The sexualization of girls isn’t just one in a cornucopia of problems parents wring their hands about. It’s a major contributor to low self-esteem, risk-taking behavior, and inequality between men and women.
But it’s not just media and peers that encourage premature sexualization and an obsession with appearance. Parents often unwittingly contribute to their children’s sexualization.
But this contribution is not unavoidable, and by being mindful of the subtle pressures exerted on both themselves and their children, parents can avoid encouraging girls to conform to a hypersexualized gender role.
Mothers and Appearance
In one recent study, researchers gave girls between the ages of 6 and 9 a choice between a sexualized paper doll wearing tight, revealing clothing and a modestly-dressed doll wearing stylish jeans and an unrevealing shirt.
The girls overwhelming chose the sexy paper doll but were more likely to choose this paper doll in certain contexts.
Girls whose mothers were obsessed with their own physical appearance and who were exposed to lots of television and advertising were more likely to choose the “sexy” paper dolls. Girls exposed to television and advertising alone were no more likely than other girls to choose the “sexy” paper doll.
When mothers are fixated on their own attractiveness, they may choose media for their daughters that encourage this behavior. They may also be less critical of media messages.
Further, the media help to reinforce the messages about appearance that the girls are receiving at home. Thus by being aware of their own body image and limiting their daughter’s access to hypersexualized media, mothers may be able to prevent premature sexualization.
Fathers and Math
Several studies have found that fathers are more likely to enforce normative gender roles than mothers. They are more likely, for example, to encourage girls to dress up and to discourage “feminine” behavior from boys.
This is especially true when it comes to academic work. Fathers are much more likely to instill the message that math is not for girls and to allow girls to give up when they struggle with math or science.
They also spend less time helping daughters with math projects than they spend helping sons.
So what does this have to do with sexualization? Girls are experiencing increased pressure to become hypersexualized at the same time that they begin to fall behind boys in math.
Academics can provide an alternative to appearance obsession, and girls with strong academic backgrounds are less likely to sexualize themselves.
Fathers interested in preventing the hypersexualization of their daughters may have more luck if they help them with their math homework rather than monitor and interrogate their boyfriends.
Open Discussion
In the paper doll study mentioned, girls were less likely to choose the “sexy” paper doll when parents talked to them about inappropriate messages in media and used sexual scenes as teachable moments.
Several other studies have demonstrated that openness about sexuality can actually prevent premature sexual behavior. It also improves girls’ self esteem, ensures they get accurate information from their parents, and enables critical thinking skills.
While parents may find it difficult or awkward to discuss sexual images with their children, their daughters benefit from a parent who can discuss the differences between fantasy and reality and who can help them become critical consumers of media.
This is equally true for media that encourage unrealistic body expectations, that promote the idea that men and women are not equal, and that encourage drug use and other dangerous behaviors.
Children whose parents talk to them overwhelmingly fare better on numerous measures of well-being.
Sources:
Beck, K. (n.d.). Researchers attempt to understand the sexualization of girls with virgin/whore paper dolls. Mommyish. Retrieved from
http://mommyish.com/childrearing/sexualization-of-girls-study-396
Clark-Flory, T. (n.d.). Salon. Sexy like Mom. Retrieved from
http://www.salon.com/2012/07/21/sexy_like_mom
Mothers who provide sexual health information to adolescent girls make a difference. (2001). Reproductive Health Matters, 9(18), 193. doi: 10.1016/S0968-8080(01)90141-7
Rudman, L. A., Glick, P. (2010). The social psychology of gender: How power and intimacy shape gender relations. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Edited by Jody Smith