The number of advertisements, magazines, music videos and fashion products targeting kids and teenagers is appearing more than ever on the media these days. They use children as models, dress them up with stunning outfits, make them look gorgeous and teach them adult poses. And boom, this is what we have:
even worse…
Of course, who doesn’t want to be beautiful, to be gorgeous, to be sexy? Who doesn’t want to be praised? Nobody. Especially girls. That’s a normal needs. Therefore, they copy what they found in the magazines or the Internet and dress just like them. Short skirts, triangle bikini or slim fit dress are all attractive. Wearing these things could make them look mature and be admired by many fellows.
But the matter is children are absorbing and misunderstanding about their bodies, gender roles and sexuality because of the distorted messages from the media. And sex education for kids is still somewhat of a taboo. In fact, there are not many parents can handle this delicately. Furthermore, sadly, children prefer to take advice from the media and friends rather than from parents, because they believe that it’s right and more unprejudiced. It’s called the ”adultification” of children, where sexualising messages combine with the commercialisation of childhood to constrict the childhood years.
”I’d hate to be a kid now, because we’re all inundated with so much information about sexuality coming at us from everywhere – the media, the advertising billboards, just everywhere – and it must be so confusing for them,” the 60-year-old told Ireland’s Catholic Herald.
If this situation keep continuing, I’m afraid that the definition of the word “childhood” will completely change. It’s time the media and the corporates thought again about their roles and the impact of inappropriate images on children. And one more thing I’d like to mention is the role of parents. Most of them immediately blame for the media when there’s something happens that forget they should be the ones to guide their children. It’s better to keep their children home instead of taking them to the Bangerz concert then criticize Miley Cyrus while already being announced that the show is 18+.
Reference:
- Squires, W2013, “Sex sells but we’re paying the price”, The Age
- Reist, M2012, “Sex sells, but we’re selling out our children”, The Sydney morning herald
ASTRONAUT 
I love this post. The concerning images you chose, will definitely draw attention to your blog.
The quote you put in there was really good to reinforce your point.
Your almost constant reference to how impressionable children are was really effective in conveying the severity of the issue you presented.
I particularly loved the part about how parents instantly blame the media instead of taking some responsibility. It also links in with what we learnt in week one nicely, and poor Miley. I couldn’t believe it when parents were complaining about her concert, when it was obviously not meant for children. It made me think about how celebrities can’t express themselves, and their art freely without being blamed for something.
Thanks for an entertaining post.
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I love the point you’re making. The fact that the girl in the first image is a child is concerning, I would have assumed she was in her late teens.
You could definitely elaborate on the examples of the media’s representation of children, maybe by looking at magazines like Vogue and Girlfriend or shows like ‘Toddlers and Tiaras’. The show would draw upon the ideas of parenting or lack of which you mentioned. Here’s an article on it that you might want to have a look at: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865567072/Toddlers-and-Tears-The-sexualization-of-young-girls.html?pg=all
I really loved that you used Miley as an example, using popular culture to explain it makes it so much more relevant!
The quote you used is really interesting. You might want to edit it so it stands out more. There’s a quotation button when you type blog posts you can click.
I think if you hyperlink and add a few more references it would be a much more engaging post but still great work! Good job!
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thanks for your feedback and the article
and the suggestion of quotation button as well 😉 I haven’t known that wordpress has that magical function haha
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Very interesting read!
I found the beginning of your post was a great platform for your argument. The pictures you included also helped to validate your point. The pictures are indeed very concerning, the sexualisation of children is something that marketing and advertising corporations should be ashamed of.
I agree that children will copy what they are shown. However, I do not think all children specifically follow what they are shown just to appear ‘sexy’. I think it has gotten to a point where what is presented in the media has become a norm and to fell accepted a majority of children follow these trends.
I particularly agree with your final point. A lot of parents seem to point a finger at the media when their children are exposed to explicit content. Using Miley as an example solidified your point; why take an 8 year old to an 18 + concert, surely the media can’t be blamed for that!
Using specific examples would have made the post a little more engaging, however I found you raised very valid points. Great job!
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Such a good read! I love how you’ve taken the approach from the parents, kids and the media. It’s very true, when I was younger, even now, I hardly consider what my parents are saying, cause there just my parents… it’s too juicy to read about it in a magazine or online because they don’t beat around the bush, they sell sex! and thats exactly what kids want to know about. You also raised some interesting points about the parents maybe having to take the blame, It’s true there children are THEIR responsibility. It’s just easier to say it’s the media’s fault, “sweep it under the rug”. I could go on forever, but overall I enjoyed reading this blog because I also hold very similar opinions on the topic.
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Hey, great article. The short intro and use of confronting pictures at the start pushed me to read this article and ignore the others on my newsfeed. It’s easy to read and I think that’s because of the mix between images and text, clear cut ideas and sentences that were too long. I know the adultification of children is pretty subjective but it would have been good to see some statistics supporting your arguement, although the pictures were almost enough evidence!
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