Jenna Buthman Prof.

Fuller December 12, 2012 COMM 364: Media Law and Ethics

Sexualization of Minors in the Media The media has always sought to acquire one thing and one thing only, viewer ship. As long as a program, film or ad is being viewed, then the media has done its job. The creators and producers sell to the public what they do not need, and in order for this to work they have become cunning in their attack. The tag line that Sex sells, is not one of falsity, sex sells, and the media has taken full advantage of it. In the films what do you see? You see beautiful actresses matched with outrageously attractive men. On the runway, we see Victoria Secrets models who are referred to as Angels. This is the very definition of Sex sells. But with a growing media, there is a growing need for more sex. This is where we see underage models and actresses being dressed in stilettos and painted with thick coats of make-up. Due to the medias addiction to sex, ethical boundaries have been breached concerning underage actors portrayal of of age characters. The big issue that many have with children portraying older characters is that it sexualizes them. There is a reason why the age of consent is 18 years old. The human body and mind are not developed enough to determine between hormonal and emotional connections. An example of an overly sexualized child and the horrible effects it can have is the murder case of young JonBennet Ramsey. A beautiful six year old, who

performed in pageants, was dressed to look nearly three times her age. After being found in her parents basement, wrapped in a blanket, on Christmas night in 1996, the case of JonBennet became a worldwide headliner. Through investigation it was determined that JonBennet was tazed, sexually assaulted, tortured and strangled to death. The unsolved case has become one that clearly states the devastating possibilities of sexualizing young children. Today, with shows like Toddlers in Tiaras, children are being marketed as young women. Spray tanning, make-up, fake teeth, thousand dollar dresses and sexy dance moves all show that the media is not only encouraging the idea of sexy children but promoting it. The TLC show has caused a lot of controversy since its 2006 premiere. Over the past few seasons issues have arisen around the show that have challenged whether the pageants and show have begun to over sexualize the young girls. Take for example 4-year-old Maddy. Maddy had her costume padded in her chest and rear in order to look more like Dolly Parton for a routine (The Week, 2012). There is also young Paisley, A 3-year-old dressed up as Julia Roberts in Pretty Women, the streetwalker scenes. In September 2011, the conservative PTC (Parents Television Council) said that dressing up little girls as prostitutes is robbing these small kids of their childhood (The Week, 2012). After having viewed a few episodes of the program myself I can say that the children are puppets to their attention-crazed mothers. These women place their young sons and daughters in promiscuous costumes and parade them around. By law, written consent must be given in order for the childs image to be placed on television, but people under eighteen years of age, minors, are deemed incapable of giving valid

consent. Therefore, a parent or guardian must also sign the release form on the minors behalf (Zelezny, 2011). The over zealous media is making a huge profit on the underage stars and is not concerned with the possible outcome of allowing worldwide access for pedophiles and other psychopaths who would wish to harm said children. In 2011, Dakota Fanning was seventeen when she appeared in a widely controversial Marc Jacobs ad. The perfume print ad showed Fanning in a thigh high baby doll dress, minimal make-up and an overly large bottle of the perfume Oh Lola! placed between her legs. The U.S. fashion designer Marc Jacobs said he chose the young actress because she could be a contemporary Lolita (Poulter, 2011). The ad was met with disgust and was soon removed from publications. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), released a statement saying We noted that the model was holding up the perfume bottle which rested in her lap between her legs and we considered that its position was sexually provocative, we understood the model was 17 years old but we considered she looked under the age of 16 (Poulter, 2011). Jacobss apparent desire for a contemporary Lolita is disturbing on a number of counts and also demonstrates the idea that sex sells. Lolita, a novel written by Vladimir Nabokov, is the story of a middleaged man who falls in love with a twelve year old. He fantasizes about the young girl and as his obsession with her grows, he soon persuades her into a sexual relationship. The novel and films both outline the mind of a pedophile and how every action taken by the young girl was seen as a come on to the man. While critics of the novel have since

dubbed it a literary masterpiece, when first released and still to this day, many have seen it as a pedophiles playbook: Marry the woman to get to the child. NPR author Bret Anthony Johnston claims that the novel is one of the most beautiful love stories youll ever read. It may be one of the only love stories youll ever read (Johnston, 2006). To this statement I must inject my opinion and disagree with the Mr. Johnston. No matter how beautiful the language or artistic the imagery, sexual abuse of a minor is unacceptable on all accounts and should not be seen as an enchanting love story. The sexual abuse demonstrated in Lolita is not to be taken lightly and should not be used as a means of promoting a perfume. This is especially true when the model being used is underage herself and is made to look even younger. Then there are films like The Blue Lagoon and Taxi Driver. Both films feature an underage actress as the star, playing opposite a much older male. The Blue Lagoon shows a fourteen-year-old Brooke Shields scantily clad as she tries to survive while being stranded on an island with her cousin. Taxi Driver had Jodi Foster at age fourteen portraying a prostitute. Performing explicit acts on men five times her age. These films along with media like the notorious Brooke Shields Calvin Klein ads place underage girls in roles meant to ignite sexual thoughts. Taglines like You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins, nothing are written to illicit sexual desire. The ad makes women feel that if they were to pull on a pair of Calvin Klein

