Too Sexy So Soon : The New Sexualized Childhood And Your Kids By Diane E. Levin

This paper will summarize the ERR articles from the bulleted topics and issues. This paper will also include summaries on toys that may encourage violence and aggression, toys that may promote pro-social behavior, gender stereotyping in toy selection, and cultural stereotyping or, lack of cultural awareness in toys.

Children’s perceptions of how girls and boys have to act can be manipulated by their surroundings. Target and other toy stores teach boys that they have to like fast cars, jobs requiring manual labor, and sports. There was certainly a type of “manliness” portrayed at boys from the toys. Its almost as if they were influencing them to be aggressive and unkind. The toys are teaching girls that they need to enjoy playing house and that the ideal female role is to be a homemaker who takes care of the kids. Many people may think that it is ok for boys and girls to like different things, which it is. But, it is important to recognize that preferences don’t emerge out of each child’s unique personality but that they are shaped by nonstop pressures of different socializing influences. children are given roles of subservience or dominance before they can understand the words. Target is an example of how society is manufacturing products that ultimately encourage inequalities and gender

Toys play an important role in childhood development as children learn roles and skills from playing. As a result, the toys children are subjected to have an affect on which roles, interests, and skills are learned and practiced. Through Lego’s product Duplo, I will demonstrate the influence particular gendered toys have on children and their performance of traditional gender roles. Gender, which is a learned performance, is something society has been taught from a very early age and toy advertising has played a significant role in reinforcing the performance. One tradition that is reinforced and naturalized by society is the ideology of a male dominated society, representing strong characteristics of heterosexuality and masculinity; also known as hegemonic masculinity. Therefore, using Ideological Criticism, I will analyze how through the branding and design of Lego’s Duplo toys, children have been constructed to do gender differently, ultimately perpetuating and reinforcing hegemonic masculinity.

Girls and boys both grow up being socialized on what is normal and unusual for their gender. Toys are a prominent factor in this socialization, because they are typically presented for one gender and are unacceptable for the other. To assess how toys play a role in gender socialization, I made a trip to Toys “R” Us in College Station and was surprised by how the store was organized.

The sexualization of young girls and women in society is a prevalent theme in mass media. Presently, the sexualization of females is commonly seen in various consumer items like clothes, dolls, and even in Disney movies, according to “The Sexualization of Girls Is Harmful” article. The author says that sexualization occurs when “a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior; a person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy; a person is sexually objectified- made into a thing for others’ sexual use; and sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person (AboutKidsHealth).” Furthermore, the author provides statistics on how girls are being sexualized by the products they see and use

Children love toys because they find them enjoyable and help them in building an imagination. Toys are advertised on televisions and radios in order to get parents to buy them for their kids. Playing with toys helps to build character and teaches children the basics of early life, like shape-sorting or building things with building blocks. Some toys are educational and teach kids numbers, letters, and how to read using fun ways that they find understandable and delightful. All kids have their own preference of toys, boys like cars and Nerf guns and girls like American Girl and Easy-Bake Ovens. Girls and boys are different genders and have their own preference of toys based on what society says is “for girls” or “for boys”. Since the beginning of time, societies have made women out to be frail people that do “feminine” activities, such as: making clothes, cleaning the house, and taking care of the children. Today, we see these activities as “sexist”, women can other things when given the proper motivation. It’s demeaning to think of women as people who only love shopping, overly romantic tokens-of-affection, chick flicks, and etc. Stereotypes and demeaning rumors still go around today, it’s even shown in toys that young children play with. Toys in today’s society affect gender stereotypes.

It appears that toys play a significant role in molding a child’s identity. It seems that pretend play, including social interaction with other children utilizing the pleasures of toys, can shape and influence characteristics that lined up with what is considered gender appropriate in the Western Culture today. The toy section at the local retail store is actually a reflection of narrative taking place in today’s society. It is a puzzle piece that completes an image involving a description of a script with many characters, yet a limited amount of roles.

Gender norms today have become a big part of our society as they are present in our every day life from advertisements, clothes, to the way we are supposed to act, and even in toys. In order to appeal to a certain customer, advertisements use many gender norms that apply to customers. One of the most impactful gender norms that I find to be is in the kid’s toys because I believe that it’s teaching these kids about how to act. Kids ranging from very early ages know what types of toys they should play with and what toys they aren’t supposed to play with. For example, little boys would play with cars and action figures while on the other hand girls would play with dolls and a tea party set. Many of the toys for girls have been shaped to show them that are supposed to be more friendly and kind. These toys have made it so that there are certain way’s little girls should act and also what things they should like.

