You’ve seen ‘em. Those low-cut jeans the girls wear, which barely cover the pubic place. There’s a tiny zipper and then the usual grommet-like closure, which draws the eye right to the spot where polite boys never look.
Nearly every manufacturer of name brand jeans offers them. A vast number are waiting for our kids, in our East Valley clothing stores, ready for back-to-school shopping; ready to titillate our daughters, who desire to be fashion plates on campus, popular and trendy.
Sexualization of our girls continues.
This past week, I had the adventure of taking five nieces and two granddaughters on our yearly shopping trip to prepare for school. The nieces are the granddaughters of my deceased sister, thus my privilege of standing in as surrogate grand-mama. For more than a decade I’ve enjoyed this fun and in that time have observed the growing trend towards younger, sexy attire.
The shops are staged, awaiting anxious girls with eager senses, sensual music blasting, arrangements carefully chosen to include thumping and throbbing rhythms.
The fight with my young wards that day began early. Their mothers had alerted them they would not tolerate the crotch-cut jeans. But, still, being youth, they had to try. Now, I have to tell you, it was startling to see their little bodies bedecked in such sophistication, sexuality newly apparent. The girls’ demeanor instantly changed; they could feel what was different and their blush was obvious in the dressing room mirrors.
Again, I visited with them about why appropriate dress benefits them and others in their social circle. To their credit, they acquiesced, plus they had no interest in facing their mothers’wrath. Surely if more adults reasoned with their tweens and teens on this matter, fewer merchandisers would stack their shops with provocative items.
Results this past week of several studies confirm the problem and show why it’s insidious: Live Science reports 6- to 9-year-old girls were shown two dolls. “One was dressed in tight and revealing ‘sexy’ clothes and the other a trendy, but covered-up, loose outfit.
“Across-the-board, girls chose the sexy doll most often. The results were significant in two categories: 68 percent of the girls said the doll looked how she wanted to look, and 72 percent said she was more popular than the non-sexy doll.” ( www.livescience.com21609-self-sexualization-young-girls.html)
This is the good news: Researchers tell us that parents, both mothers and fathers, hold effective influence. But, not if they’re timid and are driven themselves to keep up with fads.
It begins with the mother’s own outlook about her sexuality as well as her daughter’s. Lead researcher, Christy Starr says, “Moms can help their daughters navigate a sexualizing world by instructing their daughters about their values and by not demonstrating objectified and sexualized behaviors themselves.”
Besides appearance, a child’s dress influences sexual activity as well as mental abilities. Consider this study reported in aboutkidshealth.ca (see sexy babies): College students were given a swimsuit or a sweater to wear. Then they completed a math test.
Astoundingly, young women wearing swimsuits “scored significantly worse” than those wearing sweaters. No such effect with the males. “The implication is that attention to physical appearance leaves fewer cognitive resources to complete other tasks.”
Of course you know the sexualizing trend has reached all areas of a child’s world: Toys, music, all media and now cosmetic surgery, up 15 percent among teens under 18.
Parents, what are we doing? What are we thinking? If we reject the marketing pushed on us, we hold control of our options. Allowing early sexuality to drive our children’s life choices is a sure formula for their sorrow and ours. Research this problem. It’s real, it’s harmful.
My shopping experience reintroduced the seriousness of this issue. These children have so much more to offer our world than being sexual provocateurs. Moms, dads, be the leaders. Choose to educate them about a much better way.
East Valley resident Linda Turley-Hansen (turleyhansen@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist and former Phoenix veteran TV anchor.
Arizona Willie posted at 8:02 am on Sun, Jul 22, 2012.
Print this out and post it on your wall. A rare rare rare occasion when I agree with the author.
downtownresident posted at 9:54 am on Sun, Jul 22, 2012.
Me, too. What are parents thinking?
chatmandu002 posted at 4:53 pm on Sun, Jul 22, 2012.
There are those that are sexual, those that are sexy and those that are just plain slutty. If only parents would help their children understand the difference.
Accuracy posted at 5:01 pm on Sun, Jul 22, 2012.
Linda Turley-Hansen concluded: “These children have so much more to offer our world than being sexual provocateurs. Moms, dads, be the leaders. Choose to educate them about a much better way.”
Parents talk with your children about sex – and “Just say no to girl sexualization” in schools.
Require schools to teach abstinence-only sex education.
Or, better yet, get Schools to opt out of teaching sex education all together.
larry walden posted at 5:55 pm on Sun, Jul 22, 2012.
So these girls blush in the dressing room. But how do they act when they maybe get raped because of their "sexy clothes"?
busdriningmom posted at 6:55 pm on Sun, Jul 22, 2012.
As the mom of teenage girls I am so glad that both of my girls prefer not to wear this type of clothing, but for a while it seemed that that was the biggest option available at most shops. I am a plus sized woman and they were even marketing this style in my size. NO THANKS. It is all about setting limits and saying no, I do not approve.
