...Sexualization of Girls and Women in the United States: A Growing Epidemic Kayla Johnson Chamberlain College of Nursing Sexualization of Girls and Women in the United States: A Growing Epidemic Brittany, a freshman in High School arrives at her home after school and turns on the T.V to watch MTV music videos. She watches the T.V. as half naked girls dance in the background of male singers. She picks up her phone to get on Instagram where she scrolls through images of famous women like Rhianna and Kim Kardashian who post scantily clad images of their bodies. Brittany thinks to herself, “I wish that I looked like these girls, maybe if I looked more like them the boys at school would like me more”. Brittany’s mother gets home from work and puts dinner on the dining room table. Brittany sits down and eats only a portion of her meal because in the back of her mind she is still feeling as though her own body is inadequate, she could probably lose more weight and if only she had bigger boobs and longer legs, maybe then she would feel better about herself. She lies in bed that night and wishes that she had a better body so that she could feel beautiful and happy. If only she knew that thousands of other girls were feeling the same way, maybe she would realize that the issue isn’t her own body- the issue is the cultural emphasis on female sexualization that has become a norm in our society. Unfortunately girls all over the world are struggling with self-confidence related to...
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...means of reducing possible risks, and the “the space…that is physically available to the feminine body is frequently of greater radius than the space that she uses and inhabits”. The human body has it limitations and restrictions that are imposed on by the power of society. Due to this, women must be more protective over their body and how they control their movement. Cahill defines this as bodily comportment. The typical male sits with their legs open, leaned back, and are typically not restricted at all....
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...Women in the music industry have become more hyper sexualized than ever before. This is a much more complex idea than I had ever thought. There has always been a huge gray area and divide between sex-positivity and catering to the male gaze. I understand the struggle of female artists, but it is hard to defend some of the new artists. Slut-shaming is another extreme of the conversation because it can become so easy to look at these women as objects instead of real people. They become so much more of a cultural product selling fantasy that you forget that there is a person behind it all. Female artists now have been turned into brands forced to become just an image that can be sold to the public. They are no longer individuals with creative...
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...Sexy Too Soon: The Media’s Sexualization of Our Daughters English 101-B13 Abstract This paper explores the ways media productions have become the main culprit in the sexualization of children. The Bratz Doll itself is a device of the media and all the media images posted on her demonstrates the extent of influence that media hype has on children. Kids are inundated with marketing to sell sex products, including but not limited to provocative clothing which interferes with the healthy development of kids. Harmful images embedded with media misconceptions objectify girls and woman. Children are being transformed into miniature adults with the Media assuming the role of guidance counselor. With both parent’s working in the majority of households, the Media also serves as a substitute parent. A lost childhood is a formula for disaster and long-term issues on all levels of functioning in society. Education, communication, and setting boundaries are essential in creating a reality mindset regarding media ploys. Teaching girls and women that they are not mere vessels of sexual pleasure; rather daughters of God designed to project intelligence and virtue (Proverbs 31:10). Understanding technology, including social media is imperative; however, it is a matter of discernment and balance. Sexy Too Soon: The Medias’ Sexualization of Our Daughters One of the epidemics in the world is the Medias ’sexualization of children. Women and teenage girls are sexualized and objectified...
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...‘Equal Opportunity Objectification? The Sexualization of Men and Women on the Cover of Rolling Stone’ (2011) examines and analyzes the changes on how the male and the female are sexually represented. This review will critically look at the arguments of the authors and the research discipline. Also, it will examine the previous literature related to the research topic. Further, the paper will examine the methodology used by the authors to analyses the study. Finally, it will discuss its findings and the contribution of the research to the study field. The study by Hatton and Trautner is an interdisciplinary study about sexuality and gender as well as the media. The above disciplines deals with the representation of sexuality and gender in the media. Also, it looks at how other issues regarding gender and sexuality affect individuals’ and the society. By examination of Braithwaite et al. (2015), it is evident that pornography influences friends and the society. Also, Hall, West and Hill (2012) shows implication of song lyrics on sexuality educators. The authors of the article have several...
