Sexualistation of Young People
Sexualistation of Young People Sexualistation of Young People
Contents Foreword 3 1. Executive summary 5 2. Introduction 17 3. Background and context 19 4. What is sexualisation and why does it matter? 22 5. Sexualised content and the mainstreaming of pornography 33 6. The impact of sexualisation 53 7. Sexualisation and violence 65 8. Recommendations 75 9. Bibliography 85 10. Acknowledgements 100 Sexualisation of Young People Review 1
Foreword When I was approached by the Home Secretary to conduct an independent review on the impact of the sexualisation of young girls on violence against women, I genuinely welcomed the opportunity to take a critical look at this area. As both a psychologist and as a mother, I was very aware that this was a topic that was gaining increasing amounts of attention both in academic literature and the popular press. Although the original intention of the review was to focus on how sexualisation is affecting girls, it quickly became evident that we could not talk about girls without acknowledging the concomitant impact on boys and the hyper-masculinised images and messages that surround them. The scope of the review was therefore widened to encompass the sexualisation of all young people and to look at how hyper-sexualisation and objectification of girls on the one hand, and hypermasculinisation of boys on the other, perpetuate and reinforce each other. Throughout the course of the review, what has become very apparent is that sexualisation is a multi-factorial issue and therefore needs to be approached from a range of perspectives, taking into account not only the emotional and cognitive development of children but also the influence of family, culture and society as a whole. Over the past months, my team and I have reviewed hundreds of articles from the fields of psychology, sociology, education, politics and media. We have interviewed people working on the front-line with abused children and abusers. We have spoken to young people, parents, teachers, clinicians, academics, policy-makers and lobbyists. What came across loud and clear is that this is a very emotive issue – and so, I wanted to ensure that the evidence was presented as objectively as possible so that a public debate could ensue and informed decisions about how to address these issues could be made. This is not an opinion piece, the evidence and arguments presented within this document are not based on conjecture but on empirical data from peer reviewed journals, and evidence from professionals and clinicians. Behind the social commentary and the headlines about inappropriate clothing and games for children, there are the real statistics, on teenage partner violence, sexual bullying and abuse that need to be acknowledged and addressed. Sexualisation of Young People Review 3
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Foreword<br />
When I was approached by the Home<br />
Secretary to conduct an independent<br />
review on the impact <strong>of</strong> the sexualisation<br />
<strong>of</strong> young girls on violence against women,<br />
I genuinely welcomed the opportunity to<br />
take a critical look at this area. As both<br />
a psychologist and as a mother, I was<br />
very aware that this was a topic that was<br />
gaining increasing amounts <strong>of</strong> attention<br />
both in academic literature and the<br />
popular press.<br />
Although the original intention <strong>of</strong> the<br />
review was to focus on how sexualisation<br />
is affecting girls, it quickly became evident<br />
that we could not talk about girls without<br />
acknowledging the concomitant impact<br />
on boys and the hyper-masculinised<br />
images and messages that surround them.<br />
The scope <strong>of</strong> the review was therefore<br />
widened to encompass the sexualisation<br />
<strong>of</strong> all young people and to look at how<br />
hyper-sexualisation and objectification<br />
<strong>of</strong> girls on the one hand, and hypermasculinisation<br />
<strong>of</strong> boys on the other,<br />
perpetuate and reinforce each other.<br />
Throughout the course <strong>of</strong> the review,<br />
what has become very apparent is that<br />
sexualisation is a multi-factorial issue<br />
and therefore needs to be approached<br />
from a range <strong>of</strong> perspectives, taking into<br />
account not only the emotional and<br />
cognitive development <strong>of</strong> children but also<br />
the influence <strong>of</strong> family, culture and society<br />
as a whole.<br />
Over the past months, my team and I have<br />
reviewed hundreds <strong>of</strong> articles from the<br />
fields <strong>of</strong> psychology, sociology, education,<br />
politics and media. We have interviewed<br />
people working on the front-line with<br />
abused children and abusers. We have<br />
spoken to young people, parents, teachers,<br />
clinicians, academics, policy-makers and<br />
lobbyists. What came across loud and clear<br />
is that this is a very emotive issue – and so,<br />
I wanted to ensure that the evidence<br />
was presented as objectively as possible<br />
so that a public debate could ensue and<br />
informed decisions about how to address<br />
these issues could be made. This is not an<br />
opinion piece, the evidence and arguments<br />
presented within this document are not<br />
based on conjecture but on empirical data<br />
from peer reviewed journals, and evidence<br />
from pr<strong>of</strong>essionals and clinicians. Behind<br />
the social commentary and the headlines<br />
about inappropriate clothing and games<br />
for children, there are the real statistics, on<br />
teenage partner violence, sexual bullying<br />
and abuse that need to be acknowledged<br />
and addressed.<br />
Sexualisation <strong>of</strong> <strong>Young</strong> <strong>People</strong> Review<br />
3