My initial reaction to the book excerpt So sexy so soon, was amazement (Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J., 2009). The
thought that children at such a young age are being hit with these ideas and
are able to process them was horrible.
Once I was able to close up my jaw from the shock I was able to process
the ideas more clearly. I started to
analyze things I saw on TV and toys that are in the store and even my own
child’s behavior. I can see the ideas
that they shared happening all around me.
One experience that I
had recently was in talking with another professional colleague who worked with
college level adults. She was asking me
my take on a conversation she had with a friend. The friend has a preschool daughter (3-4
years old). The mother got a phone call
from the school about and incident that happened at during the day. The girl leaned over the table during
activity time and kissed a boy. She had
her tongue in his mouth and was holding on to him so he would not get
away. The mother did not understand why
everyone was so upset. She was asking
“is this not normal?-they’re just kids”. When I first heard this story I though “what
is she learning at home?” After reading
this book excerpt I had to rethink. It
may not be what she is learning from her parents but the media she is watching.
This spring at our school play day the
children were allowed to wear their swimsuits. The children were third and fourth graders,
who know what they are looking at. I
must be old fashion but the swimsuits the girls were wearing were a little
lacking in the material department. The
girl’s new fashions were bikini tops and boy shorts. I thought I was at a skin farm. These bikinis’ showed way to much skin for 8
year old girls. The girls were
discussing with each other how “hot” their suit looked on them.
These messages will impact young children in a
negative manner. The girls will think
that they should wear clothes that are reveling and make them look “hot” in
order to fit in with their peers. If
they do not have the “right” clothes they may be ostracized by the larger
group. This will deepen the message and
cause them to go down a bad path-one of trying to be accepted. Boys will be given the message that this is
how girls are supposed to look and act.
So the message they will get about gender is that boys were just shorts
and girls wear skimpy tops and boy bottoms.
As teachers we have to stop looking the other
way when issues come up. We have to
confront them even though it may be difficult and uncomfortable. As early an early childhood professional I
could promote books and pictures of children who are having fun in a nonsexual
manner. I could also use pictures and
books with more sexualized images to discuss how it could hurt the image the
child has of themselves. We will also
look at boys and girls who are outside of the normal stereotype and talk about
it they are boys or girls and why they think that. Also it is important to have the discussion
that they are each different and that they don’t have to follow the rigid
stereotypical roles.
Resources
Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009).
[Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new
sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp. 1-8). New York:
Ballantine Books. Retrieved from:http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf
I agree with you about the swimsuits. As a mother and a teacher I encouraged my parents to buy one piece suits for the girls it was easy when the younger girls saw my oldest daughter wear one then it was acceptable; in fact for some of the girls I care for she is just as much of a role model as their mom and I are.
ReplyDeleteChildren are so stereotyped today. You must look a certain, dress a certain way, and act a certain way. I teach my daughter to be happy with who you are. You don't have to be skinny to be considered beautiful. It is so important in my future work with children is to constantly let them know that they are valued and important.
ReplyDeleteHi listening to your story my mouth would have been wide open to because children are being explorted on tv, in the media, even in magazines. children are forced to grow up fast instead of enjoying their childhood and just being a kid. Being a parent is very hard because you are not given instrutions on how to be a parent you just go for what you know and what you learn from your parents and family around you. As an educator it's our job to be a mentor, a teacher, and even a parent to children who do not have that foundation that we once had and guide them that they are important regardless what society, and the media say.
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