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This site is a Roman Catholic fiction and commentary blog written in the epistolary style of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. More »

The Sexualization of Girls

By Prof. Ernest Thornberry
May 8th, 2007

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Dear Bunglehorn,

The American Psychological Association cast a light on some of our more dubius tactics with regards to sexualization of girls and girlhood. It’s a pretty damning overview of our successes in fashion, toys, television, music videos and beauty pagents. Joseph D’Augostino, in his ruthless quest to root out the evils of radical feminism, tied the trend to that movement as well as consumerism. Don’t sweat it, I don’t expect any sweeping cultural changes. Women, and girls by effect, will continue to be sexualized. I just wanted to give you a heads up from our Intel Division.

Did you know that just a generation or two ago, men found domisticity to be the most desireable traight in women? They wanted women made in the likeness of their mothers. Women who cleaned the house, washed clothes, cooked dinner and tended to the children, yet made herself available to her man when he returned home. After WWII, when women entered the workforce during a national emergency, we planted the seeds of modern feminism, hidden in legitimate complaints of unfair treatment and lower wages for women. We pushed the agenda further by deemphasizing gender differences, confusing equality for sameness.

One masterful stroke, aided by the mass distribution of contraception coupled with no fault divorce, was the debasement of sexuality, again in the name of equality and fairness. Why should men have all the fun? Can’t women express themselves sexually? Many women didn’t quite feel comfortable with this shift, but men were too happy to embrace the “free love.”

Well a funny little thing happened. As women elevated the importance of their sexuality, men adjusted their views of women. Domesticity took a back seat to sex appeal as the most desireable traight in women.

Naturally, this shift affected children. Women taught, and girls learned, that their value lies in their sex appeal, narrowly defined to their physical attractiveness, as defined by popular films, television, magazines and fashion designers.

The beauty of this shift is how it aligns with modern views of personhood. With the sexualization of girls, they are no longer valued for who they are. Instead, they are objectified and made into a thing for someone else’s sexual pleasure. Likewise, the value of a person in the broader sense, has shifted from the sacred to the functional. People are no longer valued for who they are (a human being), but for their function in society. With this insidious premise, we’ve convinced an entire generation that human embryos are not viable or valuable in their own right, nor are the severely retarded and handicapped, nor are the elderly or terminally ill. The gaining acceptance of functionalism, the value of a person by their contribution to others, brings us closer to what radical feminists supposedly fought: the conversion of women to objects, property and slaves.

Here are some tips for your patient.

When he sees a little girl wearing a t-shirt that says “Flirt,” point out the humor of such a mismatched label. Disregard the implications or more tasteful alternatives like “Lawyer” or “Nurse” or “Astronaut.”

In the check-out counter, direct his attention away from the teen magazines that show preadolescent girls how to look sexy and get a boyfriend by losing weight. The cover of a celebrity or feminine fitness rag ought to catch his eye.

Pique his interest in the music video of women in pigtails dancing provocatively in school girl uniforms.

Trigger an ill feeling toward women who choose to stay home and raise their children. Invoke pity for them, for all they are missing outside of marriage.

Silence any concern he may have about protecting his nieces when a commercial of models posing in bras and panties suddenly appears on prime-time TV. The best shots are the flashing lights, fast cut editing and pulsating music that mysteriously tap primal reflexes in people. As are the transparent tapestries flowing across their curvy bodies that invoke a yearning for the hidden, unattainable and taboo. Suggest that this is the world’s reality, so they may as well be exposed entirely and immediately.

And by all means, never question honest gut reactions! Remind him, life is too short, don’t dwell on the little things he can’t control. Even when he could respond with little actions like changing the channel, reflection and prayer.

Warmest Regards,
Wigglebrick

2 Comments to “The Sexualization of Girls”

  1. 1

    Heads up Devils: Mercator.net just published a Focus on Media piece with references to the APA. It’s an interview with Melinda Tankard Reist, a leader in the Women’s Forum Australia that publishes Faking It, a research report that promotes positive self image for young women through facts and media literacy.

    The Mercator piece has many specific examples, beginning with popular rags for little girls: Barbie Magazine, Total Girl and Disney Girl. Read A Toxic Culture for Girls, 17 Aug 2007

    Needleprick
    Asst. Dir on the Council for Culture Pornification

    Needleprick

  2. 2

    Victoria Secret is gunning for teen/tween girls too. See Naughty – and definitely not nice.

    South of No North

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