The Sexualization of Early Childhood

            Sexualization of early childhood is a very scary and very real situation that we are forced to deal with in today’s society. It is a topic I am not particularly comfortable talking about or dealing with, but it is part of my job as an educator. “Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, P.2). Everything they see from TV shows, to movies, dolls, games, etc. is teaching them more and more about sex.

            In my six years of teaching, I have seen firsthand the growth of sexualization in early childhood. The school I taught at in South Carolina had a ruler in the office that was used to measure girls shorts and skirts when length was in question. Certain items of clothing, such as Hooters shirts were also not allowed in school. Another example of early sexualization I have experienced is young students having “boyfriends” and “girlfriends.” I put those words in quotation marks because they are not real relationships. When I was younger, I didn’t associate boys with romantic relationships until I was in high school. Now I have kindergarteners that are worried about who likes who, and they talk about it all the time. Music and TV shows are also a big part of the problem. I feel that there are very little shows or songs that are appropriate for young children. A lot of them send messages about sex and sexiness with no thought into who may be listening and repeat’ing their words.

            Children  learn that sex is the defining activity in relationships, to the exclusion of love and friendship. They learn that sex is often linked to violence. And they learn to associate physical appearance and buying the right products not only with being sexy but also with being successful as a person. Such lessons will shape their gender identity, sexual attitudes, and values, and their capacity for relationships, for love and connection, that they take into adulthood” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, P. 2-3). We are teaching our daughters that beauty is based on size and appearance, and our sons not to be affectionate or caring. It is important as educators to teach against these stereotypes and praise our students for how they are on the inside.

            Before exploring this topic deeper this week, I knew that the sexualization of early childhood was a problem and becoming more prevalent. It is sad to hear stories in relation to this topic, and really opens your eyes to just how out of control this issue is getting. Children should be innocent, but they are being exposed to sex earlier and earlier in age, and it is showing in our schools.

           

Reference

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