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...Nauert, R. (2011). Media’s Growing Sexualization of Women. Psych Central. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/08/11/medias-growing-sexualization-of-women/28539.html In this article, Rick Nauert, a senior news editor for Psych Central, explains the observations he and his colleagues had made while analyzing Rolling Stone Magazine’s covers and contents from the 1960’s to relatively recent. They created their own “Scale of Sexualization” where they different covers were awarded points for the different elements deemed sexually charged. Their findings were that although men were increasingly being sexualized throughout the cover timeline, overall, women were experiencing more, 10x more to be exact. Nauert concluded that the problems created by the over sexualization allow for more opportunities of violence towards women because women have been given the status of sexual object and submissive. Sexual harassment in the workplace and in the community has also elevated. It also gives unrealistic expectations for females and therefore women and men are open for disappointment. Rolling Stone was chosen as it is a founded publication that analyzes music, politics, film and top news stories. Clymer, C. (2013). ‘Woman’ Should Not Be Another Word For Sex. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-clymer/woman-should-not-be-another-word-for-sex_b_3307013.html Clymer, a blogger for the Huffington Post and army veteran, wrote this article about...
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...Are elite female athletes recognised for their ability or sexuality? Women have traditionally been considered as fragile and unable to perform the tasks that a man could. Understanding this, women were never considered to be apart of sports or activities that may involve the two qualities strength, stamina. A number of studies (Harris, 2005; Messner, Duncan & Jenson, 1993; Vincent, 2004; Rowe and Brown, 1994) discovered that in relation to female athletes most media coverage was for their looks rather than their athletic ability and skills. However the men were evaluated on the skill of the sport while women became the object to observe. Compared to the pictures taken of men and women, the men’s pose’s were more athletic were as the women’s...
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...3 4 5 6 End the Sexualization of Girls and Young Women in Mainstream Media Children are exposed to a barrage of sexual and violent images through mainstream and other media. As children gain more access to media through technology such as phones and computers, the time per day that children are exposed to images is increasing. The average high school student spends as much as 8-10 hours a day with some type of media, according to recent findings from the Geena Davis Institute. Studies estimate that counting all ads, logos, labels, and announcements a child is exposed to 16,000 images in one day. (Youth Media Reporter 2009). Media and Violence Against Women Often, media such as TV, commercials, movies, music lyrics, and even Halloween costumes, sexually exploits girls and young women; and it perpetuates unhealthy and unrealistic stereotypical portrayals of both young men and women. Sexually violent material can contribute to a social climate in which violence against women is more accepted. According to several studies by the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (2007), men and women exposed to sexually objectifying and violent images of women from mainstream media were more accepting of rape myths, sexual harassment, sex role stereotypes, and interpersonal violence. Such structures of violence allow violence against women to exist and persist. This handout and activity will analyze the impact of media on the rights of girls and young women from an international...
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...Since the early 1800’s women have struggled and strived to obtain equal rights of the average man. It was not up until 1920 when women were even granted the right to vote and it was not until 1981 when the United States finally appointed a woman Supreme Justice (Weinbaum). It has been a long and tedious process to acquire equal rights for women and fairness in politics. After over two centuries, women have almost completely overcome the gender barrier and established an equal dominant role in society as men. However, the recent provocative portrayals of women in the media have questioned the idea that, if in fact, the years spent overcoming this gender hardship was to ultimately come back to square one. With television programs such as “The Bachelor” presenting a dozen women competing for the attention of one man and television commercials highlighting a woman's thigh to sell sneakers, it is difficult for society and especially the youth to not to be influenced by the overpowering message to objectify women (Coleman). Television shows portraying woman in explicit dogmatic behaviors like “Flavor of Love” or “The Bachelor” make it difficult for the everyday women to process exactly why the media allows such depictions of women to be viewed and accepted around the world. According to author Breanna Coleman, “Television programs show slender, unrealistically curvaceous, and vulnerable young women, who are dependent on male figures for strength and survival, not their own sense...
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...On the good side, TV commercials display positive behaviors and role models that young girls and adolescent girls can aspire to be. In contrast, many of these TV commercials have a negative influence on the life of young girls and adolescent girls. TV commercials targets young girls and adolescent girls through the use of different outlets that glorify unrealistic expectations, distorted body image and sexualization in which leads them on a path of self-destruction. TV commercials can promote positive behavior. Dove is the first “beauty” company to promote to young girls and adolescent girls that they should be comfortable with their own body. Their marketing campaign helps to establish self-esteem and a good body image. It shows “real women” as role models who are happy with themselves even though their body may not be what is typically thought of as beautiful. According to the article, “The Dove® Campaign for Real Beauty”, Dove states, “Dove® kicked off the second and most iconic phase of the Campaign for Real Beauty in June 2005, with advertising featuring six real women with real bodies and real curves. The phase of the campaign was created to debunk the stereotype that only thin is beautiful” (Dove, 2014). Dove’s campaign helps to educate these girls with knowledge they need to deal with their perception of beauty....
