My
reaction to the topic of sexualization of early childhood is that there needs
to be a drastic change. Not just for
children but for all society. Children
are surrounded by messages form the verbal and visual environment including
family members and friends, music, movies, television, and print media. I understand that for children to grow up in
a less sexualized world it has to start with the adults. Yet, when adults in the media are being
glorified for their sexuality it is hard to imagine that everyone would be in
agreement.
Three examples from my personal
or professional experience that further illustrate the exposure of young
children to a highly sexualized environment:
1. A group of third grade boys
learns a new dance where the lyric that goes with it is to, “Superman that ho.”
2. An eight year old boy learns a
new knock-knock joke from his older cousin with a lude punch line that is
highly sexualized. He retells the joke
to a teacher at his school.
3. A seven-year-old girl uses a
red crayon and pretends to color her lips.
“It is my lipstick,” she says as she smacks her lips.
These types of situations might
have implications on children’s healthy development in a few ways. First, they are not thinking for themselves
and allowing the environment to influence them in negative ways. Children begin to think and act like adults
and end up growing up too fast both physically and mentally. Childhood’s are warped into different
experiences and starts to get blurred with the adult world. It is a shame because children miss out on
the more innocent experiences that childhood should entail. Also, children’s idea of what adulthood is
like is misunderstood. This affects
their development in that they might aspire to be a part of that world which
can have negative effects on their future decision making. It is the job of the early childhood
professional to help provide children with the necessary information and to
guide them to having moral values. My
awareness of sexualization of early childhood has been influenced in that I am
more aware of the severity of the problem.
With facts like how girls as young as nine are being involved in
prostitution, (Levin,
& Kilbourne, 2009) it is apparent and obvious that
something has to be done, fast.
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
Rosana,
ReplyDeleteWhile the introduction to the book was disturbing, I appreciated gaining a deeper understanding of the magnitude of the problem. I agree with your assessment that through this highly sexualized society, children gain a false idea of what it is like to be an adult. They misunderstand what relationships should be like. They misunderstand what a woman should look like. They misunderstand what brings true happiness in life. You are right that these misunderstandings can cause children to make poor decisions later on in life. I agree with you that not all adults think this trend is a big deal. I've heard and seen parents laughing at their young daughters when they "twerk" or when their sons make lewd comments. It saddens me that some adults think it's funny. It is vital that adults and educators fight for and protect children from these damaging behaviors. Thanks for your post.