Two six year old boys are talking together, and one says that he found a condom on a patio. The other one asks, “What’s a patio?”. This joke is indicative of the culture we now live in. The sexualisation of all things, especially our children, has reached epidemic proportions.
Several aspects of this can be highlighted. One is the emphasis on youth, beauty, and “getting the look”. Our young people are now absolutely obsessed with the way they look. They may not care what kind of person they are on the inside, but they are terribly concerned about how they appear on the outside.
As just one indication of this, consider a recent survey of 29,000 young Australians. Mission Australia’s 2007 National Survey of Young Australians found that body image is the biggest worry for 11-24 year olds, whether male or female. Body image was ranked the area of most concern by over 32 per cent of respondents. Family conflict was next at 29 per cent, and coping with stress was third at 27 per cent.
Another worrying aspect of the sexualisation of culture is the mainstreaming of porn. Quite simply, porn has moved from the fringes of society and is now in the very centre. Not too long ago when pro-family groups raised concerns about this, we were dismissed as wowsers and narrow-minded. But it seems that concern about the sexualisation of our youth is becoming more widespread. Three articles in three days just recently appeared, all lamenting the loss of innocence, the destruction of our children, and the pornification of culture.
In the December 4 Melbourne Age, Fairfax writer Karen Murphy wrote a stinging piece entitled “Blame women for the death of feminism”. She says “we have all been sold the emperor’s new clothes of sexual glamour. No, ladies, it’s not glamorous, it’s just naked.” She minces no words in naming and shaming the culprits:
“In particular, I hold to account:
-All the lap dancers, strippers, topless barmaids and well-educated prostitutes who do it for the money.
-Women participating in pornography.
-Women who post tawdry ‘raunch’ photos of themselves on the internet.
-Women who model in degrading advertisements (think Windsor Smith shoes) who do it for the money.
-Women who have cosmetic surgery just when their faces are becoming interesting, and breast enhancements to make themselves desirable.
-Women who claim they have Brazilian waxes for themselves.
-Women who refuse to have an argument with their male partners over the sharing of household duties.
-Women who have caesareans so that their vaginas remain tight.
-Women who claim stiletto heels are comfortable.
-Mothers who give their daughters make-up or hair dye before they turn 10, and are more likely to ask if the child has a favourite boy at school rather than a favourite subject.
-All the women who participate in soft-porn music clips.
-All the women who do pole dancing instead of a non-sexual gym workout.
-All the actresses that strip when their careers are in trouble.
-All the female sports stars that strip to raise money.”
Murphy concludes,” Years ago, when I first went into the world and embraced feminism as an equalising movement, not one based on hatred, resentment or superiority, my mother expressed doubts. She said that she foresaw a time when women would be under more pressure, rather than less, with less respect rather than more, falling further behind rather than stepping out in front. Then I thought her fearful and reactionary. Now I think her wise.”
On December 6 there appeared a Herald Sun article by NSW MP Greg Donnelly with the title, “Just sick of exploitation”. He begins by noting all the sleazy billboards that seem to be everywhere in large cities.
He then looks at some of the evidence for the harm this is causing. “The most disturbing research comes from the American Psychological Association, which released a report this year on the sexualisation of girls. An APA task force of six psychologists and a member of the public took two years to produce the report, which covers 45 pages with 439 references covering another 20 pages. It is a significant piece of social research and I believe the most comprehensive on the subject.”
He continues, “The report looked at the issue across a number of media platforms: television, music videos, music lyrics, movies, cartoons and animation, magazines, sports media, video computer games, internet, advertising, products, clothing and cosmetics. The report examines in detail literature and research relating not just to girls, but also to women. Such a detailed report cannot have its content simply reduced to a few, brief sentences. However, in my view the key observation is to be found on page 21, where the authors say about the consequences of the sexualisation of girls and women: ‘Ample evidence indicates that sexualisation has negative effects in a variety of domains, including cognitive functioning, physical and mental health, sexuality and beliefs’.”
He concludes, “For years, those who have expressed serious concerns about the sexualisation and objectification of girls and women have been challenged. Those with vested interests want the bar to be set at proving their case ‘beyond reasonable doubt’. But with what is at stake the bar should be ‘on the balance of probability’. In any event, the evidence that the sexualisation of young girls has significant consequences, not only for them but others, is now out there.”
And also on the 6th, Melinda Tankard Reist had this piece in the Australian: “Girls now the sum of their body parts”. In her article she begins with the Mission Australia survey: “The results are disturbing but not really surprising. Many girls feel disgusted by their bodies, engaged in constant self-surveillance and self-criticism. Their bodies have become an all-consuming project. One in 100 Australian girls suffers anorexia nervosa. Some estimates put the rate of bulimia at as high as one in five. Children as young as eight are being hospitalised with eating disorders. Some hospitals report there are not enough beds to cope with the numbers. A recent report found one in five 12-year-old girls regularly used fasting and vomiting to lose weight. One in four Australian girls want to get plastic surgery.”
She is rightly worried about how this is all impacting on young girls especially. “Too many girls are trying to imitate half-starved celebrities and airbrushed models in a quest to be hot and sexy. We have allowed the objectification and sexualisation of girls in a culture that is becoming increasingly pornographic. The embedding of sexualised images of women in society has become so mainstream, it is hardly noticed. Everywhere a girl looks, she sees sexualised images of her gender. She’s expected to be a walking billboard for the brands of the global sex industry. Playboy make-up, porn star T-shirts, padded bras and pole dancing for little girls: they’re being groomed to turn tricks in their stripper chic.”
But wait, there’s more: “The nerve-paralysing poison Botox is being pitched to teenagers as a preventative against wrinkles. Growing numbers are having breast implants. Younger women seek Brazilian waxes because their boyfriends complain they are too hairy and don’t match up to how women look in porn. Girls have been reduced to the sum of their body parts.”
She finishes with these words: “Research links sexualisation with three of the most common mental health problems of girls and women: eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression. The messages delivered by a culture obsessed with body image and sex limit the freedom of girls to explore other facets of their lives. They need to be encouraged to think for themselves, to be creative and imaginative, find meaning in life and make a mark in the world. So why aren’t we doing more about it? An urgent whole-of-government and community approach is required, recognising what the research says and taking action. Positive body image programs in schools should be mandatory, teaching media literacy skills that help young people recognise damaging messages from popular culture. There should also be a crackdown on degrading and objectified images of women in the public domain, including outdoor advertising, and an overhaul of the Advertising Standards Bureau and other regulatory bodies that have failed us so badly.”
There is no question that the sexualisation of culture is having lasting and wide-ranging negative effects. The future of our society, and the wellbeing of our children, should come ahead of the dirty profiteering of the porn industry and its allies. It is time this destructive influence is reined in, before it is too late.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/blame-women-for-the-death-of-feminism/2007/12/03/1196530572754.html
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22876168-5006880,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22876227-7583,00.html
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