~Blog Assignment~Week 6~ CD 6358-6 ~ Strategies for with Working with Diverse Families~
Share your reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood.
Provide three or more examples, from your personal or professional experience, that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment.
Explain the implications this may have on children’s healthy development. Include ideas you might have, as an early childhood professional, to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impact on children.
Describe the ways in which your awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and/or modified by studying the topic this week.
We studied and read about gender identity. At an early age children recognize differences in male and female relationships. Boys are made to believe they are the stronger sex and girls are made to believe they are the lighter more free flowing sex. We learned this is not true. Yet, social media is still hosting impressions by sexy clothing, lip stick, make-up for very young girls. Also, that girl’s are cute when they are thin, have long hair and pretty eyes and light skin. Studying anti-bias curriculum refutes all the myths that society places on gender.
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.
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| "Too young for Make-up?" |
Share your reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood.
Sexualization
is not the same as sexuality or sex. Sexualization has to do with treating
other people and sometimes oneself, as “objects of sexual desire… as things
rather than as people with legitimate sexual feelings of their own” According
to a Report of an American Psychological Association
Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (APA, 2007). Sex and childhood do
not go together in regard to sexualization. Sexualization is pure exploitation
stemming from the media (books, magazines and store advertisement) television,
internet as well as social media (facebook, twitter, i-phones, etc.).
Provide three or more examples, from your personal or professional experience, that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment.
1. Social
media, Facebook, InstaGram, is now exploiting young girls in mature attire saying that
they are young Diva’s. These young toddlers have high heels on, make-up and
teen-age up-do’s.
2. Young
children in our local elementary school (Kindergarten to 5th grade)
are smoking cigarettes and marijuana. This was noticed by a local high school
student while walking from school.
3. Boys and
girls as young as kindergarten are coming home telling their parents that they
have several “girlfriends” / "boyfriends", girls are saying they kissed a boy. Boys are saying they kissed a girl.
4. When I taught an infant class, one mother came in with an infant about 12-15 months old saying let me go get her cell phone out of the car, she does not like to be without it. It was a toy very similar to the real cell phone.
4. When I taught an infant class, one mother came in with an infant about 12-15 months old saying let me go get her cell phone out of the car, she does not like to be without it. It was a toy very similar to the real cell phone.
Explain the implications this may have on children’s healthy development. Include ideas you might have, as an early childhood professional, to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impact on children.
Children
learn at a very young age that their value is determined by how beautiful,
thin, “hot” and sexy they are. Yet, this behavior makes sense given the
sexualized environment that surrounds them ~ social media (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). Children will suffer
from poor self-image and self-esteem. Their understanding of gender, sexuality
and relationships will suffer. Children
will get mixed messages that relationships are bad; they won’t know what constitutes
good behaviors.
Describe the ways in which your awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and/or modified by studying the topic this week.
We studied and read about gender identity. At an early age children recognize differences in male and female relationships. Boys are made to believe they are the stronger sex and girls are made to believe they are the lighter more free flowing sex. We learned this is not true. Yet, social media is still hosting impressions by sexy clothing, lip stick, make-up for very young girls. Also, that girl’s are cute when they are thin, have long hair and pretty eyes and light skin. Studying anti-bias curriculum refutes all the myths that society places on gender.
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.
Nancy,
ReplyDeleteYour examples are alarming, but they demonstrate the seriousness of this topic. It is upsetting what kind of messages our children are receiving from movies, music, and social media. I was taught that relationships were based on communication, honesty, kindness, and support. Children today are learning relationships are based on beauty, sex, and control. Children are receiving negative messages that who they are in the inside is not important, but how they look and what they have is more important. Teachers and parents are faced with the challenge of guiding children and helping them with gender identity, building their self-esteem, and teaching them about positive relationships. Thanks for sharing.