Week 6- The Sexualization of Early Childhood

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

My reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood is shock and fright. Reading the example of sexualization situations in early childhood from the article, “So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents can do to Protect Their Kids, was eye-opening and unsettling. As a parent myself, I feel overwhelmed with the responsibility I have to educate my own children as well as students about this. How can children at such a young age be doing and saying those things? It is sad to think that society has created this for our children. It is frightening to read that children are being exposed to sexualization and violence at such a young age. Even though we as professionals and parents keep it out of our homes and classrooms other children are exposing peers in addition to the messages from society. “Children are paying an enormous price for the sexualization of their childhood. Girls and boys constantly encounter sexual messages and images that they cannot understand and that can confuse and even frighten them” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2). Children are facing issues they are not developmentally ready to address.

Ways I have observed the sexualization of early childhood in my personal and professional experiences are through songs, student comments, student gestures, and student clothing.  Examples I have encountered in store advertisements, television, the Internet, and magazines are of girls and women dressing very sexy and provocative and dolls looking sexy.  Characteristics I have noticed are large breasts, thin body frame, long flowy hair, flawless skin, perfect make-up, and very form fitting clothing. For boys and men, I have observed very fit, masculine, flawless skin, and clean cut. An example, from my professional experience that further illustrates the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment, is during playtime in my dramatic play area. I had a young child take some dress up clothes and pretend to have large breasts. Another example from my professional experience is during recess time. A kindergarten boy was chasing a little girl to kiss her. When discussing the situation with him, he told me that she was very sexy (his dad told his mom that) and he wanted to kiss her and they were going to get married. A third example is with my own six-year-old son. He asked me at dinner one night if it was okay for boys to cry when they get hurt. He overheard a conversation at recess that if boys cry they aren’t real men.  I also overheard some parents in the hallway in our school talking about clothing choices in stores for their daughters. They were upset that the merchandise supported sexualization of children.

Sexualization of early childhood children may have implications for healthy development. When children are exposed too soon to things they are not developmentally ready for, their responses are often inappropriate and/or detrimental. For example, girls are hearing and seeing messages at a young age about weight and beauty. Many more incidents of anorexia and bulimia at a young age are reported than in the past. Also, pregnancy, abortions, and STD’s are happening because children are misinterpreting messages they cannot fully process. Even over spending and buying habits are affected by sexualization. The marketing industry knows how to emotionally lure children to purchase items to make them “more attractive or popular”.  Parents are faced with family problems sooner than parents were in the past if they were at all.  Sexualization of early childhood “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). Children may develop a warped sense of self, which could carry on into adulthood and affect relationships. 

Ideas I have as an early childhood professional to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impacts on children are to first get educated and then teach others. Even though I consider myself an educated person and involved parent, I do not feel adequately equipped to handle this without expert advice. The article for this assignment was a great start. Since this whole idea of sexualization of early childhood is relatively new historically, I want to learn as much as I can for my own children and those I care for. Then it is my obligation as an early childhood professional to educate others or at the minimum offer advice.  While I am gaining information myself I can still respond and reduce negative impacts on children by talking when appropriate about the topic. I remember learning in a class a while ago about marketing techniques and how good marketers “trick” us into thinking we need their products. In my classroom, I can discuss this at my students’ level using age-appropriate products. Also, I can teach lessons on body image and health. If children begin to learn these things at a young age, hopefully, the negative impacts will be reduced.

My awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and modified by studying the topic this week. I first gained insight that sexualization is really affecting both genders from preschool age to the tween years. I learned through reading this article that what I do now and how I act towards sexualization now can impact the future. If children hear the message over and over about this they may be better prepared to react to it in appropriate ways.  “This is when the foundation is laid for later sexual behavior and relationships. This is when you can make the biggest difference in reducing the negative impact of the sexualization of childhood on your children” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 7).

References

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