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Family Events...
Clothing for girls
sends wrong message
By Marybeth Hicks
Recently, I read an article about a research report that says 30
percent of all the clothing made for young girls is sexualized —
meaning, it’s designed in such a way to promote a sexy image.
I had a hard time believing this. I figured it had to be more like 80
percent. At least, that’s what it feels like when I’m shopping with my
13-year-old and it’s all we can do to find things that completely cover
the body, much less present a positive, wholesome image of an innocent
young teenager.
The research comes from Samantha Goodin, a former Kenyon College
student, and a research team led by Dr. Sarah Murnen, Professor of
Psychology at Kenyon College. Evaluating the clothing available at 15
popular online stores, the researches classified more than 5,000
articles of apparel and found that 69 percent had only childlike
characteristics. Of the remaining 31 percent, 4 percent had only
sexualized characteristics, 25 percent had both childlike and
sexualized features (creepy, to say the least), and 4 percent were
considered neutral.
Ok, so what’s the difference? Well, childlike features are styles,
colors, designs, and images that reflect a child’s innocence and image,
while sexualized ones are those that draw attention to female anatomy
or are otherwise sexually suggestive. A combo item might be a pair of
pink or purple shorts (childlike colors) with words or decorations on
the rear, intended to direct your gaze to a girl’s backside.
In the research team’s view, the sexualization of girls through apparel
has serious implications for how girls evaluate themselves. They’re
being taught early in life that feminine physical attractiveness is all
about conveying a sexy image and ultimately, objectifying themselves
and their bodies.
The negative effects of this kind of thinking are now well known.
Promoting sexuality too soon causes girls to develop unhealthy
perceptions of their bodies. Girls experience serious issues because of
poor body image, from depression and poor self-esteem to unhealthy
behaviors such as eating disorders and sexual precociousness.
Not to mention, it’s just plain icky to see young girls strutting their
stuff in sexy outfits that look like they’re meant for the strip in
Vegas. But let’s face it: In a world where you can buy stiletto crib
shoes for baby girls (not kidding!), it’s up to parents to protect the
innocence and beauty of our daughters. We won’t get help from the
clothing industry!
How to protect our daughters’ wholesome images
What can we do to fight the exploitation of our daughters?
First of all, we have to decide that this goal is worth our effort. Too
many parents tell me that they don’t like the styles for girls, but
they still let their girls call the shots about what to wear. Instead,
take a stand for your daughter’s innocence by letting her know that her
clothing choices reflect her self-image. Girls as young as six or seven
can be taught about the benefits of a positive female image — in fact,
this is the age when we need to begin to teach those lessons.
Second, I’d encourage everyone to adopt a great rule that I learned
from my sister, a wonderful mom of four now-grown daughters. When she
took her girls shopping everyone had 100% veto power. That meant she
couldn’t put them in outfits they thought were babyish, but she could
nix things she felt were inappropriately sexy. The result? Shopping
trips took a bit longer than she liked, but everyone was happy with
their purchases.
Finally, choose your stores carefully. The Kenyon College study found
the problem of sexualization in apparel was greater at stores that
cater to “tweens” than at stores that had traditional children’s
departments.
Our girls face enough pressure to conform to the culture’s unhealthy
expectations. When it comes to their fashion sense, we need to teach
them that wholesomeness is beautiful!
Thanks for reading and sharing Family Events!
Take good care until next week,
Marybeth
This week’s question: What advice can you give to parents whose
daughters want to spend their own money (from birthdays or babysitting)
on apparel items that mom and dad don’t like? Can we dictate our girls’
attire even when they’re paying for it themselves? Share the parenting
wealth on our Family Events Facebook page.
Respond to this week’s question and check out the responses to last
week’s question at Family Events
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