Sexualisation of Girls
BRATZ™ dolls, like those above, are considered by many to be ‘dressed like hookers.’
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A 2007 report of the American Psychological Association (APA) found evidence that the proliferation of sexualised images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is linked to common mental health problems in girls and women, such as:
- Cognitive and Emotional Consequences: Sexualisation and objectification undermine a person's confidence in and comfort with her own body, leading to emotional and self-image problems, such as shame and anxiety.
- Mental and Physical Health: Research links sexualisation with three of the most common mental health problems diagnosed in girls and women--eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression or depressed mood.
- Sexual Development: Research suggests that the sexualisation of girls has negative consequences on girls' ability to develop a healthy sexual self-image.
Sexualisation was defined by the task force as occurring when a person's value comes only from her/his sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics, and when a person is sexually objectified, e.g., made into a thing for another's sexual use.
Read: Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualisation of Girls
Effects of Pornography on the Sexual Behaviour of Girls
If marketing that sexualises and objectifies girls is having a negative affect on girls' healthy development, then what about the effects of pornography?
In an article, "Sex acts copied from online porn sites" (The Age, November 5, 2007), child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg claims that girls are being affected by early exposure to pornography:
GIRLS only just into puberty are copying sexual acts they see in internet pornography, believing they must be normal, child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said.
Dr Carr-Gregg said large numbers of teenage girls had engaged in behaviour such as group sex or anal sex, which they wouldn’t have done without seeing it online.
“Girls have new sexual practices. We’ve found that when they view that stuff they feel compelled to copy it,” he said yesterday.
“It’s causing young women to do things they wouldn’t have done but because it’s online they think it's normal. We are talking about girls who have just come into puberty.”
The all-pervasive advertising that accompanies Erotica Lifestyles Expo will negatively impact on children.
It is illegal to show pornography to children. It should be illegal to advertise it to indiscriminate audiences, including children.
Vulnerability to Sexual Predators
Also, marketing pornography in public places legitimises accessing the websites that are being promoted. (The idea being that if there was anything wrong with it, it wouldn’t be on display.) This could be used by paedophiles to legitimise accessing pornography with children to ‘sexually groom’ them for the purpose of sexual violation.
Last reviewed 24 Mar 2010.
Our website is a porn-free zone, but PLEASE ask an adult if it's OK to check it out.
