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Research links sexualization with three of the most common mental health problems diagnosed in girls and women--eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression or depressed mood.

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How has Sexualization Changed Over Time?

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How has Sexualization Changed Over Time?

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Overtime, the sexualization of women has increased. Especially in sexualized images or media posts.

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How Does Social Media Normalize Sexualization?

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How Does Social Media Normalize Sexualization?

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Media normalizes sexualization of women by constantly showcasing them as objects of pleasure and makthing them seem more sexual. The more this happens the more it becomes justified and normalized.

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Why Do Young Girls Become Sexualized Though They Are So Young?

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Why Do Young Girls Become Sexualized Though They Are So Young?

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Sexualization of young girls is a huge problem in America, leading to many other problems. Like exposing girls to societal pressures or perpetuating sexualized violence, Sexualization is everywhere ranging from kid shows, videogames, and more. Pressuring young girls to be appealing and "sexier" to fit the "norm". Aswell as stores having clothes deemed as sexual in stores.

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Sexualization can effect mental health and the way girls view their selfworth. It can lead to anxiety, depression, ptsd, eating disorders, self harm, and suicidal thoughts. This often leaves girls thinking "Why dont I look like her?".

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What Does "Sexualization" Mean in Context of My Guiding Question?

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What Does "Sexualization" Mean in Context of My Guiding Question?

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In context of my guiding question, the term "sexualization" is making something or someone (in this case, women) sexual.

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What Are Some of the Different Perspectives On My Topic? What Makes Them Different?

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What Are Some of the Different Perspectives On My Topic? What Makes Them Different?

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Older people are often seen having more conservative views compared to modern day teens or adults that have grown up seeing women in "sexual" outfits. There are also people who believe sexualization is deserved due to women wearing outfits that are "tempting".

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Both men and women have become more sexualized as years go by, yet women are more frequently sexualized.

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Is There "Good" or "Beneficial" Sexualization

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Is There "Good" or "Beneficial" Sexualization

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People may make themselves more sexualized because it causes them to feel more confident or empowering, helping them to impower others also.

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How Does Sexualized Images In Social Media Effect Women and Girls?

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How Does Sexualized Images In Social Media Effect Women and Girls?

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Sexualized images online contributes to body discontent among young girls, effecting the way they see themselves in the present and the future.

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-Naked or half naked photos w/ object covering private parts or other parts of body.
-Sexual intent (Oiled, revealing, etc.)
-Very revealing or "sexy" outfits
-Sexual looks or remarks
-Perception of being sensual, seductive, desirable, "inviting", or "provocative"

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Due to seeing oversexualized images within media, many young people are valuing their self worth based on their physical appearance.

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A report of the American Psychological Association (APA) released today found evidence that the proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harmful to girls' self-image and healthy development.

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Media has always used a false and unreal image of women’s physical appearance, body image, behavioral standards and beauty. Today, across television, billboards, pages of magazines, and social media we can see hypersexualized and unrealistically perfect female forms.

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Many studies have shown that media has had a negative impact on the mental health of young women and girls.

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According to UNICEF, “The objectification and sexualization of girls in the media is linked to violence against women and girls worldwide.”

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Andrea Dworkin writes in her book Woman Hating, the process of turning women into sex objects is the first step towards justifying violence against them. Dworkin explains that if the media views women as a series of parts rather than a whole person, then inflicting violence upon them becomes easier to justify.

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Boys, from a very early age, are exposed to unrealistic, vulgar, hypersexualized images of women everywhere. The roles, and behaviors of women in films, music videos and commercials are stereotypical and far from reality. Along with objectifying women, glorified male masculinity, male dominance in media and mass media have deep impacts on shaping up a children’s mind.

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There are many jobs such as certain forms of dancing, beauty pageants, modeling, and cheerleading where women’s objectification is encouraged and promoted.

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"According to psychologists, women internalize people’s objectification of their bodies, resulting in them constantly criticizing their own bodies. Girls and women compulsively monitor their own body’s outward appearance. They become overly concerned about how others may perceive their physical appearance."

