Looking at some examples from my personal and professional experiences when working with young children that illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment is that one time I had a young girl tell me the kids at school call her fat. She was no where near being fat, but compared to the other girls she was more "huskier" then the other girls. Another example I have seen is parents donating magazine to the center for the kids to use in the art center. The donations of magazines is great, but the magazines may not be age appropriate, thus exposing kids to things they shouldn't be. My final example from experiences that illustrate young children being exposed to highly sexualized environment is how the parents dress. Some parents dress is such seductive clothing, that if the children are exposed to that, they may feel they have to dress that way too, and expect others too.
Some of these examples may have negative implications on children. For example, the girl that was called fat could feel that she needs to lose weight already as a young children. That is the least of the things a young child needs to be worrying about. If this happened in my early childhood classroom I would explain to the girl that she is beautiful and everyone is made differently. I would also explain to her that she shouldn't have to change anything about her. Same goes with the dress. I would need to explain to students that we need to dress modestly when coming to class, and that our clothes should be a reflection of how we want people to treat us.
I actually talked to my friend about this concept because she currently teaches in an preschool center, and she mentioned how children are exposed to the idea of sexualization all the time. From the commercials they see on TV, to watching what their parents do, say or wear, to the games they play on their tablets now days, children are being exposed to these concepts far more than we can ever imagine. My friend often talks about how she is probably going to be a terrible mother because she is going to be strict on her children to limit the exposure. I feel that being exposed to sexualization is going to cause our children to grow up a lot quicker, and thus taking away from their childhood. Childhood is change for children to be care-free and enjoy life, not worrying about the way the dress or how the look.
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
Abby,
ReplyDeleteInteresting and pertinent details in your post. Sexualisation is everywhere, books, games, TV shows, at home, and as you said even in the centre via magazines. I have a five year old son, and he came to me with a book. It was a regular fairy tale book, I think maybe Cinderella. He said, “Mummy you need to burn this book”. Confused I asked, “Burn the book?” He said, “Yes that is not a good book, look it has kissing in it.” Well for sure he had me stunned a bit. I had to explain to him that they were not actually kissing, but their faces were close together because they were dancing. He still maintained that the book was to be burnt though. Even the best- intentioned and best- prepared parents often feel helpless to protect their children from the onslaught (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009). I am a concerned parent and an early childhood educator, yet I was caught off- guard. Imagine the reaction of parents who are not trained for these situations and for those who may find nothing wrong with the picture. We have to always be prepared to treat with these teachable moments and real- life scenarios, so that we foster the right attitudes and values in children rather than reinforce the wrong ones.
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.