Specific stereotypical toys can force gender roles on children. This phenomenon has been going on for a while, for example, in Sears catalogs from the 1920’s to the 1940’s present toys such as, “The Little Women Homemaker,” and, “The Young Man of Industry.” Most big box stores today have separate ailes labeled, “Girl’s Toys,” or, “Boy’s Toys.” The aisle targeted for girls enclude vacuums, kitchens, and dolls that you can change and feed. The aisle for boys enclude, toy guns, trucks, cars, building blocks, and action figures.

Is the hypersexualization of childhood truly detrimental to children and society? In the world today, children continue to passionately desire an older look at a younger age. Girls are taught to show skin and pose in sexual manners through the representation of women in media. They are also taught to use their bodies for the pleasure of men. In a similar way, the media shows boys that it is acceptable to utilize the body of a women as an object for his own enjoyment. Due to these frequent overly sexualized images in the media, children are taught from a young age to have a high tolerance for sexual images. In fact, around 80% of young boys access porn. Additionally, many young girls feel comfortable taking pictures of themselves in scanty clothes doing sexual poses due to this tolerance and a desire to stand out in a society where sexual imagery is common (Sext Up Kids). The oversexualization of childhood through sexualized products marketed to youth, the example set by young celebrities trying to transfer into adulthood, and the portrayal of characters in children’s films has negatively impacted the psychological characters of children and all people in society.

The results suggest that Barbie dolls are pervasive with girls’ experiences, and that young adolescents believe the dolls influence girls’ developing self-concept.” In fact, according to my experience over Spring break, visiting the toy section in “toys “R” Us” I observed toys such as Barbie’s. I took a closer look at their bodies and how they were dressed. The message I perceived through this observation was: as young girls get older, this is what they’re supposed to look like. They should maintain tight fitted clothing, a slim body with long shiny legs, and always wear makeup to create the illusion of having a flawless face, with “perfect” features. Dressing up the Barbie’s and brushing their hair can be very encouraging to playing with them. They also influence the player to become addicted and take on these stereotypical roles into their daily lives. Therefore, several toy companies not only stereotype body images, but also a woman’s lifestyle. Sharing my experience and visions of what children play with is: although Barbie is known for being the developmental toy, it is very vague and has nothing to do with

In a busy and complicated landscape of sexuality and gender, it is generally recognized that children need instruction in how to behave. Unfortunately, the way that adults wish young people to be introduced to sexuality is governed by diverse worldviews and values, and the subject is seen as so important that this disparity leaves little room for neutrality, much less reasoned compromise. In many cases, the education of children in sexuality is regarded on all sides as a life-and-death issue, involving fundamental assumptions about the role of public and private institutions and even the very stability of society, to say nothing of the potential risks to individuals. As When Sex Goes to School puts it, there is very little within the domain of American politics and the infamous “culture wars” that is not touched by or based in the realm of sexuality and gender, and sex education is an arena where each side seeks to have its values publicly established for the benefit of students.

So you can base your response on your child’s understanding and needs. Parents should reduce gender stereotypes, they should help both daughter and sons to develop a broad range of interests, skills and behaviours that goes beyond the narrow focus on appearance that the sexualised childhood provides. They should also work at all levels to create a society that is more supportive of children’s healthy gender and sexual development. However, there are limits to what parent can achieve alone. It is imperative that companies that promote the premature sexualisation of children for their own commercial interest act more responsibly, and that companies, advertisers and media outlets are aware of and take steps to minimize the negative impact that the images and messages they promote are having on children and young

Gender socialization often begins early once parents are shown the sex of their child; from then on, baby showers are planned according to gender “appropriate” colors, which are often pink for girls and blue for boys. Even differences in how children are spoke to can be picked up easily in Western cultures. Girls are called pretty and sweet, whereas boys are handsome and strong. Ultimately, the way children learn to identify with their gender culture is in part due to not only family and friends, media, schools, and religion, but also from the toys that may inexplicitly advertise gender expectations. Gender-typed toys may be bought for children as a way for parents to encourage and reinforce gender-appropriate behaviors. However, recent debates have engulfed toy manufacturers and major retailers, which has brought about changes in toy design and marketing in an effort to make reflect more realistic and gender neutral options.

Sexualization is defined by “the process of emphasizing the sexual nature of an individual (Fraser-Thill)”. In the media this happens constantly. “Virtually every media form studied provides ample evidence of the sexualization of women, including television, music videos, music lyrics, movies, magazines, sports media, video games, the internet and advertising (Zurbriggen)”. Being constantly surrounded by these forms of media beginning at a very young age, young girls grow up looking up to and wanting to emulate the women that they see. Women in the media are portrayed as nothing more than sexual objects. They dress in provocative clothing and imply sexual readiness in their posture and facial expressions. It is extremely unhealthy for young girls to view this material, let alone aspire to replicate it. In 2007 the American Psychological