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The media normalizes the act of dominance and aggression against women. Constantly showcasing them as objects of pleasure, boys and men tend to internalize that message, and it influences their subconscious biases of how they view women. They tend to legitimize violence, harassment, and anti-women views and behaviors.

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Research suggests that sexualization of girls has negative consequences on girls' ability to develop a healthy sexual self-image

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Sexualization and objectification undermine a person's confidence in and comfort with her own body, leading to emotional and self-image problems, such as shame and anxiety.

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Instagram does not allow nudity of any kind, with very few exceptions. Paintings would be an exception.

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Allow victims to share their experiences, but remose content that depicts, threatens or promotes sexual violence, sexual assault, or sexual exploitation.
"We also remove content that displays, advocates for or coordinates sexual acts with non-consenting parties to avoid facilitating non-consensual sexual acts.

To protect victims and survivors, we remove images that depict incidents of sexual violence and intimate images shared without the consent of the person(s) pictured."

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"We do not allow content that endangers children, such as content that contains nudity or physical abuse or content that sexually exploits children on Facebook and Instagram. When we find this type of violating content, we remove it, regardless of the context or the person's motivation for sharing it. We may also disable the account of the person who shared it, unless it appears the intent was not malicious (for example, to spread awareness of child exploitation)."

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"You may not post media that is graphic or share violent or adult nudity and sexual behavior within live video or in profile header, List banner images, or Community cover photos. Media depicting excessively gory content, sexual violence and/or assault, bestiality or necrophilia is also not permitted." If you do post this kind ocf content you must mark your account as sensitive and put a warning

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The TikTok official guidelines states, "We do not allow nudity, pornography, or sexually explicit content on our platform. We also prohibit content depicting or supporting non-consensual sexual acts, the sharing of non-consensual intimate imagery, and adult sexual solicitation."

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Sexualization’s impact on women and girls in social media and real life includes negative impact on mental health, its normalization, and how it affects girls as young as 7. We can reduce this by teaching children from a young age, implementing knowledge in schools, and stopping sexist rules, dress codes, policies, and norms.

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Sexualization’s impact on women and girls in social media and real life includes negative impact on mental health, its normalization, and how it affects girls as young as 7. We can reduce this by teaching children from a young age, implementing knowledge in schools, and stopping sexist rules, dress codes, policies, and norms.

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The sexualization of young girls is an ongoing problem in America that's leading to a myriad of problems, from exposing girls to societal pressures to perpetuating sexualized violence. Sexualization is negatively impacting many girls' cognitive functioning as well as their physical and mental health.

The sexualization of young girls occurs when individuals or when a society explicitly or implicitly demonstrates that a girl's value comes only from her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics, or when she is sexually objectified, or when sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon her.

Sexualization in the Media

Sexualization is everywhere: in children's TV shows, in movies, in ads, in video games, in retail, in marketing campaigns, in social media posts, in pornography, and more. Girls are often pressured by society to be more sexually attractive to members of the opposite sex and to wear tighter clothing, post sexier images, act more feminine, and engage in inappropriate behaviors like watching porn or sexting.

Boundaries are constantly being pushed by the media and by individuals. We see female celebrities wearing provocative clothing in music videos, on award shows, and on social media. Even if these women are strong role models, the way they dress, pose, and engage in sexually-charged conversations can be very impactful on girls.

When girls are exposed to numerous unrealistic media portrayals of girls their age, this can easily lead to internal conflict, confusion, and/or self-loathing.

Unless girls can develop a health understanding of what they are seeing or hearing-and knowing that media portrayals of women don't mean they have to change themselves -they can easily start to internalize and interpret these portrayals in unhealthy ways.

Sexualization by Individuals

Aside from the explicitly sexual portray of young girls and women in the media, oftentimes friends, family members, or acquaintances may sexually objectify a young girl in their lives without even realizing it.

For instance, if a young girl is called words like "sexy," or taught to only act or behave in a certain way that is more submissive, we are implicitly teaching girls to objectify themselves, not to act in a way that feels right for them, but rather in a way that defines them through an objectifying and patriarchal lens.

