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The present world is said to be the most democratic and equal over human history. One can state that various cases of discrimination either do not exist or have a slight impact on society. In developed countries, people are free to choose where to to work, what to wear, and how to live. Furthermore, individuals are free to be of any sexual orientation according to their commitment. Against this background, it is impossible to imagine that the community stipulates that its particular group should meet specific requirements. It refers to the role of women in society from the point of view of human sexuality.
In the modern world, there exists a belief that girls and women should look in a way to be attractive for boys and men, and society, social media, and parents support the given idea. Consequently, girls are taught to draw specific attention to their clothes and appearance to meet the imposed standards, and this phenomenon is known as sexualization (Wu, 2019). When preteen individuals are involved in this process, the notion of early sexualization emerges, and it is the central notion of this research proposal.
Problem Statement
In isolation, sexualization does not imply any negative consequence for society. When heterosexual people enter into a relationship, they should understand that procreation is one of their main goals that contribute to the survival of the whole human species. In this case, sexualization plays an essential role because this phenomenon is significant for initiating coitus and conceiving a child. It is so because being aware of social expectations provides women with the possibility to meet and satisfy them.
However, the situation above emerges when sexualization is not enforced, and a problem arises when it appears that girls become familiar with the phenomenon under consideration quite early. Children under ten years old learn that they must draw specific attention to their clothes and appearance. As a result, they can believe that these phenomena are the most significant in their lives.
Based on the information above, it is necessary to analyze what consequences early sexualization implies. On the one hand, some people believe that it is an essential aspect of modern life. It is impossible to deny that a high number of US citizens start engaging in sexual experiences when they are underage. That is why early sexualization can result in some benefits for girls because they become familiar with the surrounding world and its norms before they meet them in practice.
On the other hand, there exists an opinion that the phenomenon under analysis results in harmful consequences for individuals. If girls learn that their primary task will be to attract men sexually, they start ignoring other significant issues, including education, self-perception, and others. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the given subject to understand how it influences both individuals and the whole society.
Researching the topic will help better understand how the world should perceive it. For example, if it appears that early sexualization develops versatile personalities who can meet both sexual and social standards, the community should distribute it. On the contrary, if one manages to identify that the phenomenon under consideration implies some harmful consequences for girls, it will become evident that it is necessary to control and limit early sexualization. In any of the cases, some positive changes will happen to society. That is why it is reasonable to find the required resources to conduct the given research.
Literature Review
At present, there are not many studies that focus on the phenomenon under consideration. It is so because society considers sexualization a traditional and inevitable aspect of the modern world. Nevertheless, some infrequent scholarly articles emerge to determine how early sexualization influences girls’ psychology, mental abilities, and relationships with the surrounding world. Thus, further analysis will attempt to identify the most credible peer-reviewed journal articles on the given topic and analyze their impact.
Selected Studies
It is useful, to begin with, the study by Wu (2019) because this research provides an insight into sexualization and its position in the modern world. The scholar stipulates that the detrimental consequences of this phenomenon had been known long ago. However, they only became accessible for a high number of people “as the number of sexual incidents involving children grew” (Wu, 2019, p. 22). The research notes that the given phenomenon is connected with sexual abuse, and the two imply harmful consequences. Finally, the author distinguishes between two various forms of sexualization and their diverse manifestations. Consequently, it is a study that mainly focuses on the notion of sexualization in isolation without drawing attention to its impact on individuals.
Further articles focus on the specific relationship between early sexualization and children’s activity within multiple areas. Thus, McKenney and Bigler (2016b) stipulate that sexually objectifying messages are popular in the US, and they can make girls develop the internalization that they are obliged to be sexually attractive to men. If this internalization becomes strong, girls and women start suffering from it, which includes body shame and body surveillance. The given research denotes that it is necessary to protect girls from early sexualization if one wants to contribute to their healthy psychological and behavioral development.
Tiggemann and Slater (2015) have conducted another research in an attempt to prove the adverse effects of sexualization. For that purpose, they organized questionnaires for “204 girls with a mean age of 11.6 years” (Tiggeman & Slater, 2015, p. 704).
The authors of this study have managed to identify that sexualization is closely connected with self-objectification that, in turn, results in adverse consequences. Sexualized messages that are popular in Western mass media make both girls and women subject to body shame, dieting, and depressive symptoms. Thus, the researchers indicate that the phenomenon under analysis is significant in the modern world because it can deteriorate both the mental and physical health of numerous girls.
