A major US
study has concluded that a generation of young girls is
being psychologically damaged by a culture of sexualisation.
The report by
the American Psychological Association says women and girls
are depicted in a sexualised manner throughout US culture -
on television and the Internet, in movies, music videos,
magazines and video games.
The study says
it is leading to eating disorders, low self-esteem,
depression and poor academic performance.
The association
says the main culprit is television. Nearly 70 per cent of
American children have a TV set in their bedroom.
Through it,
they are bombarded with images of girls as sexual objects
valued only in terms of how attractive or sexy they are.
Such
omnipresent images can also have a negative effect on a
young girl's sexual development, the study cautions.
Based on a
comprehensive review of academic literature, the report
notes that young adolescents and girls are particularly at
risk "because their sense of self is still being formed."
School
performance
In one
experiment cited, college-aged women were asked to try on
and evaluate either a swim suit or a sweater.
The completed a
maths test while they waited for 10 minutes while wearing
the garment.
"The results
revealed that young women in swimsuits performed
significantly worse... than those wearing sweaters," the
study said.
"No difference
were found for young men."
Looking at
popular music videos, the authors quoted songs by the
Pussycat Dolls, Kid Rock and 50 Cent as sexualising females.
In terms of
advertising, the report singles out beer commercials as a
major offender.
Also cited is a
Skechers shoe ad that features pop singer Christina Aguilera
dressed as a school girl in pigtails, with her shirt
unbuttoned while licking a lollipop.
The study says
the popular Bratz dolls depict "girls marketed in bikinis,
sitting in a hot tub, mixing drinks and standing around,
while the 'Boyz' play guitar and stand with their surf
boards".
The dolls come
dressed in miniskirts, fish-net stockings and feather boas.
The report
calls on parents to take a more active roll in helping to
shape the sexual self-image of their children and to exert
consumer pressure on manufacturers and advertisers.
BBC/AFP
