Social Influence Of Hyper-Sexualization

If you turn on the television or flip through a fashion magazine, it is very likely you will presented with many displays of hypersexualization of girls and women in advertising images and in media. There are many components to sexualization. It occurs, according to the American Psychological Association, when “a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics.” This person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy. “Sexualization” happens when a person is sexually objectified- that is, made into a thing for others’ sexual use, rather than being seen as a person with their own independent actions and abilities to make decisions. Oftentimes, sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person without their knowing it or consent. Sometimes, researchers use the word “hypersexualization” to describe roughly the same idea. In the article, “Media’s Growing Sexualization of Women”, hypersexualization is defined as, “The act of making something extremely sexual and erotic.”

When looking at the sexualization of young girls, it is important to first address the concept of sexualization. Sexualization is the act of asserting sexual value on an object or person. In many cases sexualization is unwanted and unjustified. Almost always, the recipients of this attention are girls or women (Vanska 59). Young girls who have not even fully developed into their adult bodies have no reason to be sexualized. Sexualization implies that a girl’s sexuality is not her own, but something to be enjoyed by others. The World Health Organization, however, dictates that healthy sexuality

Furthermore, media surrounds teenage girls in today’s culture. It is impossible to escape the sight of media. The media’s constant idealistic beauty is ever present to a vast amount of self-conscious girls. This image of beauty causes girls to have low self-esteem (Clay, Vignoles, and Dittmar). Media defining this perfect body image causes many adolescent girls to feel dissatisfied with their bodies and become depressed. “Viewing ultra-thin or average-size models led to decreases in both body satisfaction and self-esteem in adolescent girls aged eleven to sixteen, with changes in self-esteem fully mediated by changes in body satisfaction” (Clay, Vignoles, and Dittmar).

The sexualization of women and girls surround Americans and is damaging to females as well as to American society. Females receive the sexualized messages regarding their appearance and how they should act via the media, retailers, and American society’s acceptance of these behaviors. As a mother, Girl Scout Leader, and school paraprofessional I cannot help but to question are these messages inflicting psychological damage on girls? Whom can I hold accountable for sexualizing female youth? What can I do to prevent sexualization from affecting all of the young girls in my life? The sexualization of girls is unacceptable because it is degrading to females, can cause serious life-long psychological damage and sexist attitudes, and may lead to violence against women and girls.

The sexualization of young girls and women in society is a prevalent theme in mass media. Presently, the sexualization of females is commonly seen in various consumer items like clothes, dolls, and even in Disney movies, according to “The Sexualization of Girls Is Harmful” article. The author says that sexualization occurs when “a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior; a person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy; a person is sexually objectified- made into a thing for others’ sexual use; and sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person (AboutKidsHealth).” Furthermore, the author provides statistics on how girls are being sexualized by the products they see and use

We as a society are also sending out mixed messages to our youth. On one hand, we present images of young, scantily-clad girls being the epitome of style and fashion, yet we simultaneously discourage this behavior in our nation's youth. We lock away pedophiles in institutions, and strictly prohibit

The author points toward the definition of sexualization by borrowing APA’s description stating ,” In 2010, the APA released a report on the sexualization of girls, which it described as portraying a girl's value as coming primarily from her sexual appeal.” and further adds to show where it’s found rampant, and the damage that is seemly spread, “It found increased sexualization in magazines, by marketers, in music lyrics, and on television – a phenomenon that includes "harm to the sexualized individuals themselves, to their interpersonal relationships, and to society." One of the biggest markets for sexualization is on the internet, the self-evident point made by the author saying, “Children often come across Internet pornography unintentionally:University of New Hampshire researchers found in 2005 that one-third of Internet users ages 10 to 17 were exposed to unwanted sexual material, and a London School of Economics study in 2004 found that 60 percent of children who use the Internet regularly come into contact with pornography.” Although they may be facts and research statistics, the article how a powerful pathos appeal by the startling realization of how easily exposed children are to pornography. The article shows how dangerous this phenomon is, however not without a

In an ideal world a woman can do whatever she wants with her body, but the reality we live in today is not ideal. Therefore educating the younger generation about how to respect a woman is much needed, and social media is being the main platform where images like this being shared, since companies like American Apparel is taking over the web world and putting out a continent that appeals to the younger minds as “cool” and trendy, and there we start to develop the problem. The ad I am discussing in this paper I first came across it on one of the many social media websites, people were