We may not even realize we're teaching our girls to act differently from their male counterparts-likely, many of us were raised with certain stereotypes about women intact and don't even realize it.

It's incredibly valuable to become aware of what you are saying to a young woman in your life. Be careful not to imply that she is only valued for her body, the way she looks, or how "femininely" she presents herself.

Mental Health in Girls

Girls, in general, experience more mental health issues than boys and sexualization often factors into the way girls identity themselves and measure their self-worth. When girls experience sexualization or objectification first-hand, it can stir up a wide-range of emotions. Depending on the severity of the instance, it can lead to anxiety, depression, or even PTSD.

The ongoing sexualization of young girls is perpetuating gender stereotypes and leading many girls to experience various health and mental health issues. Some of the most common include low self-esteem, anxiety, eating disorders, depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts.

Oftentimes these mental health issues are symptoms themselves, arising from girls internalizing the sexualization they receive from others. They likely don't know what is going on, let alone how to address this outwardly.

Not knowing how to interpret the sexualized information they're receiving about themselves and their bodies, girls may turn inwardly, inflicting harm on themselves to release the massive stresses they are experiencing.

Low Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is crucial and when girls have low self-esteem, they can experience sensitivity to criticism, the desire to withdraw from social events, hostile behavior, exhaustion, migraines, negative self-talk, and more.

Girls struggling with low self-esteem are more likely to struggle in school and with social situations. This can lead to low grades and problematic decision-making.

Adults tend to recognize the signs and symptoms of anxiety, but girls may not know what they're experiencing. If girls are avoiding sleepovers or birthday parties, having trouble following directions at school, experiencing outbursts of anger, nail biting, lip chewing, frequent urination, restlessness, changes in eating habits, or irritability, then they could be experiencing anxiety, which varies in severity.

Eating disorders

Eating disorders are multi-faceted-they can stem from numerous issues such as poor body image, low self-esteem, anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, and more.

Societal beauty standards are a major culprit as well, as girls are often seeing certain body types in the media that may not resemble their own.

Signs of an eating disorder can include excessive exercise, unusual food habits like restriction of food intake or excessive food intake, high levels of stress, sudden weight changes, and more.

Depression

On average, girls experience depressive episodes more often than boys, and many episodes begin at a very young age. Depression can occur for any number of reasons, but the most common signs include feelings of hopelessness, anger, or irritability, as well as low energy, extreme sensitivity to rejection, self-criticism, and/or loss of interest in family, friends, or school activities.

Girls, some studies show, are more likely to self-harm than boys. Whenever a girl intentionally injures herself, this is considered self-harm. This could include cutting or burning the skin. If you suspect a girl is self-injuring, then it's important to tell a parent, counselor, or mental health professional as soon as possible.

Suicidal Thoughts

For teens, suicide is a leading cause of death and in recent years, the rates have risen rapidly in the female youth population. Some of the warning signs include depression, withdrawal from family or friends, drastic personality changes, distress, rebellious behavior, or a history of substance abuse or mental illness. If a girl has given away her favorite possessions or has talked about suicide, even in a joking manner, this could be a sign that she's dealing with suicidal thoughts.

Many girls deal with mental health issues that go unnoticed. It's important to pay attention to drastic changes in mood, behavior, personality, and likes or dislikes.

If a girl loves playing soccer, but suddenly hates it and wants nothing to do with it, you should find out why.

Sexualized Violence

"Sexual objectification dehumanizes girls and women, which contributes toward rape culture and violence against women," says Carrie Baker, JD, PhD, author of "Fighting the US Youth Sex Trade: Gender, Race, and Politics and The Women's Movement Against Sexual Harassment."

When girls are viewed, portrayed, or treated as objects, they start to self-objectify and this can be psychologically damaging, especially when the girls begin to value physical attractiveness or sexual worthiness above intelligence and personal well-being. When a young girl suffers from poor mental health, she becomes vulnerable to manipulation, false promises, violent acts, and mistreatment.

All girls, regardless of social standing or geographical location, are susceptible to sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual abuse, prostitution, and sex trafficking, all of which can stem from sexualization.