The idea that mass media plays an essential role in promoting sexualization among children is present in many studies, and the work by Slater and Tiggemann (2016) proves it. In the modern world, numerous young children have almost unlimited access to television and the Internet. Thus, the scholars determine that the Internet, television, and magazines distribute appropriate messages that could not but influence the young population, and they exemplify it with the help of 6-9-year-old girls and their self-perception.
The authors of this study state that preference for sexual clothing, body esteem, and body dissatisfaction are the most common consequences of early sexualization (Slater & Tiggemann, 2016). In addition to that, they stipulate that a few studies delve into this topic, which means that it is necessary to stimulate researchers to focus on the given phenomenon and its negative effects.
At the same time, Starr and Zurbriggen (2019) have chosen the target population of the same gender and age as the previous study, but they have generated different findings. According to them, early sexualization “was unrelated to social, emotional, and academic self-efficacy and to girls’ career confidence and interest” (Starr & Zurbriggen, 2019, p. 515). However, the scholars also mention that some parents of girls with sexualized beliefs emphasized the poor academic performance of their children. The controversial results of this study prove that further analysis is required to identify the precise impact of the given phenomenon under the population.
McKenney and Bigler (2016a) support the supposition that popular culture produces a high number of messages that sexually objectify girls and women. The researchers have selected 91 girls and analyzed their academic performance against the background of early sexualization. They have identified that the belief that “women should be sexually attractive to men is associated with decreased academic success and motivation” (McKenney & Bigler, 2016a, p. 30). This article is another part of the research that attempts to prove the harmful consequences of the phenomenon under consideration.
Other studies try to identify any connection between sexualization and social relationships in society. Thus, Pacilli, Spaccatini, Barresi, and Tomasetto (2019) attempt to determine whether the phenomenon under consideration implies harmful consequences for people under particular conditions. In this case, the scholars focus on bullying and helping intentions among children of 7-11 years old. The findings are essential since they show that sexualized girls do not tend to provide their bullied peers with any assistance, irrespective of whether a bullied person is male or female. This information is useful because it reveals that the exposure of children to sexualization implies negatives results, which creates a brutal community that includes selfish people.
There is also an attempt to identify what phenomena can cause sexualized behaviors among children. Merrick et al. (2015) emphasize an evident connection between child maltreatment, delinquent behaviors, and early sexualization. They indicate that those children who experience maltreatment before age eight tend to show increased sexualized behaviors when they are eight years old. In turn, it results in the fact that these children start expressing delinquency when they are 12 years old. Thus, the scholars indicate that sexualization is a small but significant part of a particular chain of events, which contributes to the creation of the socially vulnerable population. This situation becomes even more dangerous when one mentions that this population is young and can generate severer problems in the future.
The information above shows that a significant part of sexualization research focuses on its impact on girls, which creates a supposition that boys are not affected. A few studies oppose this idea, and the one by Grossi, Lee, Schuler, Ryan and Prentky (2016) is among them. The scholars have selected an extensive sample for their research, including groups of both boys and girls from 2 to 17 years old. This study has identified that children of the two genders and all the mentioned ages are subject to sexualized behaviors. In addition to that, the researchers distinguish between healthy and problematic sexualized behaviors. They state that children should deal with such conduct according to their age, but problems arise when this correlation is broken.
In addition to that, Pacilli, Tomasetto, and Cadinu (2016) have attempted to delve into the relationship between sexualized advertisements and children’s mental abilities. This study is useful for understanding the given topic because the researchers mention that “no known research has shown the effects of sexualized advertisements on children’s cognitive abilities” (Pacilli et al., 2016). These scholars have focused on both girls and boys of 8-10 years old to analyze the issue. The findings are worth considering because they demonstrate that sexualized images tend to result in worsening math performance and reducing working memory on the same-gender basis. For example, boys start showing more mediocre performance after they have seen the advertisement with a sexualized boy.