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...Heidi Klomhaus English 102 Dr. D. Pineda 10 December 2013 Child Beauty Pageants: What’s The Harm? Although there are many adults who suffer various consequences of child pageant participations, they still look back at their childhood and have some good memories of fun. Some even enter their own children into these pageants. Unfortunately, however, the damage is still the same and the cycle continues. Child beauty pageants are detrimental to the psyche of young children because these pageants promote sexualization far beyond their years and lack regulations to govern the actions within these contests. Because these children are being pushed into time-consuming, grueling preparation for these pageants, and because their performances are considered to be far beyond their years leading to self-objectification or sexualization, and the lack of regulations within these pageants there should be some boundaries set to minimize the psychological effects of participation within these contests. As we approach the Christmas holiday this year there are many who remember the horrific murder mystery of JonBenet Ramsey, a former child pageant star, and wonder if her participation in the beauty pageant world is what ended her short life. It’s been 17 years since her body was found in the basement of her parents’ home and her face was plastered all over the news. When the name JonBenet Ramsey is heard doll-like images flash through our heads from her pageant photos. Would she still...
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...The Media’s Representation of Women The greatest problem facing women is the way the media portrays and represents them. America’s population is about 51% female, but the media is mainly focused on men and their actions (The Problem). Many things in the media that are said are sexist and degrading to women. Ads with completely normal meaning such as trying to sell food or other products are oversexualized with women in them, trying to convince people to get the product. This pressure from the media to be perfect and ideal can cause eating disorders, encourage self harm and dangerous behavior, and lead to other mental illnesses. The National Organization for Women created a campaign that promotes women and encourages them to be willing to try new things. The media is unfair to women and there must be a way to help it get better and help women reach equal representation with men in the media. Men are represented in the media much more than women are. In about a 3 to 1 margin, males outnumbered females in front page newspaper headlines in coverage of the 2012 presidential election. On TV talk shows aired on Sundays, of all people interviewed women made up 14% and only...
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...To make cake, its eggs need to be beaten. To make women, their wills need to be beaten. Societies throughout history make women second class citizens reliant on their sons, husbands, and fathers. They are, in some countries, treated worse than children or pets. Although the U.S. ranks as the leading nation in protecting women’s rights, women are still enslaved by obsolete traditional values characterized through economic inequality and sexualization. The 19th amendment was officially ratified by the states in 1920, granting women the right to vote. Eight years later, America’s mother, Great Britain, followed by passing a law that also guaranteed women’s suffrage. But a change in legislation is not enough. There needs to be a change in mindset...
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...development of eating disorders and lower self-esteem. Moreover, gender is a routine, methodical, and recurring accomplishment that actually surfaces in everyday human interaction (West and Zimmerman, 1987), and gender relations are learned through these advertisements, which essentially serve as a distorted reflection of the real world. These sexualized and stereotypical gender images are teaching the viewers a vast array of social cues, a certain way to interpret social reality, and are eventually reconstructing the definition of femininity and masculinity. Various studies have been done regarding the covert ways that magazine advertisements construct masculinity and femininity. Assuming that significant differences in the portrayal of men and women would be found in terms of magazine type and its target readers, a content analysis will be used to examine and compare the selected fashion magazines to determine how contemporary advertisers define or portray masculinity and femininity to different readerships. Literature...
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...concluded that Gender, Sexualization and Media influence our perception of what men and women are supposed to be. In addition how GQ magazine enables women to be sexualized and forces men into the media’s ideal masculinity. All these three factors are intertwined. In today’s media there is an outflow of how body image, masculinity and femininity, also how gender roles should be determined. We look into the basis that in the modern age, we are predetermined to look a certain way, mainly by the media’s portrayal of what a man and women should exhibit. Subliminal messages are thrown out in our everyday life. For example, to toy Bratz force children at a young age to associate this toy with what beauty should be. Another example, young boys are forced into a vicious cycle of what a man is supposed to be. They are subjected to the media’s voice of how a man should act....
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