In an earlier post, I presented a YouTube clip of very young girls performing a dance routine based on the Beyonce hit music video,
Single Ladies. Thinking back on my observations, I wondered why I found the clip so disturbing. A number of recent articles –
The innocence fetish (
Faulkner, 2010),
Too much? too young? (
Lumby and
Albury, 2010) and
Troubling childhood innocence (
Taylor, 2010) –
provided me with some insight.
One of the key points made by Faulkner (2010, p107) is that perceptions of children as sexual beings are determined by the adult gaze. In other words, sexualisation is a result of viewer interpretation. It seems that not only beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so too is desire. As Lumby and Albury (2010, p145) point out, paedophiles can construe a “sexual invitation” in an image of a child regardless of what they are wearing. However, they state that most “reasonable adults [do not view] images of children” in this way (Lumby et. al., 2010, p145).
Yet Taylor (2010, p51) claims that many adults now are doing just that. Attempts by well-meaning adults to protect children from the potential danger of unwanted sexual attention have created an atmosphere in which all images of children are evaluated from a paedophilic perspective (Taylor, 2010, p51). Clearly, my own reaction to the YouTube clip has been influenced by the latest ‘moral panic’ concerning the loss of childhood innocence.
While it may be true that childhood innocence is a social construct (Faulkner, 2010; Lumby et. al., 2010; Taylor, 2010), it is equally true that the moral codes that operate within society are also culturally constructed, and as such, they are subject to change over time; what was once unthinkable, becomes unmentionable, and is ultimately considered unavoidable.
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| Movie poster for the Baby Burlesks |
Few would have considered the images presented by
Shirley Temple and her cohort in the
Baby Burlesks films to be sexually provocative; they were seen as harmless fun – cute kids playing ‘dress up’.
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| Child star -Shirley Temple |
Although hugely popular in the 1930s, it is unlikely in the current climate that they would even be made at all.
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| Shirley Temple in War Babies (1932) |
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One of the major problems in the debate appears to be a reluctance on the part of many adults to recognise that children are in fact sexual beings (Taylor, 2010, p53). While they might not be sexually mature, they still experience sexual curiosity, desire and pleasure (Taylor, 2010, p53). Those at the forefront of the ‘moral panic’ have conjured up an alarming picture of hordes of ‘sexually depraved monsters’ ready to pounce on innocent, unsuspecting children if parents relax their guard for even an instant. Children are seen as 'naturally' innocent. Consequently, a child expressing his or her innate sexuality is immediately presumed to be ‘prematurely sexually aware’.
If evidence of child sexual abuse is not discovered, then the child’s ‘aberrant’ behaviour is often deemed to be a result of exposure to the ‘inappropriate’ sexualised images presented in popular media such as television. This in turn results in calls from anxious adults, such as those which prompted the
Senate Inquiry into the Sexualisation of Children in Contemporary Media (
Standing Committee on Environment, Communications and the Arts, 2008) demanding governments ‘crack down’ on advertisers and broadcasters in order to protect children.
However, despite widely held fears to the contrary, some researchers claim there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that exposure to sexualised images actually “encourages [children] to act in adult sexual ways” (Buckingham & Bragg in Lumby et. al., 2010; Lumby et. al., 2010). In fact, Buckingham and Bragg state that much of the sexual content encountered in popular media is misunderstood by children because they lack the background knowledge required to make meaning from the messages presented (2004 in Lumby et. al., 2010, p147).
Even though many adults would be relieved by this, Faulkner (2010, p107) argues that rather than protecting children, the attempt to perpetuate childhood innocence actually places children at greater risk of harm. This is echoed by Lumby et. al., (2010, p149) who state “sexual ignorance” is not an effective defence against unsolicited sexual attention. While much of the ‘moral panic’ focuses on the threat posed by anonymous paedophiles, the ‘stranger danger’ education does little to prepare children and young people to deal with unwanted sexual advances by known adults and peers.
Kincheloe (2002 in Taylor, 2010, p55-56) points out that attempts by adults and educators to shield children from the ‘inappropriate’ influence of popular media have backfired. In the absence of respectful dialogue between adults and children about sexual issues, children are increasingly turning to popular culture for answers (Taylor, 2010, p56). While many media producers are, to a degree, bound by industry standards and government imposed regulations, there may be disparity between what is considered acceptable by these agencies, and what is considered acceptable by prevailing cultural standards.
Given that we live in a consumer-based society, it is unsurprising that manufacturers test the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in order to sell their goods to a wider and wider target audience.
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| Padded bras for pre-teens |
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| Pole dancing doll |
Hence, we see advertisements for padded bras designed for prepubescent girls and pole dancing dolls created to appeal to toddlers.
While such products tend to spark community outrage, it must be assumed there is a profitable market for these items; manufacturers habitually undertake considerable market research before committing to the expense of producing and distributing products.
Although
this provides an ideal opportunity for parents and other educators to initiate open conversations about children’s “passage to adulthood”, many shy away from broaching the uncomfortable topic of sex, instead bemoaning the circumstances that force them to discuss ‘adult’ subjects with children (Faulkner, 2010, p115-116). Yet clearly, due to the pervasiveness of sexualised imagery in popular media, we cannot prevent children’s exposure to sexualised material. Thus, children may copy the clothing and behaviours of prominent adult figures such as popular media celebrities and be unaware of how they may be perceived by others.
That being said, it is important for adults to understand that some young people may choose to express their emerging sexuality in ways that adults may consider unsuitable (Lumby et. al., 2010, p149).
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| Explicit message |
Denigrating these outward expressions may actually inhibit the development of a healthy sexual self-image. Nonetheless, it is incumbent on adults to ensure that children are not exposed to age-inappropriate images of sexual relationships, or those that sanction sexually abusive or coercive behaviour (Lumby et. al., 2010, p149).
As stated earlier, visual messages are interpreted by the viewer, and are therefore also open to misinterpretation. While we cannot control how visual messages are interpreted, it is important for young people’s sexual health and safety that adults and educators help them to develop an awareness of how they could be perceived, understand the possible consequences arising from that and assist them to develop strategies for dealing with risky situations.
References
Faulkner J. (2010) The innocence fetish: The commodification and sexualisation of children in the media and popular culture. .[electronic version] Media International Australia, Incorporating Culture & Policy. 2010:106-117.
http://www.uq.edu.au/mia/index.html
Lumby C, Albury K. (2010) Too much?: Too young?: The sexualisation of children debate in Australia. [Electronic version] Media International Australia, Incorporating Culture & Policy. May. No 135:141-152.
http://www.uq.edu.au/mia/index.html
