The Sexualization of Early Childhood

I think that this book sounds very interesting because our reality seems to depend on sexual content materials in almost everything. I am amazed at how much a PG-13 rated movie has changed; it is more like a R-rated movie from my days. I think it is important to help children understand the difference between sex and the overtly sexual messages that cartoons, TV shows, commercials, and even toys bring to their world. They do not understand these messages and feel that if they see it, then that is how they should act towards one another. As Levin & Kilbourne (2009, p 2) state in the excerpt, “ Such lessons will shape their gender identity, sexual attitudes, and values, and their capacity for relationships for love and connection, that they take into adulthood.”

Provide three or more examples:

·         In my preschool classroom a few years ago, I had two boys and two girls playing in the housekeeping area. One of the little girls stated that she and another boy were married but the other boy and girl was their boyfriend/girlfriend.  She then proceeded to tell them that they were going to have “sex” while her husband was at and then the boyfriend had to sneak out of the house.  That was a major conversation between the four of them and their parents!

·         I am dealing with the whole boyfriend/girlfriend scenario again but not on that scale. The boys and girls in my class know they are friends but I have one little girl who is pretty boy crazy and talks about a high school boy being her “boyfriend.”  Given the message that this sends, I am not crazy about her conversations about him. Her parents have sort of built it up too. It makes it difficult for me to change the subject and make it something else.  It seems there is so much emphasis on boyfriends/girlfriends and that it is a necessity in their lives, even at the age of 4 or 5.

·         A few years ago while I was substituting in a kindergarten classroom, there was a little boy sitting between two girls while I was reading a story to the class. I looked up and this little boy had his hand up the shirt of one of the girls. The girl was not trying to stop him at all. These kids are now in 7^th grade and the girls were wearing full face makeup by fourth grade.  Mascara, eye shadow, and foundation and now, they are on birth control.

This is totally unacceptable but knowing the background and home life of those three kids, it is probably what they see. They are growing up way too fast. My daughter has to bring the “baby” home for Child Development this semester and she has to wear the “belly” for a day at school. She is a senior and I believe that this should be done in about 5^th and 6^th grade.  We need to start educating these children and parents before high school because they are becoming sexually active in the upper elementary grades.  TV reality shows such as Toddlers and Tiaras and Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo are not doing anything to help children either. Little girls who are dressed up like Dolly Pardon (complete with the fake breasts), Madonna (the cone shaped breasts), and Julia Robert’s character in Pretty Woman are subjecting their children to early sexuality issues that they should not be exposed to.

Reference:

Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf.