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The Damaging Impact of Media Consumption on Girls
April 21, 2012
Eight-year-old girls have big dreams about becoming leaders in the world; indeed, 44% of girls plan to lead. By the time they are adults, women hold only 18% of leadership positions in the US. Why? Mostly because the media messages they get tell them they should focus on other things, like being thin, wearing the right clothes and makeup, and generally doing anything except become capable of running anything other than a dash to a retail sale.
In one week American teenagers spend 31 hours watching TV, 17
hours listening to music, 3 hours watching movies, 4 hours reading
magazines, 10 hours online. That’s 10 hours and 45 minutes of media
consumption a day. — missrepresentation.org
Parents can help by limiting their young girls’ consumption of mainstream magazines and television. They can direct them toward media with healthy, pro-achievement messages. And they can compliment girls on their achievements in school, in sports, in creativity, in leadership, and in assertiveness far more than they compliment them or guide them on appearance. Reward girls for taking chances! Reward them for going against the grain of what their peers expect! Help them continue to build skills in decision making, problem solving, and thoughtful risk taking.
Take a look at this video, to learn more about how media affects girls’ choices and chances in life: Cause & Effect: How the Media You Consume Can Change Your Life by LoveSocial + MissRepresentation.org earn more: bit.ly/tellingherstory
Sources: Catalyst, The White House Project, Girl Scouts of America,
Center for American Women in Politics, Dove Campaign for Real Beauty,
Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, National Survey on Drug Use
and Health, National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated
Disorders
Links to sources can be found at bit.ly/tellingherstory
Music courtesy of Metric: ilovemetric.com/
Teaching about Temptation
March 7, 2012
- If you believe your teen is considering making or has made choices you disapprove of, don’t haul off and lecture. Teens seem incapable of hearing when parents lecture.
- Find an opportunity to ask what’s going on and what the allure of the choice is. Listen carefully for underlying messages — is your teen feeling lonely? Like an outsider? Pressured by peers or a romantic interest?
- Say that one reason teens make unhealthy decisions is because they see their friends or people they admire doing those things. It can be very hard not to follow the crowd when you also want to fit in. If your teen is paying attention without eye rolling, share a brief story of a time you were swayed by peer pressure and later learned to value of making up your own mind.
- Acknowledge that there are temptations of many kinds, whether to eat too much, to stay up too late, or to smoke, drink, do drugs, cheat on tests, steal, or participate in sexual activity you may not be ready for. Acknowledge that avoiding temptation rarely seems like the best choice, at the time.
- Mention that personal and family values should be considered when decisions are made.
- Take a break. Come back to the conversation another time.
- Explain that there are two ways people make decisions: choosing by default and choosing consciously.
Choosing by default
These are unconscious choices we make because we’re not aware of all our options or what’s a better decision. Or, when we do something because it seems the easiest option. Both teens and adults make decisions by default sometimes.Conscious Choices
Conscious choices require us to understand not only our own wants and needs but also how going after what we want will impact others. We are less likely to regret choices made consciously.
How to Choose Consciously
- Recognize as many options or alternatives as possible.
- Recognize the social pressures that may influence personal choices.
- Consider the consequences of alternatives rather than gravitating toward the one that seems most attractive.
Say that you’ll always be available to help your teen make conscious choices and that you will try to be as open-minded as possible during your discussions. And mean it. If your teen approaches you, faced with a decision, remain calm and respond in as non-judgmental fashion as you can muster. This will encourage future conversations and engagement.
Loosening the Reins on Your Child’s Social Life
March 7, 2012
How much emotional energy and encouragement should you invest in your child’s social life? This column from Slate.com write Amy Sohn explains how one mother handled it, getting a grip on her own social history at the same time. Click here.
Girl Legos, Boy Legos and Gender Stereotypes
February 21, 2012
Lego has introduced a new line of their famous click-together toys, this time, for girls. I didn’t know Legos weren’t for girls in the first place. Apparently, Legos thinks girls can’t handle primary colors, so the new Friends line is all pinks and pastels. Worse, instead of exciting sets like kits built around action and adventure, the Friends series kits include a beauty shop, a cafe, a treehouse, and a fashion design studio. The most adventurous thing the friends co is take their convertible to the car wash and add sparkles to it.
Could boys play with the Friends kits? Sure, and girls can play with the kits marketed to boys. But the gender-stereotyped messages are on TV, in ads, and on the packaging, and these message influence the toys parents buy and children request. Very early in childhood, they learn which colors and toys they are “supposed” to enjoy based on their gender. It’s a sadly limiting way to experience play and fantasy.
To illustrate the silliness of assuming girls and boys need gender-stereotyped toys, a company called Rebellious Pixels created the Gendered Ad Remixer. On the site, visitors can mash together the video for “boy toy” ads and the audio for “girl toy” ads, or the other way ’round. Try it here. To see how the remixer applies to Lego toys, click here.
The next time you shop for toys, try breaking the mold by exploring aisles you may not typically visit. You may find a wealth of new ideas for ways your child can explore a world of play.
Big Brother Teaches Dad a Lesson about Acceptance
January 12, 2012
Imagine this scenario: Two brothers enter a store so the younger boy can select a gift from his older brother. The younger boy, a gentle soul, wants a purple video game controller and a game featuring a female main character. The older brother helps him find what he’s looking for. Dad stomps in, complaining about the selection, which isn’t macho enough — which doesn’t have enough guns, violence and mayhem. Then the older brother does something that is tremendously loving — something his little brother won’t find often enough as he matures and follows his gentle nature. Something his little brother will remenber all of his life.
To read the whole story, click here.