The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids
by Diane E. Levin
Thong panties, padded bras, and risqué Halloween costumes for young girls. T-shirts that boast Chick Magnet for toddler boys. Sexy content on almost every television channel, as well as in books, movies, video games, and even cartoons. Hot young female pop stars wearing provocative clothing and dancing suggestively while singing songs with sexual and sometimes violent lyrics. These products are marketed aggressively to our children; these stars are held up for our young daughters to emulateand for our sons to see as objects of desire.
Popular culture and technology inundate our children with an onslaught of mixed messages at earlier ages than ever before. Corporations capitalize on this disturbing trend, and without the emotional sophistication to understand what they are doing and seeing, kids are getting into increasing trouble emotionally and socially; some may even to engage in precocious sexual behavior. Parents are left shaking their heads, wondering: How did this happen? What can we do?
So Sexy So Soon is an invaluable and practical guide for parents who are fed up, confused, and even scared by what their kidsor their kids friendsdo and say. Diane E. Levin, Ph.D., and Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D., internationally recognized experts in early childhood development and the impact of the media on children and teens, understand that saying no to commercial cultureTV, movies, toys, Internet access, and video gamesisnt a realistic or viable option for most families. Instead, they offer parents essential, age-appropriate strategies to counter the assault.
"One need only read the authors' anecdotes to see why this book is relevant." - Publishers Weekly.
"By emphasizing ongoing discussion and communication between parents and children, this work provides strategies for helping children, particularly adolescents, thread their way through the minefields of societal and peer-reinforced sexuality." - Library Journal.
"If you want to make the world safe for both the boys and the girls you care about, you must read this book. Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne really understand what were fighting against, and they also show us a way to transform the world for our childrenand make us feel empowered in the process." - Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabees.
"This bookby two of Americas leading experts on the effects of media on childrenis powerful and profoundly useful. It is packed with great stories and poignant examples of the stress children face in our sex-soaked culture. Best of all, the authors offer sane and practical solutions for all of us who want to make things better for children, parents, schools, and the culture at large." - Mary Pipher, Ph.D., author of Reviving Ophelia.
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