Selling Out to Sexualization Has its Costs

”Sex is currency

She sells cars

She sells magazines...

Sex is industry

The CEO, of corporate policy

Skin-deep ministry

Suburban youth, hail your so-called liberty”

These lyrics are from the song “Easier than Love” by the alternative rock band Switchfoot. Like many of Switchfoot’s songs, the lyrics are a social critique; this song addresses the rampant issue of sexualization present in mass media, particularly images of females. Switchfoot’s song echoes the concerns many have about the societal impact of the long-standing, increasing trend of the sexualization of females in the media. The American Psychological Association was so concerned that they undertook the creation of the Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. The research group defined the components of sexualization, found examples of the trend in media, and observed its consequences. The components of sexualization of girls in the media included the following characteristics:

1) Sexual attractiveness defines one’s personal value

2) One’s level of attractiveness depends on their being “sexy”

3) People are seen as sexual objects

4) “Sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person”

Furthermore, they concluded what can be plainly observed: “Virtually every media form studied provides ample evidence of the sexualization of women, including television, music videos, music lyrics, movies, magazines, sports media, video games, the Internet, and advertising.” Even supposedly kid-friendly media produced by the Walt Disney Company feature young women in scant attire—e.g. Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Jasmine in Aladdin.

The consequences of sexualization in media are manifold. The portrayal of females in sexualized roles in the media effects female viewers as early as pre-adolescence. The influence of peers, parents, and other adults in one’s life also play a role in girls’ sexualization. A girl’s self-concept can be deeply affected by what she perceives as societal expectations for her sexuality, which are often observed in the sexual stereotypes portrayed in the media. If a girl views herself as a sexual object, her sexual, mental, emotional, and physical well-being are at risk because of the behaviors shaped by her ideology. Young females are not the only group affected by sexualization of girls in the media. Older women strive to conform to the youthful appearance of models and actresses in media. Males’ expectations of “real” women may be based on the unrealistic, highly sexualized women often featured in media images. The larger societal implications of this trend include an increase in sexual violence and pornography.

The portrayal of women in the media often includes sex-role stereotypes, most prominently, women as sexual objects. What sociologist Gaye Tuchman would call symbolic representation of women (in this case, as sexual objects) may reflect an unhealthy cultural “ideal,” an ideology which seems to diminish the value of females’ intellects and personalities by limiting the representation of the gender to mere physicality. The report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls also cited examples of themes in media, which Erving Goffman noted in his survey of advertisements: “the Skechers ‘naughty and nice’ ad that featured Christina Aguilera dressed as a schoolgirl in pigtails, with her shirt unbuttoned, licking a lollipop…” for instance, represents the infantilization of women coupled with sexualization.

The sexualization of young females in the media is a moral issue. Though sexualized images may “sell”, there is overwhelming evidence of the dignity they withdraw from individuals and society as a whole. It may not be possible to change the popular trend of images created by media producers, but it is possible to minimize their impact. Critical media consumers should consciously recognize sexualized images and reject their validity. Parents should teach impressionable youth the skills of media literacy. Youth who recognize sexualized images as unrealistic or even degrading may not be as vulnerable to adopting unhealthy ideologies and consequent behaviors such as self-objectification. Exposure to more positive media images in which sexualized images are replaced with age-appropriate ones should also be emphasized. Selling out to sexualization has its costs; individuals must decide how much value to place on media messages.