Sexualization of Girls and Women in the United States: A Growing Epidemic
Kayla Johnson
Chamberlain College of Nursing

Sexualization of Girls and Women in the United States: A Growing Epidemic
Brittany, a freshman in High School arrives at her home after school and turns on the T.V to watch MTV music videos. She watches the T.V. as half naked girls dance in the background of male singers. She picks up her phone to get on Instagram where she scrolls through images of famous women like Rhianna and Kim Kardashian who post scantily clad images of their bodies. Brittany thinks to herself, “I wish that I looked like these girls, maybe if I looked more like them the boys at school would like me more”. Brittany’s mother gets home from work and puts dinner on the dining room table. Brittany sits down and eats only a portion of her meal because in the back of her mind she is still feeling as though her own body is inadequate, she could probably lose more weight and if only she had bigger boobs and longer legs, maybe then she would feel better about herself. She lies in bed that night and wishes that she had a better body so that she could feel beautiful and happy. If only she knew that thousands of other girls were feeling the same way, maybe she would realize that the issue isn’t her own body- the issue is the cultural emphasis on female sexualization that has become a norm in our society. Unfortunately girls all over the world are struggling with self-confidence related to comparing themselves to the women that they see throughout the media. Models with perfect bodies are found in ads throughout every magazine, celebrities flaunt huge fake breasts and flat stomachs and everyone seems to look up to them. Girls want to have those bodies so that they can get farther in life. This is a huge problem within our society, because often times these images set unrealistic goals for women who will never be as thin and as beautiful as the models that they see on a daily basis. Due to the increasing prevalence of female sexualization within our society, it is important for women to understand the roles that sexualization plays within their everyday lives in order for them to realize that they should stand up for their own rights and demand respect from others while accepting themselves for who they are.
It is important to understand exactly what is meant by the term “sexualization”, how it came to be a part of American Culture, and who is affected by it. Sexualization is a concept that individuals have a tendency to define in terms of the role that it plays within their own lives, resulting in the term meaning different things to different people. According to the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, there are four different components that define the term “sexualization” and differentiate it from what is generally considered to be healthy sexuality:
A person’s value is determined only or primarily by sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics; Sexuality is inappropriately imposed on a person; A person is held to a standard that equates a narrow definition of attractiveness with ‘being sexy’ and A person is sexually objectified; made into a tool for others’ sexual use and pleasure, rather than treated as a person with the capacity for independent action and decision making. (2007)
Dr. Robbie Duschinsky, the lead researcher in the Department of Social Work and Communities at Northumbria University and an expert in the field of the history of female sexualization noted in his article “The Emergence of Sexualization as a Social Problem” that the term sexualization was historically a term that was used to assign a gender to an object, like a gender specific noun, or to discuss anatomical genders (2012). The concept of sexualization as defined by the APA began to emerge in the U.S. in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s as a social problem affecting youth populations, with an emphasis on the relationship between child abuse and inappropriate sexualization (Duschinsky, 2012). In the 1990’s sexualization developed into a term that was often times used to describe a toxic epidemic in which children, specifically girls and young women, are encouraged and forced to behave like adults— resulting in an inherent loss of childhood innocence (Duschinsky, 2012). Although it is possible for men and boys to experience sexualization, the term is generally associated with young girls and women as being a modern cultural problem and in some cases deemed an epidemic within American society. This is due to the fact that culturally girls and women experience sexualization more consistently and to a higher degree than their male counterparts—who are generally accused of perpetuating a society in which males remain dominant and hold higher degrees of power. For the purposes of this paper the term sexualization will be utilized to describe the increased incidence of young girls acting in mature sexual ways inappropriate for their ages and the tendencies of women to act in overly sexualized manners.
