Opinion: Prostitots
by AJ Curry
I am the ballin’-est big sister ever. Ever since my little sister was born I’ve had her back, whether it be killing icky spiders, or making sure Ryan Seacrest isn’t hiding under her bed. What? He’s a creep!
So, as a doting sibling, I never miss a birthday. And this year, Emily said she wanted a gift certificate…to Victoria’s Secret. She’s ten, and the last time I checked, baby girl just graduated from pull-ups. What does she think she can buy there? A child-size thong with “vixen” printed on it? Yeah, right next to the Apple Bottom Huggies and the booties with the fur. With the fur! My sister can now qualifies as a “tween”, defined as a child between the ages of 8 and 12. Girls are being robbed of their childhood, and if our society lets this “Age Compression” continue, we risk sexualization, defined by The American Psychological Association as a person’s value coming only from their sexual appeal or behavior. This problem needs immediate attention, because we want thin mints to be the only cookies girl scouts are flashing.
According to a 2008 Washington Times article, Age Compression is defined as Kids Getting Older, Younger. Just imagine how this could spiral out of control: a 5 year old acts like they’re 10, then when they’re 10 they will act like they’re 16, and when they’re 16, they’ll act like Drew Barrymore…when Drew was 9. Adolescents in America make big bucks for corporations; advertisements are portraying tweens as sexual objects to hawk their products. Market research firm NPD Group found that tween girls spent 11.5 billion dollars on apparel in the last year. Most of this apparel being Hannah Montana belly shirts. Youthful, yet sexed up; just the way Miley Cyrus’ man-friend likes it. The best of both worlds! Brand name stores are also hoping to hook kids sooner and hopefully for life. So stores are like crack dealers, and thongs, a gateway drug.
Another cause of age compression is a lack of positive role models. As the main character of Nickelodeon’s show “Zoey 101″, Jamie Lynn Spears was a positive role model, until her eggo got preggo at 15. Oops, they did it again! Judith Warner, a guest columnist for the New York Times, asks role models an important question, “do you practice what you preach”? In her 2007 article “Hot Tots and Moms Hot to Trot” she states that “Girls perceive the hypocrisy when we dish out all kinds of advice about the importance of a ‘positive body image,’ then go on to trash our own thighs.” She goes on to tell us that “It’s time we take a break from bashing the media and look instead at the issue of our sexuality and self-perception”
With sophisticated marketing campaigns and negative role models in tween’s lives, its no wonder so many want to dress and act older than their years. Much like the Chinese gymnastics team.
We just vaulted into why so many cracks are being shown in elementary schools, but now its time to pull up those low-rise jeans and discuss the dangers of Age Compression.
If our society continues to let girls Age Compress, we risk their exploitation. In a 2008 Boston Globe article, protests followed Abercrombie and Fitch’s decision to market thong underwear to 7 to 14 year olds, some of them with phrases like “eye candy” and “Wink Wink” on it. If the bedazzled instructions on your underwear could land someone on the sex offender registry, chances are you shouldn’t be wearing it.
These young girls do not always understand risks they face when wearing revealing clothing, especially when posing for pictures on Facebook. Peter Wilkinson writing for At Issue: Child Sexual Abuse in 2005 points out that “For adults seeking real or imagined sex with children, Cyberspace has become an irresistible playground…” The lack of dignity that comes with age compression along with the anonymity of the internet lures tweens into dangerous situations, like browsing YouTube for videos, only to be rick-rolled.
But don’t worry, I’m never going to give you up and I’m never going to let you down, because while the risk of exploitation continues to be a major threat, sexualization is causing many internal problems in girls of all ages. Research links sexualization with four of the most common mental health problems in girls and women, including eating disorders, low self-esteem, depression and risky sexual behavior. FamilyDoctor.org reports that eating disorders that usually begin in the teens but now can begin as early as age 8 and a 2007 New York Times article states that one in five children has had sexual intercourse by age 14.
Girls’ age compression puts them at risk for exploitation, dangerous emotional problems, and a future spot on Extreme Makeover: Slut Edition. But don’t worry, I’ve got a fool-proofed solution for you; cherry-flavored birth control! In Flintstones shapes! Just Kidding. The solution is in two-fold: the regulation of children’s advertising along with involvement in children’s lives.
First the media and businesses need a wake-up call. Gigi Durham, in a 2008 Newswise article says “The media ties unhealthy and damaging representations of girls’ sexuality to their profit motives, resulting in sexual products being sold to very young kids.” Its no wonder 7-year-old girls are begging for padded push up bras. I know lets build stripper poles on playgrounds! Wait, that’s silly…Stripper poles need floors and ceilings. With the media teaching tweens that they are sexual objects instead of people, it is hard for them to keep up their dignity…and do we really want a world filled with prostitots? Ughhh. Companies and the media need to take responsibility and put consumer health over profit. One company that’s trying to help this problem is The Media Project who works with the entertainment industry to put more responsible sexual images on television. As consumers, we need to support organizations like The Media Project while also discouraging the marketing of sexualized tween images.
In addition, we need to combat this problem in our homes and communities. We can step up and be role models by teaching tweens to value themselves for who they are, rather than how they look. It’s time for us to stop waiting for Lindsay Lohan to emerge from rehab with some great insight for tween girls everywhere, because lets face it, that could take longer than figuring out the point of candy thongs.
The American Psychological Association offers many suggestions for fighting sexualization. First, start a dialogue with tweens about what is inappropriate and why and then listen to their responses. Next, take time to help a tween get involved in activities that emphasize talents and skills to remind her that what she can accomplish is far more important than how she looks. As role models we must practice what we preach. And remind tweens that no one likes a 17 year old baby momma. Right, Bristol Palin?
With better regulation, and more involvement, girls won’t have to experience the harms of Age Compression and Sexualization. We need to stop this growing phenomenon before our society exploits our tweens and they engage in dangerous activities. Luckily my sister said we could go to Build-a-Bear instead. Although I did have to endure her rendition of “My milkshake” all the way there.
But then she asked if it was chocolate, or vanilla that brought more boys to the yard. There may be hope for her yet.
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March 16 2009 09:56 pm | Uncategorized
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