Just ran across this very good article about how young girls even in their early teens are sexualized in the media, which reinforces it in the culture, and the problems that this leads to.
"The good news is there are several solutions that can counteract these effects. Those include progressive sex education, awareness-raising programs, and fighting against sexual and sexist stereotypes, which are the basis for the hypersexualisation of young girls. Some resources also show that when girls can critically evaluate the hypersexualised media they consume, they’re more likely to combat its adverse effects.
And, personally, I find the latter to be the best antidote.
Critical media literacy has recently become a hot topic, and there’s a reason for it. We consume more and more content every day, and it’s essential that the young generations, in particular, know how to navigate all that — not only when it comes to sexually explicit material.
You won’t solve this issue by simply telling girls to ‘cover-up’ or ‘respect themselves.’ If anything, this mentality only reinforces the notion that their bodies are to blame. And it feeds into rape culture.
It is not up to girls to change, but to society at large. We can only give them better tools to navigate this world while trying to make it better."
