Thought-Provoking Comments On the Sexualization of Girls

The sexualization of girls of all ages is nowhere near new. We all know this. But just knowing it, accepting it as fact, is not enough! We need to read more insightful (and at times frightful) commentaries like this one from The Guardian. The stories shared by these four British women could have been written by almost any woman, almost anywhere in the world. And that's precisely what makes it so important. This column comes on the heels of the report that the French government has called for a ban on beauty contests for young girls after outrage over a 10-year-old in French Vogue. I firmly believe that beauty pageants are just one of the many, many ways we perpetuate this terrible trend of stealing childhood innocence from our girls. We need to pay attention to our words and our actions about and toward little girls. Think about what you're praising them for because that will be the source of their worth. Use words and behaviors that reinforce concepts aside from their appearance. It all starts with being mindful of how we construct the world around our girls and how we portray girls to our boys. That is just as crucial! So, please, read and discuss...here, with each other, with your girls and boys.