Little Miss Perfect

2261 Words10 Pages
Little Miss Perfect Imagine an eight year old girl walking the fashion runway in a bikini with the words juicy inscribed on her bikini bottoms ….then again imagine walking into a toy shop and seeing a “peak-a-boo” pole dancing kit complete with garter and toy money targeted at kids ages 10 and above (Durham 23)…Throughout American history the media has existed as a tool of information for the general public. It informs us on various things from political debates, to the latest celebrity gossip; the media exist as tool to keep the public up to date on current events. The media also serves as a tool for advertising from ads about medicine to beer. However, as time has progressed the media portrayal of women and young girls over the years has grown increasingly sexual. In line with the idea that sex sells, almost all ads nowadays features women and even young girls in a sexual context. “The feminine form is being used to market everything from gourmet meals to a new set of wheels” (Hirsen 59). This sexualization of girls and women needs to stop because the propagation of these sexual images leads to a lack of self esteem, depression, and eating disorders because these images presented to young girls and women as the ideal is practically impossible to achieve. The APA task force describes sexualization as “a person whose value only comes from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics; a person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy; a person is sexually objectified- that is, made into a thing for others’ sexual use, rather than seen as a person with the capacity for independent action and decision making” (2). Examples of this notion of sexualization can be seen in everyday life like shirts for little girls with prints like juicy, flirt, boyfriend material, bad girls rule, hot chick, eye
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