After reviewing the University of Buffalo news release on this report, “Equal Opportunity Objectification? The Sexualization of Men and Women on the Cover of Rolling Stone,” I think the answer is apparent.
And if you don’t think pornography, prostitution and sex trafficking are issues in the United States, you’d better sit down and have another cup of coffee while you read these blogs:
- Don’t Fuel the Demand for Sex Trafficking
- U.S. Probe: International Child-Abuse and Pornography Investigation
Hatton comments further in the Huffington Post article, Are Women “Pornified” by Popular Media?:
“What we conclude from this is that popular media outlets such as Rolling Stone are not depicting women as sexy musicians or actors; they are depicting women musicians and actors as ready and available for sex. This is problematic, because it indicates a decisive narrowing of media representations of women.
“We don’t necessarily think it’s problematic for women to be portrayed as ‘sexy.’ But we do think it is problematic when nearly all images of women depict them not simply as ‘sexy women’ but as passive objects for someone else’s sexual pleasure.”
… The problem, the authors said, is that this hypersexuality dominates the cultural representation of what it means to be a woman today. And you’d better believe that hurts us all.
Why does mankind feel to need to distort and corrupt what God created so perfectly in the first place?
Is public silence in response to this research and subscription to popular media interpreted as approval?
Sexy Inc. – Our Children Under Influence
Distributed by National Film Board of Canada, 1123 Broadway, Suite 307, New York, NY 10010; 800-542-2164
Produced by Patricia Bergeron
Directed by Sophie Bissonnette
DVD, color, 35 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Adolescence, Child Development, Education, Gender Studies, Media Studies, Parenting, Psychology, Sociology Sexy Inc. uncovers the surreptitious power the media and advertisers wield over society’s most vulnerable consumers – children.
Produced as part of the project “Countering Youth Hypersexualization: Tools for Prevention and Action,” the film presents shocking evidence from the entertainment and fashion industries. Excerpts from sexually explicit music videos and seductive children’s clothing illustrate how mature themes once considered marginal are now commonplace in the culture. Also quite telling is a youth workshop where participants are shown pairs of images and asked to distinguish teen publications from pornography.
Throughout the documentary, experts attest to the danger of overinvesting in image at the expense of cultivating identity. Psychologists, social workers, educators, and health care professionals make their case with an array of scientific and anecdotal evidence. They also offer realistic solutions for countering the ill effects of youth hypersexualization.
Sexy Inc. is a must-see for teachers, parents, and others who work with adolescents. It is also an excellent resource for psychology and sociology courses. Viewers will find the film’s written guide helpful in facilitating discussion.
In 2008, Sexy Inc. received the UNICEF Prize at the Japan Prize Contest.
Highly recommended for academic and public libraries.
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