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sexed up media portrayal damages girls
women - not sex objects


sexed up media portrayals damage girls

You may not be aware of it when leafing through a magazine, but the sexed up images of young women you're taking in damage your mental and physical health, according to US experts.

Magazines, television, video games and music videos all have a harmful effect on girls, says a task force from the American Psychological Association.

“Things like clothing, sexy lingerie or thongs sized for young girls, dolls wearing sexy clothing and images of girls that make them look like adult women are harmful,” says Dr Eileen Zurbriggen, chair of the group and associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Sexual appeal

The task force reviewed hundreds of studies and found that sexualisation is very dominant in every media form.

“It's not necessarily sexual content. Sexualisation means that somebody is valued solely for their sexual appeal.”

In every situation the sexualisation of girls is overemphasised, at cost of other character traits, according to the task force. Women are reduced to sex objects.

Damaging effects

Potential damaging effects are depression, low self-esteem and eating disorders, says Dr Zurbriggen. And girls might also start smoking to stay thin, in order to fit in with the sexualised ideal.

School performance

Some of the intriguing results have to do with cognitive abilities or performing in school," says Dr Zurbriggen.

"When girls and women see themselves as objects to be looked at rather than as actors in the world, they don't do as well on math and logic problems. So this sexualisation could lead to poor performances in school."

Sexual development

Portraying women as sex objects in the media could also negatively affect a healthy sexual development. Girls may be less assertive in bed and use condoms less frequently. It's also possible that women who are unhappy with their bodies will have less satisfying sex lives.

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