The Sexualization of Early Childhood

Although I am aware of the changing times, as I read the introduction to “So Sexy So Soon,” my mouth dropped.  I know it is reality, but I do not want to believe it… and yet, it is part of my commitment to young children to accept it as reality.  In my opinion, the media and toy manufacturers are robbing children of their childhood.  Parents are not totally to blame.  Without a doubt, “casting blame on parents diverts attention to where blame belongs – on the purveyors of media and marketing messages, those who exploit our children’s developmental vulnerabilities by using sex to make huge profits (Levine & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 7).  It is scary.  I see it every day, but I try to avoid it, hoping it will go away.  If anything, the sexualization of early childhood is more intense, not better.

I woke up to this reality one day when I was teaching prekindergarten.  One of my students was looking sad and upset; this was totally unlike her bubbly and out-going personality.  I questioned her.  Her response was that she had PMS and was in a bad mood.  To make matters worse, I asked her to repeat her response, and then, without thinking, I asked her what it meant.  She told me (and the entire class) that PMS was something that girls had and it made them be mean to boys.  But, it only lasted a little bit, so she would be happy later.  Admittedly, I do not remember how I answered or how I addressed the rest of the class, but should a 4-year-old use PMS in her vocabulary?  And should a 4-year-old already have an inclination that she would be mean to boys for a bit, but that’s alright; she has PMS. 

The next example happened this year at Halloween.  Just thinking about it gives me chills.  All of the children, obviously, were dressed, and since I’m an occasional visitor to the entire class, the children were eager to show me their costumes.  One of the girls (4-years-old) was dressed in a gown, high heels, hair in a bun with ribbons, and enough make-up to keep me for a year.  I asked her who she was for Halloween, and she told me that she one of the housewives of Beverly Hills.  I was stunned.  Her teacher commented that she dressed like her mommy, which said a lot.  But the shock was when one of the boys I read with (he was dressed as Nemo) told me that he thought she looked sexy.  I just looked at the children’s teacher in shock.  Do we need a dress code for Halloween?  What in the world did my 3 1/2 year old student know about sexy?  He does not even recognize the letters in his name.

Finally, for the third example, I will share a sad story.   Zaria is one of my students; she is delightful, interested in reading, and an eager participant.  Her vocabulary is above average.  Zaria does, however, have a weight challenge, which I believe is thanks to her parents who are obese.  One day, Zaria told me that she went to Disney World with her parents.  Without hesitation, I asked her if she saw the Princesses and Mickey Mouse.  She responded that she met Mickey, but she doesn’t like the Princesses.  This, in itself, was a shock, because my girls (those that I read with) are infatuated with each Princess.  Zaria said that the Princesses don’t like her because she is fat.  I was crushed, explaining how beautiful she is (she really is!).  Then, she looked at me, with her beautiful brown eyes, and explained that the boys in her class will not play with her because she is fat.  What a realization Zaria made.  She was not super thin like the Disney Princesses and boys don’t like her because of her weight. 

Without a doubt, each instance has affected these young children and probably will continue to for the rest of their life.  Think about Zaria’s self-esteem; she does not have any.  “Children learn at a very young age that their value is determined by how beautiful, thin, hot, and sexy they are” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 2).  Imagine talking about being hot and sexy with a young child.  You might call me old-fashioned, but it just does not seem appropriate.  Without a doubt, “today’s cultural environment bombards children with inappropriate and harmful messages” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 4).  I believe, similar to Levin and Kilbourne (2009), that these message confuse and even frighten young children. 

Again, much of this relates back to parenting skills, although as stated earlier, I do not blame parents; it is not a matter of who is to blame.  It is much more universal that blaming one individual.  “Casting blame on parents diverts attention from where the blame belongs – purveyors of these media and marketing messages” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p. 7).  I understand that much of these messages are the result of media saturation.  In spite of this, parents can fight this; even a small victory is better than none at all.  Who is responsible for the girl leaving her house dressed like a Beverly Hills housewife?  Who allowed the child to watch the Beverly Hills Housewives on television?  Where did a child hear about PMS?  Who is feeding Zaria cakes, cookies, and candy? 

Early childhood educators have huge responsibilities to young children, and this is just another topic to add to the list.  Levin and Kilbourne (2009) realized “the focus should be on early childhood, when the problems of the new sexualized childhood begin” (p. 6).  As an early childhood educator, these readings have ignited a fire within.  I need to put this topic on the list of future workshops.  Perhaps, if teachers and parents are informed about the effects of advertising and media messages, they will work together to make a difference.  Children need to be children… they will grow up fast enough.

 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