We all know that in America sex is a major aspect; selling
it, doing it, watching it, preventing it, and so on. When we think of these
things we attribute them to adults and sometimes teenagers. What about the
children? What about the children being sexually abused and the children who
are put in situations, such as pageants, that make them feel they need to be
more sexually appealing?
The newest fad on the rise in the prostitution and
pornography business around the globe is children. People now want to either
watch or be involved in having sex with minors. “In 2008, Internet Watch
Foundation found 1,536 individual child abuse domains”[1]
and “research indicates that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually
victimized before adulthood”[2].
Numbers like these are only growing and it is completely appalling for anyone
to think that adult content is made only with consenting adults or that children
are completely excluded from sexual appetite.
When a child has gone through an incredibly traumatic event
such as being sexually taken advantage of, many things can happen. The child
could grow to become severely depressed or anxious or even begin to act out
sexually because that is what they were taught is important. As an adult they
may blame themselves for the act, they may develop issues with their body image
resulting in an eating disorder, and it may be difficult for them to develop
relationships[3].
Not only are children directly affected by the sexuality of
America, but they are also indirectly and inconspicuously affected. Thanks to
all of the magazines, commercials, and social media sites/apps, kids (mostly
girls) are being bombarded with messages and images telling them that they are
not good enough physically. Even innocent pageants today are teaching girls
that the only way to be successful is to be beautiful and possibly sexual. Pageant
girls have to wear heavy makeup, false teeth, revealing outfits, a spray tan,
and must do provocative poses and dance numbers[4].
This in turn will create emotional problems for when they base their worth off
of their looks and then grow up and realize their bodies have flaws.
I personally have struggled with America’s sexualizing.
Every time I see things like Victoria’s Secret commercials or hip hop music
videos, I can’t help but feel, only for a second, that I must be doing something
wrong. I feel that the only way I can obtain relationships, happiness, or
success is to have curves in all the right places and to walk and talk in a
seducing manner. It shouldn’t be like this. People, especially children, should
be taught that innocence is a great value and that they don’t need to fit a
certain standard. They should also be better protected from sexual offenders and
explicit content. However, that does not help increase sales of media or porn
and that is not the way of America.
[1] Fischer,
A.. N.p.. Web. 31 Mar 2014.
<http://www.enough.org/inside.php?tag=statistics>.
[2] Fischer,
A.. N.p.. Web. 31 Mar 2014. <http://www.enough.org/inside.php?tag=statistics>.
[3]
Hall, Melissa. Web. 31 Mar 2014. <http://www.counseling.org/docs/disaster-and-trauma_sexual-abuse/long-term-effects-of-childhood-sexual-abuse.pdf?sfvrsn=2>
[4] Agadoni,
L.. N.p.. Web. 31 Mar 2014.
<http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/child-beauty-pageants-affect-childs-development-3088.html>.
No comments:
Post a Comment