The Sexualization of Early Childhood

“Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and sexiness in the media and popular culture” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p.2). This is becoming more and more true everyday. I am sad that this is how society is turning, but I don;t think it is going to change, anytime soon, so we as educators need to find a way to understand it and be able to help children who are talking about it or going through it. 

I see it in my 8 year old niece when she dances.  I was like “what!”, and after watching some of her shows and even the music videos and Just Dance, I see where she gets it from. She is use to growing up with four aunts who she idolizes so she wants to listen to the same music and watch the same shows. We try to shield her as much as possible, but there are other sexual messages out there that she sees with her friends or in the mall. 

Another example is at school, I have kids in Kindergarten who are “kissing” on the playground and talking about boyfriends and girlfriends. I was so shocked when I first stared teaching and this is what I was dealing with. Children are getting these ideas from shows that are suppose to be kids shows, “no child growing up today can fully escape today’s sexualized environment” (Levin & Kilbourne, 2009, p.7).

A final example that just happen a couple weeks ago, when my class was working with their 5th Grade buddies. We split the classes up and I have half the kids and the 5th grade teacher has half. When the other half came back, the counselor was with them and told me that one of the fifth grade boys had asked one of my kindergarten girls if she new what a sexual gesture meant. I was so shocked and upset by it. The counselor talked to my student and she had know idea what it meant, and the boy was talked with also and had consequences to pay for his actions. 

I feel when children are exposed this way to sexual innuendoes and ideas, they feel that they have no value. They are only valued on how they look and act. They will get the idea in their head that they need to be skinny and wear makeup, or be tough. I think having discussions with children about what they see and hear, is a good way to show the kids that they don not have to conform to what society thinks or act in a sexual way. There is developmental appropriate ways to do this for all ages. 

I feel that I can talk about sexualization with my students now. Its not a taboo subject if done appropriately. Children are exposed to it all the time and until they get answers they will not know how to respond. 

Resources: 

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 on December 6, 2014