Larry Walden, you are another subject altogether. Rape is about power, not sexuality!!! Otherwise you would not have 4year old or ninety-four year old victims, and we do. Please stop putting blame on the victims and place it on those who commit the crime!
wdgnas posted at 5:44 am on Mon, Jul 23, 2012.
Require schools to teach abstinence-only sex education.
the same schools that teach creationism? ask bristol palin about just say no.
Engaged Voter posted at 7:57 am on Mon, Jul 23, 2012.
Welcome to Arizona, home of uneducated religious misogynists.
Evidence for this claim:
"get raped because of their "sexy clothes"
Yes, because experts agree that rape is about sex, not power /sarcasm
"Require schools to teach abstinence-only sex education."
Yes, because abstinence programs work so well /sarcasm
"get Schools to opt out of teaching sex education all together"
Yes, because IGNORANCE is the best teacher /sarcasm
These comments sound more like they are coming out of Afghanistan than Arizona!
mvccd1000 posted at 10:51 pm on Mon, Jul 23, 2012.
Gotta agree with Engaged Voter on this one... Linda and most of the commenters here sound like the Taliban.
All of you can stick with your ignorant, barefoot, pregnant little women at home. The rest of us will continue on with reality.
BTW, in spite of "the sexualization of little girls," please note that teen pregnancy rates have been steadily declining for 60 years. (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/tgr/05/1/gr050107.html)
chuckles3 posted at 2:22 pm on Tue, Jul 24, 2012.
Taliban...lol. Nice personal attacks and snotty comments.
Maybe if the schools spent more time on core subjects and less time on empowering kids sexually, we would have fewer problems.
And it is good news Teen Pregnancy is trending downward-----so has Teen Intercourse since 1991.
Gee, maybe abstinence programs might work if given a better chance...
Now you libs go back to your episodes of "toddlers and tiaras", and try to keep your hands on the remote, if you know what I mean. Personal enough for ya?
Dale Whiting posted at 3:00 pm on Tue, Jul 24, 2012.
And I agree with Linda, too. So do all Muslims I have met. Nice company to keep, don't you think?
fae4now posted at 12:07 pm on Wed, Jul 25, 2012.
Isn't this discussion as old as dirt?
Twenty years ago I was shocked when my nieces wanted to dress like the Spice Girls who, to me, looked like hookers on a stage.
In my youth the feminists argued that Barbie had unrealistic proportions that could not be supported by human anatomy and was therefore and unfit role model. When I was young 'nice' girls didn't wear slacks!
The introduction of the bikini in the 50's (modest by today's standards) was sure to send all the young women into unwed teenage pregnancy!
And at the turn of the last century, with textile mills and dressmakers diverted to producing uniforms for the war effort, a young designer came along in Europe to streamline women's fashion. She eliminated corsets and other design elements that required custom fittings and went on to launch the first 'off the rack' clothing. Next she eliminated billowing skirts that skimmed the ground and yards of unnecessary (and unavailable) fabric. She eliminated petticoats and yards of fabric undergarments that required one to need assistance to get dressed. Then she raised hemlines above the ankle (sinful!) to extend the life of the garment and was called awful names for doing so as were the formerly 'respectable' women who wore her garments.
Her name? Coco Chanel.
By the way, this isn't about sexuality, it's about role models. You can start with Disney. The Hannah Montana's on tv become too old for their age on the red carpet and the Kardashians? Oh, never mind....
In our society a woman's 'value' is still connected to her appearance and until that changes nothing else will.
mwd2525 posted at 1:59 pm on Wed, Jul 25, 2012.
9 times out of 10,Engaged voter nails it right on the head.10 times out of 10, Linda ' I'm still living in 1955 "Turley-Hansen gets it wrong. I have never seen a pair of jeans in my life that shows a women's pubic area.The era of women being dressed up in playboy bunny outfits or a skimpy stewardess outfit are long gone.We have supreme courts judges that are women, doctors, attorney general was a women,secretary of state and women running for president.When I was born a women could be a secretary or a receptionist,most women could look forward to getting married and having kids.If a women had the courage to go into a career she had the proverbial glass ceiling to deal with and probably daily sexual harassment.No longer.Girls are now taught they can achieve what ever they want in life. It is no longer odd to have a women boss,they are respected as professionals right along with men.Do some women wear sexy,sometimes over the top provocative outfits? Absolutely.But, in 2012 women have taken control of their sexuality,they are not victims of it
pearl298 posted at 12:44 pm on Sat, Aug 25, 2012.
Am I the only one to wonder just how old these "girls" are?
Yes if they are 11 YO or less then there is a problem, but parents (including ME) have been startled by teenager's ideas of sexuality since Adam and Eva. Simple fact of life is that at puberty girls AND boys start thinking about sex and their dress reflects that.