Jeans that they would be as sexy as the model. While men who view the ad see it as a hopeful prospect, with the chance of arousal based on the model alone. These are feelings that should not be created by a child and yet the media allowed the ads to run. Contrary to the Fanning ad, Shields was made to look older with make-up, but the insinuation that she was a young girl could be made due to her notoriety, figure, youthful face and childlike voice. Sexualization of under aged children in the media is not restricted to young girls. While they may be seen as cute and adorable to some, others see these young male icons as sexy. Take Justin Bieber for example. After starting his career at the age of 12, Justin became a pop sensation. The media quickly turned him from a sweet kid from Youtube to a teen heartthrob. His look was created in order to produce a widespread longing for the young boy. Not yet a man, Justin had grown women pining over him. There is also young Jadden Smith who has become the prey of the media. Images of the young man with a six-pack have emerged on the Internet. This only emphasizes how young child stars have been transformed into sex icons over the past few decades. One of the best examples of this is Britney Spears. Britney was a member of Disneys Mickey Mouse Club before being turned into a sex icon in the 90s and early 2000s. While Britney was coming of age during this time, she was still seen as a young child, dressing as a

naughty schoolgirl with pigtails in her music videos. Britneys songs and look at the time was provocative but not nearly as bad as the medias continued portrayal of her as a sweet innocent teen. This persona, along with the sexy attire, lyrics and dance moves caused viewers to see a young girl as a sex symbol. To some, Britneys rebirth from a Mickey Mouse Club kid singer to a midriff-baring teen vixen was a disturbing development, but to many it was just plain exiting pop music. Does the fact that Britney was only 16 when she started posing in short skirts and singing suggestive tunes make her a victim of sexism (baby one more,)? However one may feel about her cross from child star to pop icon, it is clear that Britney truly was not a girl but not yet a woman, but with the medias help, she became a sexy teen, discussing her sex life on television and gyrating like a streetwalker on stage. A more recent example of this transformation from child icon to sex symbol is Miley Cyrus. Miley began her career on the Disney channel at age thirteen. Staring as the heroine of Hannah Montana, Miley became an overnight sensation with young girls across the world. But all young girls grow up. Unfortunately for Miley, growing up in the media proved to be a difficult transition. In June of 2008, when she was only fifteen-years-old, Miley posed in Vanity Fair with her back completely bare and a sheet covering the rest of her body. Consumers did not respond well to the sexy images and there was much backlash

against the magazine and Miley (Jefferson). In August of 2009, while performing at the Teen Choice Awards, a stripper pole was placed on the stage and Miley began to dance on the pole (Jefferson). This controversy shocked parents and viewers around the world. Here was this sweet Disney star turned harlot. Teens and children were present at the award show and millions were watching at home, all of whom now saw their icon dressed in tight leather shorts grinding a pole. A third example of Mileys transformation was her June 2010 single Cant be Tamed (Jefferson). We can all understand that the crossover from child star to adult actress can be difficult, but the seventeen year old pushed the limits with her promiscuous attire, dance moves and lyrics for her single. While some of the acts above (all performed while she was underage) may have been of Mileys creation, it is safe to say that her publicists and managers backed the controversial acts. Promoting the young girl as a sexy woman and not a free loving Disney star. Sexualization can also be seen in reverse in the media. Disney and Nickelodeon are experts at the illusion of youth. In this case, the actors are of age but are portraying under age characters. You may be saying that this seems to be ethically sound, you would be wrong. These actors, while their faces may look young, have adult bodies. The figures of 22 year olds are being used to portray what an average fifteen year old should look like. This confusing body image illusion has

the ability to not only cause young kids to believe that they should look and emulate the actions of the actors, but it creates a false image of the age group. Middle school students are dressing and acting like twenty year olds. They buy revealing clothing, become sexually active and are seen as sexual objects by men twice their age. The topic of sexualizing children in the media is not a new one. In a review of the book Pervasive Perversions: Paedophilia and Child Sexual Abuse in Media/Culture, the reviewer states that the films mentioned in the book, including Lolita, were selected due to their phenomenal popularity or cult status, many blamed for causing abuse, for being exploitative, criticized for containing abuse or condemned for being morally reprehensible (p. iv) (Lockyer, 2007). The Supreme Court held in the 1982 case of New York v. Ferber that Government may prohibit the dissemination of child pornography-material showing children engaged in sexual conduct- regardless of whether the material is obscene according to the Miller (Zelezny, 2011). Viewers are aware about the potential risks caused by over sexualization and yet it seems that nothing is being done to stop it. Ethics drive this argument. Is it right for children to be portrayed in the media as sexy? Should we be idolizing and recreating ideas of rape and pedophilia? Every person must ask these questions, and more, especially by those who work within the media and are dubbed the Gatekeepers. The media must take responsibility for its actions

and learn that minors should not be a part of the sex sells campaign. We must all look within ourselves and search for the ethical and moral grounds upon which we stand. Sex may sell, but is it truly worth the price?

References ..baby one more time. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.shmoop.com/baby-one-more-time/ Jefferson, W. (n.d.). A guide to miley cyrus' most controversial moments. Retrieved from http://www.buzzfeed.com/whitneyjefferson/mileycyrus-most-controversial-moments Johnston, B.A. (2006, July 07). Why lolita remains shocking, and a favorite. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story.php? StoryId=5536855 Lockyer, D. S. (2007). Child abuse reviews. Retrieved from http://content.ebscohost.com/pdf19_22/pdf/2007/BUO/01May07/25425739.pdf? T=P&P=AN&K=25425739&S=R&D=a9h&EbscoContent=dGJyMMvl7ESep644 wtvhOLCmr0qep7JSr6y4S7GWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGsr0y1r7JN uePfgeyx44Dt6fIA Poulter, S. (2011, November 09). Dakota fanning's 'lolita' perfume ad for marc jacobs is banned for 'sexualising children'. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article2059097/Dakota-Fannings-sexually-provocativeperfume-ad-banned.html The Week. (2012, Sept 17). The five biggest controversies to hit 'toddlers and tiaras'. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/toddlers-andtiaras-controversies-2012-9 Zelezny, J.D. (2011). Communications law. (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.