Studies show that girls and women make up 80% of sex trafficking victims in the United States. Many times, girls are forced into trafficking through violence, threats, and even marriage. Others are lured into the industry with gifts, false promises, and/or lies in which a trafficker is offering financial support, romantic love, or another misleading opportunity.

Ending the Sexualization of Girls

Girls are being sexually exploited all across the country and even the world. Putting a stop to the sexualization of girls requires many systematic and societal changes.

Employing more women in the media and in politics, for instance, could help ensure that moving forward, more realistic portrayals of women in the media and more protective laws for women are enacted and will safeguard our young girls. In addition, on the personal level, you can become more aware of how your actions or the actions of your loved ones could be affecting a young girl in your life.

If you wish to support and empower girls, you can provide the following: mentorship, programs or activities that build self-esteem, access to mental health services, and more. The more we talk about the problems associated with sexualization, the better.

"#MeToo has generated conversations about sexual harassment, sexual assault, and consent that contribute toward more awareness among girls of their right to bodily autonomy. Adult women who speak out and claim their right to be free from sexual harassment and assault serve as role models for girls," says Baker.

Ultimately, the only way to prevent sexualized-based violence is to end the demand for child porn, prostitution, and underage trafficked victims, but as an individual, you still have the power to change the narrative.

Girls need to understand the relevancy and the power of sexualization so they can mentally and physically protect their overall health and well-being.

A Word From Verywell

If you want to end the sexualization of young girls, you need to rethink your actions, behaviors, and words. Unfortunately, technology has made sexualization of young girls that much more rampant, making many of our jobs that much harder.

As a parent, one of the best things you can do is talk to your child (regardless of gender) about the harms of sexualization, and if you see signs of a mental health issue, contact a professional right away.

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The Sexualization of Young Girls and Mental Health Problems

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The sexualization of young girls is an ongoing problem in America that's leading to a myriad of problems, from exposing girls to societal pressures to perpetuating sexualized violence. Sexualization is negatively impacting many girls' cognitive functioning as well as their physical and mental health.

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The oversexualization of young, adolescent girls

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Sexualization of girls is linked to common mental health problems in girls and women

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The proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media causes depression, eating disorders and low self-esteem.

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A clinical researcher by profession, I am an advocate of gender equality and women's rights. I have created Rights of Equality to dismantle institutionalized gender discrimination and harmful social practices through systemic changes. Over the last few years, our contributors from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds were able to voice their concerns about a range of issues that are oppressive to women across the world. We are hopeful that our efforts will help promote awareness and contribute to changing mindsets and shifting cultures about gender roles and norms.

Related

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Objectification of women by Media | Rights of Equality

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This post throws light on the Objectification of women by media and how that impacts the mental health of women and girls

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There has long been a pattern across social media and membership-based platforms. Initially, platforms profit from the engagement of sex workers and from sex-oriented content, only to turn around and deplatform sex workers and marginalised sexual communities, such as queer- and kink-oriented accounts. , and , historically permissive platforms, have either outright banned the soliciting of sexual services, or developed guidelines prohibiting suggestive or sexually explicit content. The tightening of guidelines across various social media platforms has led to a widespread deplatforming of sex workers and their content. This has come in the shape of shadow banning , deleting posts, or even outright deleting accounts. These forms of moderation cause sex workers to lose access to their communities and fanbase, and it limits their ability to gain exposure and maintain their popularity. These problems have been around for years, but have been intensified in the midst of the pandemic, in which many sex workers rely on digital sex work entirely to prevent exposure to COVID-19 and to secure a steady income.

The FOSTA/SESTA legislation passed by Donald Trump in 2018 was a major catalyst for these events. The so-called Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act was intended to protect victims of sex trafficking, but the actual results were very . In trying to prevent online sex trafficking, it also directly banned any advertisement of consensual sex work. Moreover, it significantly impacted internet freedom, making websites and platforms partially liable for the actions of its users. Websites that occasionally contained advertisements offering services of forced sex work are far more often used by professional sex workers to offer their consensual services. FOSTA/SESTA also holds websites that appear to be allowing prostitution advertisements criminally accountable. In doing this, it has effectively undermined the safety of people who use sex work as their main source of income. It their income, harm reduction, and ability to build a community, as well as their access to financial technologies.