Apparent Themes
The given peer-reviewed articles have demonstrated that researchers tend to analyze early sexualization from multiple points of view. As a result, this research cluster covers five essential themes concerning the phenomenon. The first topic is represented by a single study that states that sexualization does not imply any negative consequences for children. At the same time, Starr and Zurbriggen (2019) argue that the phenomenon under consideration results in the changing parental expectation that creates any possible problems. According to these scholars, early sexualization does not have any direct impact on children’s physical and mental abilities, which means that further analysis is required to identify why this notion has a negative image. Nevertheless, the following studies contradict the given theme and prove that it is wrong.
The second theme stipulates that early sexualization implies harmful consequences for preadolescent girls’ mental and physical health. This topic represents the essential part of the literature review, which emphasizes its credibility. These studies prove that body shame, body dissatisfaction, dieting, and even depression are possible outcomes. All these negative phenomena emerge when girls learn that they are obliged to be sexually attractive to find their place in society.
When they absorb this idea in their childhood, it results in the shift of their preferences. Thus, this theme indicates that the impact of early sexualization should be limited to take care of the children’s health.
The present literature review has revealed the third significant topic, and it relates to the role of mass media in contributing to the sexualization of children. Now, children start surfing the Internet, watching television, and using social media early. At the same time, the studies above demonstrate that this computer literacy can have detrimental effects. It is so because children fail to evaluate the content or control its influence. While parents have an opportunity to prevent their child from visiting resources that are not suitable for underage individuals, even harmless advertisements can be dangerous.
When girls see in mass media that women with ideal bodies manage to achieve success in their lives, these children develop a strong belief that women with different shapes will witness failure. Consequently, this theme states that it is necessary to control what digital content is available for children and how it influences them. In other words, this part of the research shows that society is often responsible for the well-being of its members.
Another essential issue relates to the fact of how early sexualization influences society. Some of the articles indicate that this phenomenon generates detrimental outcomes for both individuals and the community, and various examples prove it. Firstly, sexualization is said to result in weaker helping intentions among peers. It is sad to say that bullying is frequent in the modern world, and when sexualized children witness such instances, they are not likely to assist bullied individuals. Secondly, some researchers indicate that early sexualization can spiral into further deviant behaviors that are dangerous for society.
It refers to delinquent trends that are sometimes considered the following step of sexualization. Thus, one can say that this phenomenon launches a complex process that results in a high number of vulnerable members of society. Finally, it has been proved that early sexualization results in reducing working memory and poor academic performance. Even though this fact in isolation does not imply direct disadvantages for society, the fear that numerous children can be subject to this negative impact endangers the future of the community.
In conclusion, one more crucial topic focuses on the idea of whether early sexualization has different effects on boys and girls. Not many studies consider this theme since the most considerable part of them only depicts girls as victims in this situation. However, it is not reasonable to limit the impact of this phenomenon on children of a particular gender. It has been mentioned that it influences the representatives of the two genders equally. However, a small quantity of such studies indicates that it is necessary to organize further research. It is necessary to either prove or contradict the equality of the genders in front of the phenomenon under consideration.
Possible Gaps
The information above has demonstrated that the literature in this research proposal covers a few essential topics, but it is still possible to identify some gaps. Firstly, it refers to the impact of sexualization on different genders. Even though this topic has been presented in the literature review, many scholars do not tend to draw specific attention to it. This gap results in a feeling that girls are the only subject of the harmful effects of early sexualization, and that is why it is reasonable to analyze the role of boys in this situation.
The second missing field deals with the possible effects of sexualization on the future romantic relationships of people. Since it is clear that negative consequences immediately arise if girls are obliged to be sexually attractive to men, no study has attempted to analyze the effects of this condition in the distant future. This research that should cover many years can reveal either a positive or negative influence of the given phenomenon on how women behave with their partners. It is possible to find that early sexualization results in healthier romantic relationships, and it is necessary to investigate this issue.
Finally, the literature review has shown that many external aspects contribute to early sexualization, including the influence of the Internet, television, and various advertisements. At the same time, only one research has considered the role of parents in this process. Since adults are responsible for their children, it is reasonable to identify whether they can make a difference in this situation. The given gap creates a supposition that early sexualization is an inevitable event that occurs when children get access to mass media. This supposition diminishes the role of parents in educating their children and exonerates them from responsibility for some problems that can arise as a result of an external impact.
