There’s a chance you might remember the rumblings in the news about the American Psychological Association and their groundbreaking discovery that the proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harmful to girls’ self-image and healthy development.1
When I heard it on the news, I stared at my TV in total disbelief and mumbled, “Nah! Ya think?”
The study targeted everything, from sexually explicit ads to the tarted-up dolls that are popular among young girls. All media types were allowed, including music and bombardment of sexual images on TV and online.
This was 2008
Even though it has been a decade since the first sexualization of young girls was reported, there are still many media outlets and online platforms that facilitate this practice. Recent research and new studies paint a disturbing picture, however.
Sexualization of young girls
Sexualization 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, i.e., made…
