Sexualisation of Young People Review

Sexualisation of Young People Review
is that the ‘sexualisation of culture’ 77 is a
sign of cultural degradation. 78 To enter
into this debate is beyond our remit;
rather, our concern is to map out, through
clear analysis of the empirical research
literature, the possible links between the
sexualisation of culture and gendered and
sexualised violence.
Broadly, those academics who accept
the phenomenon of sexualisation
approach it in two ways. On the one
hand, so-called ‘mainstream sexualisation’
describes the democratisation of sex
and sexuality and the breaking down of
binary oppositions (for example, male/
female or heterosexual/homosexual). On
the other, there is the commercialisation
of sexuality which may well involve the
appropriation of feminist terminology
such as ‘empowerment’, ‘equality’ and ‘girl
power’. Arguably, this serves to reinforce
the dominant male gaze, by ensuring that
female sexual expression only gains validity
under the surveillance of men; something
that may be leading to increases in
sexualised violence among young people. 79
Understanding the current
phenomenon of sexualisation
The term ‘sexualisation’ is used to describe
a number of trends in the production and
consumption of contemporary culture; the
common denominator is the use of sexual
attributes as a measure of a person’s
value and worth. Although sexualised
images have featured in advertising and
communications since mass media first
emerged, the current phenomenon of
sexualisation differs from what has gone
before in three important regards.
First, the volume of sexualised images
and the extent to which they impinge on
everyday life are significantly greater than
they were as recently as two decades ago.
Public spaces are saturated with sexualised
images and messages. 80 As a result, they
are visible to everyone, including children
and young people who may not have
the maturity to rationalise and put what
they are seeing into context. At the same
time, these images and messages are also
becoming more explicit. Increasingly, it
seems, there is a blurring between the
‘mainstream’ media, whether in the form
of billboard posters, magazine covers,
music videos, fashion shoots or film trailers,
and the world of pornography.
Second, because of the proliferation of
visual images, ‘social classifiers’ such as
gender, class, race and age are being used
to present exaggerated constructions of
femininity and masculinity. The resulting
caricatures – the big-breasted blonde
bimbo, the ‘dirty old man’ – are defined
solely by their sexual attributes, attitudes
or behaviours. 81 In the case of the blonde
bimbo, too, there is a strong link between
apparent sexually availability and validation;
the ‘right’ physical attributes and the
willingness to submit to male desires are a
‘passport’ to acceptance, money and fame.
Third, children are increasingly being
portrayed in an ‘adultified’ way while,
conversely, adult women are being
infantilised. 82 This leads to a blurring of
the lines between sexual maturity and
immaturity. This is having the effect of
sexualising girlhood and legitimising the
notion that children can be related to as
sexual objects.
24
77
Gill (2009); Zurbriggen et al. (2007); McNair
(2002); Paul (2005); Rush and La Nauze (2006)
78
Hitchens (2002); Paul (2005)
79
Barter, McCarry, Berridge and Evans (2009)
80
McNair (2002)
81
Paasonen (2007)
82
Evidence provided to the review by
Dr K. Sarikakis (2009)