Stepping up the fight against childhood s*xualisation

The direct physical abuse of children lies at the hard edge of child sexualisation, which contributes to a climate in which child sex trafficking, child pornography, child sex tourism, child prostitution and child rape thrive. Auckland-based StopDemand.org is actively campaigning on these issues and says that of 20,624 sex offence convictions in New Zealand 1992-2001, 78 per cent involved victims aged 16 years and younger.

The Auckland University students also recommended that sex education programs be developed in schools to stop sex education happening through reading pornographic material. With pornography as unofficial educator, children not only learn about sex, but about male and female stereotypes and about what constitutes normal sexual behaviour - for example multiple partners and anal sex.

Nicola Gavey observes “Much of the debate at the seminar focused on where pornography stops and mainstream sexualising culture starts. The fact pornographic aesthetics have become so mainstream and normative is a problem in itself because it becomes harder to critique and resist.”

Celebrity culture

A case in point is a poster of Rihanna in the November 16 issue of Woman's Day, which uses the Russian Roulette album cover photograph. She is pictured topless wearing only a wide corset belt and an eye patch - her breasts barely covered by mock barbed wire. The image is reminiscent of sadomasochism and bondage, the eye patch a grim reminder of her recent assault at the hand of her then partner Chris Brown. Yet it sits happily in the magazine alongside a recipe for broccoli, sausage and cheese popovers.

Corporate Paedophilia documents countless examples of how celebrities such as Rihanna are marketed as aspirational models for girls as young as five, via their inclusion in “tween magazines” aimed at the pre-teen market.

However, while many celebrities are happy to be sexualised as part of their branding effort, there is a growing celebrity backlash. Kate Winslet is now as famous for her no-airbrushing stance as she is for her acting. In 2003 she caused an international media storm when she criticised GQ Magazine for digitally altering her physique so that her legs appeared much longer and thinner than in real life. Meanwhile, Peaches Geldof is often quoted defending the right to a healthy body image.

Disney Girl magazine also made a recent stand when it refused to print a photograph of 9-year-old Noah Cyrus, sister of Miley Cyrus, wearing a dominatrix style halloween costume. The editor of Disney Girl, Fiona Wright, said of the photos “Being a Disney publication we stress family values and no, we definitely wouldn't run these pictures”.

However, look at any Disney cartoon of a female figure, from Cinderella to Pocahontas, and you'll notice that just like Barbie, their waists are narrower than their heads. Anatomically impossible and again providing body image ideals which are at best unrealistic and confusing. A Picasso painting offers as much realism as an aspirational body model.

The issue of eating disorders, one of the many harmful effects of child sexualisation, is a serious one with children as young as five suffering from early onset eating disorders.

Katie Malone comments “When young people start to define their feelings of self-worth in terms of what they look like rather than in terms of their talents and individuality, this can lead to the development of other issues such as eating disorders. There is a lack of adequate support for people with eating disorders in New Zealand - many young women have been sent to Australia for inpatient treatment - so it is important that as a society, we work to prevent the incidence of eating disorders.”

Courtney Ross adds: “I want to see children receiving multiple examples of body types and looks, to know that they're not fat and ugly just because they aren't the type of girl who is on television and in fashion.”

As a society we would do well to take the advice of Eden, the Eating Difficulties Education Network. Their alternative New Year's resolutions include “Love your body and love yourself, give dieting the boot for good, and instead of putting your life on hold until you’ve reached your ‘ideal weight’, start living ... RIGHT NOW!”