Sexualistation of Young People

example is a recent study that found that
using a celebrity voice to sell a product
could make that product more desirable
but only if the voice wasn’t specifically
recognised; 90 the point being that if
people can recognise a voice, they can
be consciously cynical about whether
they choose to believe the paid celebrity
endorsement or not. However, if the voice
is only recognisable to the subconscious,
then the cognitive filters one could in
theory use to moderate the messages are
completely bypassed. 91
This sheds light on children’s emotional
and cognitive development. So, for
example, when a message is linked to
positive, desirable feelings or images,
it gains an emotional appeal that is
independent of rational reasoning. 92
Significantly, the onset of puberty is
associated with increased awareness of
and responsiveness to rewarding stimuli.
So brands and concepts with the ‘cool
factor’ hold out the promise of peer
acceptance, thus making them particularly
attractive to teenagers. 93
Cultural theories
Individuals develop and ascribe beliefs and
meanings to themselves and the world
around them within a specific cultural
context. Cultivation theory states that
individual perceptions and beliefs are
shaped by ‘socialising’ influences such as
the media. 94 In effect, media channels
act as ‘cultural advertisements’, telling
consumers what to focus on, what to
value and how to value it.
90 Forehand and Perkins (2005)
91 Berridge and Winkelman (2003)
92 Mayo and Nairn (2009)
93 Steinberg (2008)
94 Gerbner et al. (1994)
Culture also dictates what is seen as
‘acceptable’. Cultural spillover theory 95
argues that when behaviours are accepted
in one aspect of life, they become
legitimised and therefore acceptable in
other areas, without the need for people
to give their direct, explicit support. For
example, researchers have suggested that
the more a society legitimises the use
of force to attain ends for which there
is widespread social approval (such as
tackling crime or deploying military force),
the more the use of force becomes
legitimised in other domains such as
personal relationships. 96 It seems logical to
assume that the same principle of spillover
may operate with regard to sexualisation,
and that the portrayal of women and
girls in magazines and on billboards as
sexualised objects will lead to their being
objectified elsewhere.
Objectification theories
Objectification occurs when an
individual is treated not as a person
but as a collection of body parts valued
predominantly for its use by others. 97
Objectification theory 98 cites the powerful
role of visual media (including mainstream
films, magazines, advertising and TV) in
disseminating images that focus on bodies
and body parts which implicitly encourage
the viewer to adopt a ‘sexualised gaze’.
Due to the proliferation of such images,
theorists argue, sexual objectification has
now effectively permeated our culture. 99
Moreover, this objectifying perspective
is becoming internalised, with girls and
women increasingly viewing themselves
and their bodies from a detached, thirdperson
viewpoint: ‘How do others see
me?’, rather than ‘How do I feel?’ 100
95 Baron, Straus et al. (1988)
96 Baron, Straus et al. (1988)
97 Fredrickson and Roberts (1997)
98 Fredrickson and Roberts (1997)
99 APA (2007); Tankard-Reist (2010); Australian
Parliament (2008)
100 Fredrickson and Roberts (1997)
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