According to Dr. Myers of Walden University: many parents, family members, and early childhood professionals today express concerns about raising children in a highly sexualized culture. According to the ideas presented in the book excerpt, So sexy so soon, children are being bombarded with messages in the advertising and media industries linking physical beauty and sexual attractiveness with happiness. The authors assert that young children’s exposure to an overly sexualized environment plays a significant role in undermining their healthy gender and sexual development and negatively impacts their sense of self worth.
Share your reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood.
The idea of the topic of sexualization in early childhood creates a righteous indignation within me. I believe in protecting the innocence of young children, and I fear that television and the media have made this virtually impossible in American society today. Our young children are highly sexualized and that becomes clear in their actions and conversations. Thoughts and ideas that I did not have until I was a married, adult woman are often spoken of in my first grade classroom. It also saddens me to think that children are often seeing each other through the eyes of a highly sexualized society.
Provide three or more examples, from your personal or professional experience, that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment.
While watching television this week, I made a concerted effort to notice the sexualization of programs and commercials. I also noticed the sexualization of advertisements in magazines and at department stores. In fact, one department store my husband I visited forces customers to walk through the lingerie department just to get to the entrance of the mall. I knew this existed, but was surprised to find that every commercial I saw this week, with the exception of one, had sexual connotations, innuendo and overtones. My husband commented about this one, because it wasn’t highly sexualized and it surprised both of us. Even while trying to watch the Super Bowl, my family was not free of exposure to the sexualization of society. Of course, breast cleavage is just a given on television today. Even commercials about simple things like buying a hamburger or a car are highly sexualized. The junk mail I am bombarded with came with covers of provocatively dressed women. My family leads a very full and busy lifestyle. We do not spend much time even viewing television. So, for little children who might be parked in front of the television all evening or all weekend, the implications are disturbing.
Explain the implications this may have on children’s healthy development. Include ideas you might have, as an early childhood professional, to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impact on children.
“Supporting all children to develop their fullest range of abilities and skills is one of the key principles of the early childhood education field” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010 p. 90). As early childhood educators, we need to cognizant of children’s awareness of their anatomy and their perceived gender roles. Teachers need not be shocked when little children want to use proper words to describe their anatomy, or compare it to those of their peers. Providing a rich curriculum, full of pictures, posters, books, music and videos that represent males and females in various roles will support children in their understanding of gender identity. Ignoring a child’s mixed feelings about gender identity can send a message that creates an unhealthy self-concept. It is important for educators to be open with children, have calm, thoughtful discussions and to listen to children’s conversations and comments. Educators should encourage children to talk about these issues and we may need to “initiate activities that enable the whole group to explore feelings of conflict when what they like to do differs from the prevailing gender norms….” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010 p. 93). Teachers can also model a range of roles and interests that break stereotypical gender barriers. A male teacher might share his love of cooking while a female teacher shares her love of construction. Teachers also must be careful not to make stereotypical comments or convey these ideas to young children.
Describe the ways in which your awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and/or modified by studying the topic this week.
My sense of awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has certainly been heightened this week as I have listened more closely to my students’ interactions and watched for these messages in the media and from posters, books or videos I show in the classroom. I have noticed that it is all around me and that I often do not address the issues. As a first grade teacher, I often do not have the time to stop and address every remark that comes along. For instance, one child telling another that he cannot like a color doesn’t overly concern me. I feel that, as early childhood educators, we are often attempting to micromanage every aspects of the young child’s life. Children need a chance to have discussions, express their feelings and work out their own ideas. When I engage children in activities using color, I always have conversations about what color is our favorite. When a child giggles because a girl says “green” or a boy says “pink”, again, I try not to make it an issue. I simply continue to pose the questions throughout the school year, “Can anyone like any color?” and the children eventually come to the conclusion that “Yes, any person can have any favorite color!” While it is important to help children develop a healthy self-concept and gender identity, it is also important to let children be themselves and work out some of their own ideas without interference from adults.
References:
Derman-Sparks & Edwards. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. National Association for the Education of Young Children. Washington, D.C.
I agree that children need the opportunity to develop their own sense of self however, I feel that children need guidance in order to understand appropriate ways to handle specific situations. Children need relationships where they are able to express themselves and ask questions when needed.
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