Sexualistation of Young People

Sexualisation of Young People Review
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featuring idealised images of thin women,
while a second group looked at neutral
images. The groups were then asked to
rank 10 characteristics, including slimness
and physical attractiveness, according to
their importance when choosing a partner
or girlfriend. Results suggested that boys
were more likely to rate slimness and
attractiveness as important after viewing
the ‘thin ideal’ images, and pointed to
a link between this and boys’ level of
concern with their own body image. The
researchers concluded that the media
was leading boys to have unrealistic
expectations of girls and to evaluate them
in an unfavourable and unrealistic way. 283
Body image and
sexualisation
“Body dissatisfaction is the discrepancy
between someone’s actual body size and
the ideal body size presented in the media.
Body dissatisfaction is so ubiquitous that it is
described as normative.” 284
The concept of body image arises often
when looking at the issue of sexualisation.
The process by which idealised forms
of the body are internalised and how
this relates to sexualisation and selfobjectification
is important to consider.
There is trend research that suggests that
young girls adopt and internalise idealised
representations of the female form
depending on what is being celebrated
and validated by their culture. 285
283 Hargreaves and Tiggemann (2003)
284 Murnen et al. (2003)
285 Cash and Fleming (2002)
Several researchers have demonstrated
the way the female body is depicted in the
media has become increasingly thin over
the years and that body weight trends in
fashion and media mirror trends in the
wider society. 286 What we need to take
note of is why girls have internalised the
beauty myth and the thin ideal. The subtle
pre-conscious messages linking thinness to
success and happiness have actually had
a significant impact on young women’s
behaviour and decision-making. This is
evidenced by the increasing focus on
body dissatisfaction and rise in cosmetic
surgery and eating disorders. Researchers
and clinicians have also noted a tendency
amongst girls for self-objectification, i.e.
the process whereby one becomes more
concerned and engaged with how ones
body is perceived by others while deemphasising
ones own subjective feelings,
and internal awareness. 287
The case of body image is a good example
of what happens if we encourage girls and
young women to equate their self-worth
with narrow idealised representations of
the female form. Perhaps it also gives us
some insight into where we are headed
with the hyper-sexualised environment
that young girls are growing up in today,
where the dominant message to girls
seems to be to focus on others’ sexual
interest in and physical judgement of
them, rather than their own desires,
abilities and interests.
286 Ogletree, Williams, Raffeld, Mason and Fricke
(1990); Silverstein, Perdue, Peterson and Kelly
(1986); Wiseman, Gray, Mosimann and Ahrens
(1992)
287 APA (2007)