Sexualizing Childhood

Original Candy Land...

New Candy Land...

Original My Little Pony...

New My Little Pony...

Original GI Joe...

New GI Joe...

Sex sells. Even when the buyer is under the age of 10. Children are shown commercials, television shows, movies, and paraphernalia that show men and women as sexual objects. In 2005, 70% of the episodes of the top twenty shows among teen viewers contained some sexual content, including 8% with sexual intercourse. Cosmetic companies like Bonnie Bell lure preschoolers – whom marketers now refer to as “pre-tweens” – to make up with lip gloss spiked with M&M’s and Dr. Pepper flavors. To compete with the Bratz, Hasbro planned to release a series of dolls modeled after the Pussy Cat Dolls, a burlesque troupe turned singing group whose lyrics include "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me; Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?” Two days after the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood launched a letter writing campaign, Hasbro stopped production on the dolls. (For more information visit www.commercialfreechildhood.org)

I remember growing up with cabbage patch dolls. Loveable round faces, freckles, and fully dressed. Granted I did also have Barbie, which may have contributed to the body obsession I face today. I also had My Little Ponies, as featured above, with their stout build, as it should be. Now the over glamorization of thin has even reached animals toys. This week in my assignments I analyzed a comment that any young girl could make, “Rosie is fat and ugly. She looks like a boy.” Young girls are social followers, not out of spite, but out of the desire to be wanted and included. It is important that we guide our young towards acceptance of genetically decided body shapes and sizes. I am not promoting an unhealthy body image of overweight women, but women who eat healthily, exercise for fun, and live at their wonderful natural body weight.

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