Sexiness Leads to Popularity

Dolls us by psychologists at Knox College Is anyone else bothered by the fact that girls as young as six years old now see themselves as being "sex objects"? According to a study conducted by psychologists at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., girls as young as six are now equating that "sexiness leads to popularity". The excuse that the media is to blame is no longer valid.

Livescience.com reported that, "The authors (of the study) suggest that the media or moms who sexualize women may predispose girls toward objectifying themselves; then, the other factor (mom or media) reinforces the messages, amplifying the effect."

Clothing companies have also come underfire in the past for promoting clothing lines for young girls which seem to be beyond the maturity level of the girls that the lines are being marketed to.

So what are parents to do? As I do not have children, I personally have not faced this issue as a parent. However, as a person who works in youth ministry I can tell you that the confusion cause by over-sexualization of products marketed to kids (and I use the word kids because these young adults are still very impressionable) is blurring the line between what is and what is not sexually appropriate for kids of any age.

Where do we go from here? How do we protect our children without sufficating them and preventing them from being able to make decisions on their own?