Sexualizing Ophelia
Posted by anastasia on 01-11-2005Update: Thanks Ken for catching this. This story is from the CBC, not CBS (I had given them credit initially…This explains why it's soooo good.)
I remember lots of discussion back in the late 90s about that point girls hit growing up when the horse-loving tomboy or the play-producing drama queen suddenly becomes self-conscious and begins to see herself as the rest of the world sees her. For me it kicked in fully at 12, but I imagine it's getting younger and younger. I remember it acutely — sucking in my 12-year-old stomach in order to look good to boys in a bathing suit, faking that I was dumb in school, giving up on my dreams of being a dancer (ok, that probably was a smart move…)
The CBC has produced a really disturbing report called "Buying into Sexy" about how marketers (and the media) are sexualizing tween girls. Let's call this the Joan Bennett syndrome. From feeling like you need a bra just to "feel older" to the rubber sex bracelets, Bratz and commercials like Ashlee Simpson's Candies spot, tweens are taking in the glut of sexy images they are being fed and beginning to act them out. Parents are desperately trying to intervene, and boys are being taught to treat girls as sex objects. It's depressing stuff — you should read it. Props to CBS for producing such a great Web feature. Video, external links, message board, photo gallery — nice piece of Web journalism.
January 12th, 2005 at 9:35 am
I believe this is from the CBC, not CBS.
February 1st, 2005 at 6:35 pm
This is completely true, I\'m 12 and I see it happening all around me. I\'m a very individual person, but even I feel pressured to look a certain way. I\'m younger than most people at my school, (I was 11 when I started junior high) so some people say oh, your just not mature enough yet to like makeup and all that other junk. Sure I like mascara and soome lip gloss, but I\'m not too imature, I\'ve grown up with older people! The world is going bonkers……………………..