The increasingly prevalent trend of female sexualization is a multifaceted phenomenon that is caused by a variety of different cultural, financial and social considerations. Culturally, female sexualization is perseverated by multiple factors, one of the most notable of which is a society’s existing gender-roles. According to Tanjare' McKay, author of the published research article “Female Self-Objectification: Causes, Consequences and Prevention”, gender-roles establish the difference between acceptable feminine and masculine traits and behaviors, which become engrained in children at a young age. McKay claims that, “objectifying women is taught in our society through gender” (2013). Gender-roles teach young boys that they should be courageous, strong, hard-working providers, and that girls should be nurturing, passive, emotional, and submissive (McKay, 2013). This cultural belief reiterates the role of women as objects that are intended to please men and support the needs of men rather than making their own happiness and self-worth a priority. Financially, the sexualization of girls and women is sold for a profit by the media. The media plays a huge role in the lives of Americans today through the constant availability and use of technology. Access to internet, television, and smart phones makes it nearly impossible to avoid media influences. The media is driven by financial gains and the phrase “sex sells” embodies the media’s role in the sexualization epidemic. Figure 1 portrays Thylane Blondeau, a French actress who appeared in Vogue magazine at the age of ten. The image was highly controversial when the magazine was published due to the sexual nature of the photographs and the fact that the child was wearing heavy make-up, stilettoes, and minimal clothing. In reference to the role of the media in sexualization McKay observes that, “the relationship between the body and sex is unambiguously portrayed in contemporary media, and conforming to a thin body ideal is crucial to sexual attractiveness” (2013). Women do all sorts of things to be considered beautiful and attractive, from dressing provocatively to getting plastic surgery to alter their appearance; women strive to conform to cultural body ideals. The role of society in the causation of sexualization of females begins with the acceptance of the existence of an ideal or perfect form of female beauty, which is then overemphasized and glorified by society as a whole. According to McKay within societies, “messages are conveyed by important socializing agents such as parents, peers, and teachers” and that society places a “heavy emphasis on how girls/women should look” (2013). McKay adds that “if this is overemphasized, girls may continually seek reassurance about their appearance to make sure they are socially accepted and not subject to ridicule or rejection” (2013). If a woman wants to feel beautiful and accepted than she must strive to meet the unattainable goal of always looking perfect and desirable. The existence of gender-roles, media exploitation, and societal emphasis on the importance of female sexuality has caused the problem of female sexualization to grow and morph into a cultural epidemic that has become so common that it feels normal and acceptable.

Figure 1: This image is one of the highly controversial photographs of Thylane Loubry Blondeau, the French model, published in French Vogue magazine. Blondeau was ten years old when she modeled for Vogue. The image gained mass media attention due to the sexualized nature of the photographs and the fact that the model was a child portrayed as a sexual woman.
Overly-sexualized girls and women have become a staple of the American culture. Examples of sexualization can be found everywhere in the U.S: in any given magazine, in movies and T.V shows, in celebrity culture, in fashion trends, in professional female athletics, in work environments, in middle school and high schools and on college campuses. The breadth of the sexualization that exists within American culture is seemingly endless. Figure 2 is an excellent example of the form of sexualization common within the media today, depicting an ad for Dolce and Gabbana it portrays a women being forced into a sexual situation by a man as other men stand in the background and watch. This is the reason that people have started to believe that female sexualization is normal. In one study done by researchers Mindy Erchull and Miriam Liss “Feminists who Flaunt it: Exploring the Enjoyment of Sexualization among Young Feminist Women” it was discovered that some women enjoy sexualization and believe that “enjoying sexiness can be a feminist act” (2013). The women who reported enjoying sexualization claimed that it was empowering and that they liked the male attention that follows sexualized behaviors. The study also found a correlation between the acceptance of sexualization and the belief that society is for the most part just and that women are treated as equals to men (Erchull & Liss, 2013). Within the article Erchull and Liss pointed out that this type of sexual female empowerment is not the type that leads to power in the real world outside of sexual domains, which is important in understanding this particular stance on sexualization. The fact that some women accept sexualization as a positive cultural phenomenon suggests that it has become normalized within American culture and that some women fail to recognize that there are still gender inequalities present in society and that the negative effects of sexualization can be extremely detrimental to women.

Figure 2: This Dolce and Gabbana fashion advertisement was published in multiple fashion magazines. The image is an excellent example of the way that advertisements portray women in a sexual, passive, and objectified manner. This image suggests that the woman is being forced into a sexual situation and illustrates the concept that men can use women however they deem appropriate.
The negative effects of the sexualization of girls and women are well documented and quite serious due to the fact that the damage can be psychological as well as physical. According to the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls the psychological impacts of sexualization are numerous. Sexualization can lead to an increased prevalence of body dissatisfaction and is proven to be “associated with negative mental health outcomes in adolescent girls” (APA, 2007). Girls also have anxiety related to their appearances and sexualization causes some girls to feel ashamed of their bodies (APA, 2007). These feelings can lead to depression and anxiety disorders in young women, and cause them to constantly battle with feelings of inadequacy. The APA also reports physical damages that can occur in females secondary to sexualization. Constant attention on appearance can be so overwhelming that it actually limits girl’s ability to concentrate on other mental and physical activities. Because girls are so focused on their appearance, sexualization can “limit the form and effectiveness of girls' physical movements” (APA, 2007). Body dissatisfaction secondary to sexualization is associated with increased incidence of anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and earlier onset of tobacco use and smoking (APA, 2007). When girls begin to objectify themselves in order to fit in and feel beautiful they also are at greater risk of a decrease in sexual health due to provocative high risk behaviors, not using sexual protection like condoms, and are less sexually assertive (APA, 2007). These psychological and physical impacts on girls can negatively affect them throughout their entire lives and can cause lasting health impacts that are in some cases deadly. There is also a correlation between the sexualization of girls and women and rape. According to Larry J. Siegel’s textbook “Criminology : Theories, Patterns, and Typologies” rape culture is defined as “a concept that links rape and sexual violence to the culture of a society, and in which prevalent attitudes and practices normalize, excuse, tolerate, and even condone rape” (2012). Rape culture develops from the cultural idea that women are objects and that a woman’s worth is defined by her level of sexual attractiveness. When men believe that women are sexual objects it can compel them to rape women, to feel as though it is acceptable for women to be raped, and to blame the victim of the rape for seducing them. All of these findings suggest that the role of sexualization within American society can cause devastating and serious effects to the well-being of women and girls and further imply that there is a desperate need for positive changes to be made.
