Sexualized Dolls Affect Girls' Behavior

"Ten-year-old girls can slide their low-cut jeans over 'eye-candy' panties," said a recent Washington Post article.

Sexualized behavior among young girls continues to escalate...and, in part, we have body-baring dolls to thank.

The American Psychological Association's Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls issued a report that confirms sexualized media images have negative health effects on girls.

"The recent report made my heart break," said Rick Schatz, president and CEO of the National Coalition. "Current studies show, without a doubt, the sexualized messages of our culture are having deleterious effects on older girls. What is even more distressing is that the APA argues it is reasonable to assume the same issues will affect younger girls, perhaps even pre-schoolers!"

At the National Coalition this fact is really no surprise. We have been fighting the battle against sexualized messages for many years. Unfortunately, it takes broken lives before such statistics are made public.

Following are some examples cited as dangerous by the APA:

• Young pop stars dressed as sex objects
• Dolls aimed at young girls with sexual clothing such as fishnet tights, miniskirts and feather boas
• Clothing, such as thongs, for seven to 10-year-olds
• Adult models dressed as young girls

"The subtle messages creeping into our homes have desensitized many of us and our children are paying the price. These messages come through the classroom, magazines, music, theater, television, advertising and are now being transmitted more widely than ever through wireless technologies," added Schatz.

The National Coalition continues to be the lead organization working with the wireless industry to protect our children, but wireless devices are not our only threat.

Many toys made for children today deliver subtle, and sometimes not too subtle, sexualized messages.

Particularly alarming are the popular Bratz dolls being marketed to 4 to 8-year-olds.

The APA report says, "Although these dolls may present no more sexualization of girls or women than is seen in MTV videos, it is worrisome when dolls designed specifically for 4 to 8-year-olds are associated with an objectified adult sexuality."

The National Coalition alerts parents of young girls to this trend and urges them to make wise choices when purchasing toys for your children...especially dolls that promote sexualized behavior.

In addition, to help parents and student leaders combat these sexual trends, the National Coalition offers the curriculum Sex & Young America, an interactive course including videos and written materials to help kids understand today s sexualized culture and develop skills to make responsible decisions about sexual activity. For more information, please visit www.sexandyoungamerica.com or call the National Coalition at (513) 521-6227.