sexualization as a cause that ensues when one of the following causes occur: A person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics; 2.) A person is held to a standard thatShow MoreRelatedMedia s Growing Sexualization Of Women1402 Words   |  6 Pageswill presented with many displays of hypersexualization of girls and women in advertising images and in media. There are many components to sexualization. It occurs, according to the American Psycholog ical Association, when â€Å"a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics.† This person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy. â€Å"Sexualization† happens when a person is sexually objectified- that is, madeRead MoreThe Medias Negative Affect on Women Essay1279 Words   |  6 PagesNegative Affect on Women Our society’s media portrays women in a very distorted and twisted way. Women in the media are made out to be purely sexual objects. Only images of women who are thin, over sexualized, and what our cultural believes to be â€Å"beautiful† are shown on television, magazines, and ads. Lyrics in popular music often also degrade women. Constantly being bombarded by these inaccurate depictions of how females should look and be treated has many negative effects on women. Inaccurate depictionsRead MoreEssay about Little Girls or Little Women675 Words   |  3 PagesPrincesses â€Å"Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect† is an article by Stephanie Hanes which touches on the princess phenomenon many young girls are obsessed with. Stephanie Hanes concludes that the Disney Princess craze is linked to self-objectification and the growing sexualization of young girls. Although she provided numerous facts the argument was unsuccessful because it was weak and confusing. Her own personal opinion on why she blamed the Disney Empire for sexualization amongst youngRead MoreEssay on Sexualization in The Media1082 Words   |  5 Pagesobjectifying and degrading women, along with influences on the cognitive growth of young girls. The use of overly suggestive women in advertising has led to emotional and cognitive issues in the population of young women. Over the past few decades, the use of sexualization in advertising has become more common. Whether conscious or subconscious, the images and roles that are being portrayed send implied messages to the impressionable minds of children. Roughly 50% of teen girls in the U.S. read teenRead MoreThe Impact Of Sexualization Of Women In Advertising1217 Words   |  5 PagesWomen have always faced oppression and unequal rights. In the early 1800s, women were treated as â€Å"slaves† and their purpose was to please the men in their lives (Smith, 2002). In the 1930s, Kellogg released an advertisement stating, â€Å"so the harder a wife works, the cuter she looks!† which sexualized women for their husband’s enjoyment (Heilpern, 2016). One would think over seven decades things would change, but unfortunately, similarities from both the 1800s and the 1930s are still present todayRead MoreThe Oversexualization And Objectification Of Women1528 Words   |  7 PagesOversexualization and Objectification of Women On all platforms of media, women and even young girls are oversexualized; thus leading to men viewing women as no more than breasts, vaginas, legs, or any other body part they prefer. Even in current television shows, movies, comic books, and advertisements, women are still depicted as sexual objects, which can damage a woman’s confidence. The oversexualization of women s bodies can degrade a young woman’s confidence, and when girls try to boost confidence by dressingRead MoreSexualization of Children through the Media Essay1028 Words   |  5 Pagesshort skirts? And wondered to yourself why the younger generation of today portray themselves like that and why their parents allow it. It all goes back to the strong impact that sexualization portrayed in media and marketing has on everybody in today’s society especially young children from toddlers to late teens, both girls and boys. They see it everywhere from movies/television shows, magazines, clothing, computer games, toys, the music industry and of course the internet. Children are influencedRead MoreThe Sexualization Of The Female Pop Celebrity1482 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The sexualization of the female pop celebrity has been a significant point of research for many years. Since the rise of celebrity, scholars have been studying how the roles we place on our notable figures influence the rest of us. In recent history, the landscape of celebrity culture has drastically changed. Now more than ever, social media has allowed us to be connected to the stars that we look up to. Research has increased on the subject since the start of the 21st century. RecentRead MoreThe Sexualization of Women Today1692 Words   |  7 PagesThe TV and Film Industry’s Portrayal of Women has drastically affected many of their lives, much too often women compare themselves to the female images they see on television, film, and advertisings; at both the conscious and subconscious level, these media images of women lower self-esteem and affect behavior at every age and stage of life. We know they are unrealistic, yet they apply so much pressure on women to conform, and in fluence how we live, love, work and play. This gender role that societyRead MoreAre Girls Get Exposure?897 Words   |  4 PagesGirls get exposure to sexualized messages through, TV, ads, song lyrics, videos, and movies. Television shows and movies depict the attractive, sexy girls as being associated with the popular crowd (APA 6). The APA has noted that advertisements use a blurred framework known as â€Å"trickle up† and â€Å"trickle down† with the sole purpose of making girls appear to be more adult like, and women to appear more child-like. For example, network TV aired a Victoria Secret’s Christmas themed fashion starring