Positive changes that reduce the effects of female sexualization can be made on individual, community, and national levels. The first positive changes necessary to reduce the prevalence of sexualization begin on the individual level. Making positive individual changes to the ways in which women conceptualize the self can be achieved by making small, deliberate decisions to reject forms of sexualization and embrace feeling of self-love and self-worth. These changes are different depending on each individual; however, they may involve ceasing self-objectification in the form of provocative dressing, or engaging in activities that are pleasing to men and not necessarily pleasing to the women involved in these actions. “Respecting one’s body involves appreciating and honoring the body by participating in healthy behaviors, turning negative thoughts into positive” (McKay, 2013). In a current research study titled "You're Not Good Enough", Mairead Moloney and Lisa Pelehach set out to educate women on sexualization and the ways in which they can make positive changes to their own lives. Moloney and Pelehach educated a group of young women on a variety of different topics including, information on sexualization, the role of clothing and accessories, changing cultural norms of attractiveness, media images, cultural trends, and theories of sexualization. According to the results of the study “overwhelmingly, students reported thinking more deeply about this socially important topic” and reflected that “raising awareness of sexualization enabled students to be reflective of its multifaceted effects” (Moloney & Pelehach, 2013). Education on sexualization and increasing awareness can influence positive changes to be made within communities and may eventually have a national effect. McKay implores that, “by identifying and coping with emotions, a woman can challenge the content of her irrational beliefs and replace them with rational ones” (2013). Changes must begin on an individual level in order to progressively impact communities and national changes. Women must recognize the influences that sexualization has on their own lives and attempt to thwart these influences so that the vicious cycle of sexualization might come to a grinding halt. Another way in which individuals can influence positive change is to stop finically supporting companies that use sexualization of females for their own financial gains. According to the APA Task Force parents can also play a critical role in the protection of their daughters by “teaching girls to value themselves for who they are, rather than how they look. Parents can teach boys to value girls as friends, sisters and girlfriends, rather than as sexual objects” (2007). The APA has a website devoted to the education and protection of girls by decreasing the prevalence of sexualization, which lists many excellent resources for furthering education and helpful guides for girls, parents, community leaders and educators to make positive changes. The website can be found with the following link: http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/. It can be difficult initially to make changes for the better; however it is imperative that young women attempt to make positive changes regarding sexualization in order to improve their own lives and the lives of other women as well.
Understanding what sexualization is, the causes of sexualization, the effects that it has on women, and the common misconceptions surrounding the topic, allows for men and women to gain an understanding of the crisis that is currently damaging American society. Gaining knowledge and increasing awareness is the first step in fighting against female sexualization. The second step is to make deliberate changes for the betterment of society as a whole. If women are able to stand up for themselves and demand respect from others they have the ability to make positive impacts and influence their communities to reject the various forms of sexualization. Accepting yourself for who you are and learning to love yourself despite your flaws frees you from societal constraints. This freedom is deserved by every single woman, and sexualization should never be allowed to hold women back from reaching their full potentials. Change can start with just one positive action, and progress into a string of actions that can put a stop to the injustice of female sexualization once and for all.

References
American Psychological Association, Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. (2007). “Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls”. Retrieved from: http://www.apa.org/pi/wpo/sexualization.html
Dolce and Gabbana[Online Image] (2012). Retrieved October 2, 2015 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLhy5Ny3csk
Duschinsky, R. (2012). The Emergence of Sexualization as a Social Problem: 1981–2010. Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, jxs016.
Erchull, M., & Liss, M. (2013). Feminists who flaunt it: exploring the enjoyment of sexualization among young feminist women. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 2341-2349
McKay, T. (2013) Female Self-Objectification: Causes, Consequences and Prevention. McNair Scholars Research Journal: Vol.6: Iss. 1, Article 7. Retrieved from: http://commons.emich.edu/mcnair/vol6/iss1/7
Moloney, M., & Pelehach, L. (2013). "You're Not Good Enough":Teaching Undergradute Students about the Sexualization of Girls and Women. American Sociological Association, 119-129.
Siegel, L. (2012). Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Thylane Blondeau[Online Image]. (2014). Retrieved October 2, 2015 from https://childfashionmodels.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/child-model-photography-sexual-vs-sexualizing/