The Normalization of Childhood Sexuality in Our Culture
When I started thinking about this topic, I pictured 5- and 6-year-old girls wearing shirts baring one shoulder and sandals with 1½ inch heels. I recalled my sons’ primary school classmates wearing mini-skirts and tights that made them look like teenagers in the early 90’s. I considered the strong opinions friends and coworkers held about the copious amounts of make-up applied to little girls (under age ten) involved in theater, modeling, and dance competitions.
Then I googled my title. First, I read about British former model and reality star Katie Price posting a selfie on Instagram with her 6-year-old daughter Bunny, both wearing cat-winged liquid eyeliner, false eyelashes, foundation, and bright red lipstick. Katie claimed that Bunny loves wearing make-up, and while many fans applauded the photos, other folks commented that the makeover was inappropriate and even bad for the child’s skin. Remarks ran the gamut from, “It washes off!” to mothers sharing timelines for transforming nature: eye shadow and lipstick for fun at 4, ear-piercing at 5, shaving legs and dying hair between 9-12, and approval of daily make-up between 12 and 14. One mother indicated that her daughter could dye her hair when she could pay for its upkeep. Another mother held off her daughter’s primping until menstruation, as a sort of rite of passage, a celebration of becoming a woman.
Normalization is the process by which an idea, concept, or behavior becomes an accepted part of societal culture. In my opinion, the portrayal of prepubescent children as provocative is a mistake that could result in undesirable advances from teens or pedophiles. I’ve never understood the rush from comfortable play clothes to tight jeans and skirts, and shoulder- or midriff-baring tops. A 1996 study estimated that the cost of child sexual abuse in the US was $23 billion per year (Miller, Cohen, and Wiersema). Girls who have been sexually victimized are more likely to have multiple sexual partners, become pregnant as teenagers, and to experience sexual assault as adults than those who were not exploited (Lalor and McElvaney, 2010).
The National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation developed a National Plan to Prevent the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children in 2012. They cited the American Psychological Association’s review of more than 300 studies which concluded that exposure to sexualized images, song lyrics, fashion, and role models made girls think of and treat their own bodies as sexual objects.
In her blog, “All About Sex: Global Childhood Sexualization and Education,” Minjue Wu provided the APA’s definition of sexualization: the inappropriate imposition of sexuality, through objectification, overvaluing, or emphasizing appearance and/or sexual behavior. She indicated that there is direct sexualization: advertisements and programming that target and sell commodities to children, especially girls, like Bratz Baby Dolls with fishnet stockings and mini skirts, and padded bras in bikinis sold for girls who wear size 7. Indirect sexualization occurs when technology enables children to access pornographic imagery (easy for any child with a Smartphone).
Wu believes that the social harms of sexualization include the marked decline in girls’ self-esteem when they feel validated only by expressing themselves through sexualized means. Further, some boys develop strong expectations about appearance and obligatory (likely “macho”) social behavior based on hypo-charged male sex drive. A third threat is internet initiated sexual assault, the incidence of which has increased drastically between 2007 and 2019 (possibly fueled by sexting, the sending of sexually explicit digital images, videos, or messages via cell phone). An APA study, Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (2010) linked sexualization to eating disorders, decreased self-esteem, and depression in girls and women.
In a Parents As First Educators blog, “Is ‘Cuties’ a Sign that We’re Sliding Toward the Normalization of Pedophilia?” Teresa Pierre casts a ‘yes’ vote. She says that 11-year-old girls have been grinding, gyrating, and twerking on Netflix since August, 2020. During choreographed dance routines, the camera zooms in on prepubescent bodies, while in other scenes, an 11-year-old girl photographs her own genitals and posts them online and tries to take pictures of a male classmate’s genitals. Another girl finds a used condom and “blows it up.” A Netflix spokesperson claimed that “Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children.” Pierre writes that this French “movie’s depictions of childhood sexuality, using real children, will only end up glorifying what it claims to condemn.”
The movie has led to #CancelNetflix and #ProsecuteNetflix, and a Texas grand jury returning an indictment against Netflix for promoting “lewd visual material” of a child. There was a spike in Netflix cancellations when the movie was first streamed but it lasted only a few days. Pierre suggests that “Our silence will be interpreted as our consent.”
Netflix just began its third season of streaming ‘Baby,’ a series focused on the commercial exploitation of teens ages 14-16. The remake of an Italian drama features a cast of Roman teens from an elite high school and political figures who use them for sex. Netflix describes the series as a ‘fictional coming-of-age story that follows teens in their quest to defy societal norms.’ The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, in their blog, “Netflix Teenage Sexual Exploitation is NOT ‘Edgy’ Entertainment,” charges the world’s leading internet entertainment service with normalizing the sexual exploitation of minors. NCSE further laments that the series portrays prostitution as a potentially lucrative and exciting career choice to impressionable youth. Netflix VP of International Originals, Kelly Luegenbiehl responded, “The first thing we’re always looking for is authenticity, and this show has that.”
After reading Cosmopolitan’s “The True Story Behind Netflix’s ‘Baby’ is Even More Disturbing than the Show,” there was a box for indicating whether I would watch the show or not. I was among the 12% who would not, trailing behind 88% who clicked that they would “check it out.” Do we really want to be a society that peddles children’s bodies for prurient consumption?
The following are some of the recommendations provided at the conclusion of the 2012 CPCSAE’s Plan to Prevent the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children:
Speak against messages that portray children in ways that suggest they possess the same sexual interests as adults or are objects for adult use or abuse
Speak up against the hypersexualized treatment of children
Look for examples of clothes, toys, music, and entertainment that contribute to the sexual objectification of children. When you find them, write letters to the editor and company presidents who could have an impact on changing these products or messages.
Talk with others in your family, faith and professional groups, and civic organizations about why so many adults view children as sexual objects and why so many adolescents and children see themselves similarly
Use Facebook, YouTube, and other social media outlets to build awareness, express support, and encourage active involvement in this issue
When aware of businesses profiting from the sexual objectification of children, demand that they stop before you give them your business. Visit http://demandthechange.wordpress.com
We can follow Mahatma Ghandi’s advice to “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