Research Question
The data above have presented the theoretical basis for this research proposal. Numerous scholars have revealed and proved the adverse effects of early sexualization, which makes it reasonable to study how society and its separate members can fight against these harmful consequences. For this purpose, it is necessary to divide the proposed research into two significant parts. The first one will attempt to identify useful ways of how to secure children, both girls, and boys, from the influence of sexualized messages. This part will deal with limiting the time children spend with mass media. It will also consider specific steps to control children’s Internet behaviors and preferences.
In addition to that, it is reasonable to determine the effectiveness of specific courses to teach children how to filter information in mass media. One should also estimate how hobbies and outdoor activities contribute to preventing early sexualization. Furthermore, the role of a healthy environment within families will be emphasized because it is significant for the mental well-being of children and their ability to withstand external influence.
The second part will try to explain what to do if the early sexualization has occurred. In this case, it is necessary to draw attention to whether individuals can free themselves from the adverse effects under consideration. For that purpose, it will be required to research various kinds of psychological support to identify which one is the most efficient. Thus, the role of sexual education for children will be evaluated. Finally, one should estimate the role of parents in overcoming the adverse impact of early sexualization.
There is no doubt that the research described above will manage to generate specific conclusions. On the one hand, it is possible to expect that controlling Internet behaviors will not be effective because sexualized messages come almost from everywhere, and it is impossible to protect boys and girls from them. On the contrary, hobbies and regular outdoor activities will significantly reduce the danger that children will experience and suffer from early sexualization. Then, the research is expected to prove that a healthy relationship between children and parents will be one of the most effective ways to avoid sexualization and its harmful effects. Thus, this information demonstrates that there exist a few specific steps of how it is possible to prevent the phenomenon under consideration.
On the other hand, the research will present useful guidelines on how to overcome the consequences of early sexualization once a child has experienced it. Firstly, it will appear that individuals can free themselves from the harmful effects if they utilize a useful strategy. Secondly, the research will demonstrate that psychological support and sexual education will be effective options here. In addition to that, the given study will prove that parental participation will play an essential role in helping their children recover from the phenomenon under analysis.
In conclusion, early sexualization is an essential issue in the modern world because it results in many negative consequences for children. Numerous scholars have attempted to investigate the topic and prove its impact on individuals. However, these studies do not offer any recommendations on how to fight against this phenomenon. Thus, it is reasonable to conduct research that will explain how to avoid early sexualization and overcome its consequences.
References
Grossi, L. M., Lee, A. F., Schuler, A., Ryan, J. L., & Prentky, R. A. (2016). Sexualized behaviors in cohorts of children in the child welfare system. Child Abuse & Neglect, 52, 49-61.
McKenney, S. J., & Bigler, R. S. (2016a). High heels, low grades: Internalized sexualization and academic orientation among adolescent girls. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 26(1), 30-36.
McKenney, S. J., & Bigler, R. S. (2016b). Internalized sexualization and its relation to sexualized appearance, body surveillance, and body shame among early adolescent girls. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 36(2), 171-197.
Merrick, M. T., Litrownik, A. J., Margolis, B., Wiley, T. R. A., Everson, M. D., Dubowitz, H., & English, D. (2015). Sexualized behaviors partially mediate the link between maltreatment and delinquent behaviors. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(8), 2217-2228.
Pacilli, M. G., Spaccatini, F., Barresi, C., & Tomasetto, C. (2019). Less human and help-worthy: Sexualization affects children’s perceptions of and intentions toward bullied peers. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 43(6), 481-491.
Pacilli, M. G., Tomasetto, C., & Cadinu, M. (2016). Exposure to sexualized advertisements disrupts children’s math performance by reducing working memory. Sex Roles, 74(9-10), 389-398.
Slater, A., & Tiggemann, M. (2016). Little girls in a grown up world: Exposure to sexualized media, internalization of sexualization messages, and body image in 6–9 year-old girls. Body Image, 18, 19-22.
Starr, C. R., & Zurbriggen, E. L. (2019). Self-sexualization in preadolescent girls: Associations with self-objectification, weight concerns, and parent’s academic expectations. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 43(6), 515-522.
Tiggemann, M., & Slater, A. (2015). The role of self-objectification in the mental health of early adolescent girls: Predictors and consequences. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 40(7), 704-711.
Wu, M. (2019). All about sex: Global childhood sexualization and education. Harvard International Review, 40(1), 22-23.
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