Since I started working on The Illusionists, I have been paying close attention to the world of children, with a specific question in mind: when do companies start selling the beauty myth to girls? What is the message that toys implicitly convey to girls and boys?
Here is a sample of photos that I have taken during various travels in the past year. You be the judge.
New York City, United States
Toys ‘R Us, Times Square, September 2009
Paris, France
La Grande Récré, February 2010
Milan, Italy
Carrefour Supermarket, April 2010
In their book “So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do About It” Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne explain:
Play makeup, facials, and now makeover fashion boutiques teach little girls that they should spend time focusing on how they look. Children learn from what they do, and when we give them toys and “special” grown-up activities to do, we’re telling them this is what we value and what we want them to learn. When the activities we give them are highly structured, adult-centered activities that tell them when they play they should focus on being pretty, even sexy, we’re letting the sexualized media and popular culture, not ourselves, control the lessons they will learn. And they are harmful lessons. They are very different from the ones little girls learn playing dress-up in their mother’s clothes, something that can be harmless and has gone on for ages. In these activities, children play in their own childlike ways based on their own experiences and ideas. When we take this control away from them, we allow them to be pushed further down the slippery slope of sexualized childhood.
Find out more about the book “So Sexy So Soon“
Great post, Elena. As the mom of a 4yo girl, I became aware of the sexualization of girls when my daughter was still an infant. Take the presence of Disney Princesses and Tinkerbell, all of which include hyperfeminine and sexy imagery, on nearly every item you need for a baby/toddler, and I would say that slippery slope starts as soon as these girls leave the womb. And then of course, if the commodification of our kids, like this play set purse, complete with little lipstick, compact mirror, credit card and money. (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2863490)
first off, i will say that i totally agree with and am appalled by the media and marketing. i would consider myself a feminist, and a proponent of women’s rights; however, as the mother of two girls under 5, i also realized that some things truly are bred in the bone. with my first daughter, i chose not to know the sex before she was born, i chose all “gender-neutral” colors and toys for her, and i put her in playclothes, not “little girl” clothes. however, i have a very girly little girl, a “true” girl, as they say, who loves princesses and fairies and all things pink. i do wear makeup and i like clothes, but i’m certainly more a patent-leather birkenstock wearer than a high-heel fan; and they both go to schools that discourage media overload, so i really must say that this girliness comes from her. rather than discourage it (and her), i encourage her to enjoy her femininity, her softness, her desire to nurture and decorate, and simultaneously i encourage her to be strong, to come from a place of truth in herself, and to not worry about what others think.
Hey I just found your blogs while doing some late night online research. I am an artist and film maker as you are, and enjoyed viewing you blogs and sites. I often make work about similar issues. You should check out my blog and we should further discuss toys and their effects on a child’s psychology. It looks like you have found some great resources I would love to share those as well, if you are willing….. http://thebeatrizdollproject.wordpress.com/