Sexual content of any nature was considered devils play in the highly Catholic society that was North America, up until early to middle 20th Century (Noble, 2013). There has been a fast swing in the Pendulum of Life as now today’s society has become extremely sexualized. This has lead to negative affects on both males and females in numerous ways. As various aspects of culture have primarily targeted females over the past several generations, this has been used to expand multiple industries. Males have predominantly contributed to this, but just as very well been negatively affected by this as well. Developing from past generations of media tabloids, advertising and twisting the cultural views on sex taboo and symbols, have

Media has always sexualized women through television, music videos, movies, and magazines. It is apparent that the sexualizing process is now starting at a very early age. Many young girls are being exposed to the unhealthy messages through innuendos or even direct sexual references. The large amounts of exposure that young girls encounter of sexual stimuli leaves them having to interpret it themselves which is dangerous for their development. Media and marketing focuses the girl’s attention on the aspect of sexuality, causing girls to develop an unhealthy sexual self-image.

Socially this is unacceptable for women and young teens questioning their femininity. In a recent article “Many Advertisements Are Sexist” the author believes the viewpoint of women in magazines, advertisements, commercials, and campaigns are stereotyping women to be sexual. Sexist advertisements continue to use female nudity to promote products. These advertisements that downgrade woman are promoting items using seductive and attractive techniques to attract the opposite sex. It causes a psychological impact on these women and young girls who are watching the advertisements, because of the unrealistic expectations, which result of body image problems and sexual violence (Ballaro and Wagner).

People are bombarded by media on a daily basis. Media, whether on the internet, on street signs, in magazines, or on TV screens, has a lot to do with how girls see themselves because it is always so present. Women all over the internet, on billboards, and in videos have become increasingly sexualized and unrealistic. Media shows them in only underwear, retouched and edited to make them “perfect,” and blown up on posters and signs for everyone to see. Models are becoming thinner. Music videos of popular songs are becoming more about sex and what a woman’s body should look like, raising expectations for adolescent girls. Even television and movies show girls involved in sexual activity at a very young age. Media can in some ways positively influence and teach young women, showing them how to avoid sexual predators, teaching them about their bodies, and setting powerful women as role models, but the amount of ways in which media negatively impacts adolescent women is far higher than its positive impact. Young girls look to the media to tell them what beauty looks like and develop themselves around this image, attempting to fit an unrealistic and objectified standard of beauty and fulfill the expectations of men and society that, in effect, harms their body image.

The stringent standard Barbie-doll proportions of body image and what is considered beautiful in today’s media has resulted in devastating effects on adolescent women. The images displayed of women who have long beautiful legs, thin waist lines and smooth flawless skin are very hard to ignore. Throughout history the female body has been on display as a selling tool to coerce people into buying that new fancy car or the latest new appliance that can make their everyday lives easier. Commercials of the extremely thin Kelly Ripa can act as a mantra of what a modern day picture perfect house wife should look like standing beside her magical ovens and washing machines. There are also constant ads on

Furthermore, the way women are sometimes portrayed in the media is devastating. In fact, “sexually objectified images of girls and women in advertisements are most likely to appear in men’s magazines. Yet the second most common source of such images is the advertisements in teen magazines directed at adolescent girls” (NEDA). These images and videos can often significantly lower a girl’s self-esteem, causing her to turn to eating disorders to try to reach the almost unattainable beauty standards of America. This especially affects teens today, and one can see themselves and their friends be affected by celebrities’ pictures posted on social media. A negative body image and eating disorders can stem from the media, and this is a difficult platform to fight against.

When going shopping, watching the television or looking in magazines, young girls are among the most targeted, being affected and vulnerable to the social influences of marketing and advertisements. Many advertisements of clothing have depicted the female form in a sexually provocative manner. Sexualisation is when a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behaviour, to the exclusion of other characteristics. Furthermore, sexual objectification is when the female body is seen as an object of male desire, which leads to a woman’s worth being her body’s appearance and sexual function. Evidence from social and psychological studies is suggesting that girls are exposed from an early age to sexualising content. On average, one-third of clothing items available to young girls in stores have sexualised characteristics containing either tight fitting and skin tight, low cut, or see-through parts. Such clothing emphasises sexual body parts such as the chest, bum, or legs. All of which are products that are designed and marketed for young girls below the age of fourteen. Many garments also feature sex-related pictures or writing such as Future WAG, or short skirts and dresses, along with high-heeled shoes which are not age-appropriate for young children. Some [high heeled] shoes I have seen on sale look more suited to a lap-dancing club than the feet of a young girl. Even lingerie, which is typically for adults, is being designed for girls onwards of the age of