In an open letter to Patreon , signed by over 2000 creators, patrons, and supporters, adult creators express their deep disappointment in Patreon. The writers say that they have been "courted" by Patreon, through well-reported battles against payment discrimination against adult content by major credit card companies and mainstream payment processors. They feel let down and betrayed by the platform, which recently changed the wording of its community guidelines. Patreon now explicitly bans pornographic content or the arranging of sexual services. The most vulnerable adult creators, in their own words, are literally scared for their lives. "After hard-won fandoms finally supporting us on Patreon, just one missed payment can mean homelessness."

Similar shifts can be observed across the platform ecosystem. Following the FOSTA/SESTA, Instagram, like many others, has announced an even further tightening of restrictions on what content is allowed on the platform. This move, which has been presented as leading to more inclusive community guidelines, has in effect enormous consequences for sex workers and anyone else earning their income in the adult industry. Instagram's new guidelines were put into use in December 2020, causing many sex workers, content creators, and allies to boycott the platform for 24 hours in protest. The guidelines are largely based on those of Facebook, which owns the platform. Instagram does not allow nudity of any kind, with very few exceptions. Instagram states: "This includes photos, videos, and some digitally-created content that show sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-ups of fully nude buttocks. It also includes some photos of female nipples, but photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed. Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is OK, too." Interestingly enough, Facebook's own guidelines decree that implied sexual intercourse is allowed in advertisements, or in a satirical or humorous context. It would appear that nudity and sexualized content are allowed, when they serve a commercial purpose and when they not related to actual sex.

When it comes to guidelines around sexual services, Instagram's guidelines directly refer to Facebook's community standards . These state that both platforms restrict "content that facilitates, encourages or coordinates sexual encounters or commercial sexual services", as well as restricting sexually explicit language. This is defined as language including detailed references to sexual arousal and sexual intercourse. Violating content includes sexual solicitation, through asking for sexual partners, sexual conversations, or nude imagery. Sexual emojis, regional sexual slang, mentions or depictions of sexual activity, as well as the sharing of links to external pornographic sites, all count as sexually suggestive elements

There is a certain randomness in how these rules are enforced. Platforms rely on a combination of image recognition software, human platform moderators, and users flagging or reporting a post. However, this software, which is becoming increasingly important, is subject to mistakes and biases. These crackdowns disproportionately impact the livelihoods of the communities in our society that are already most vulnerable, and who depend on online tools for their safety and survival. While individual sex workers' and performers' accounts are banned, accounts such as those of Pornhub, Brazzers, and Playboy are allowed to continue to exist on social media platforms.

The tightening and phrasing of these new platform guidelines is a further move towards the needless, incessant politicising, and policing of the (perceived) female body and sexuality. This has far-reaching consequences in a time in which society's many forms of self-expression increasingly happen online. It impacts developments within political movements, the exploring, and shaping of community and identity, as well as accessing diverse education. Although these platforms are privately owned, they have become such an integral part of our society that their policies and interactions with users can have a large social, cultural, and economic impact. These guidelines restrict our access to pleasure, knowledge, and freedom.

Sex workers have long been activists and educators, raising awareness about women's rights, sexual health and safety, LGBTQ+ rights, and sexual violence, to name a few. They have also had an enormous cultural impact, inspiring fashion, pop culture, music videos, and even exercise such as pole fitness. For many platforms, it has been the presence and influence of sex workers that has allowed them to gain the amount of popularity they have today. OnlyFans for example, once saw a 15 percent jump in traffic after the release of a song by Beyoncé referencing sex workers on OnlyFans: "On that Demon Time, she might start an OnlyFans". It seems that platforms want to profit from sex workers, but don't want them to be seen or heard. Bad as it is for sex workers, this impacts us all. Although it is American legislation, it has consequences for the web around the globe. It is costing all of us our freedom of self-expression and access to information. As Adrienne Marree Brown puts it in her book Pleasure Activism "Pleasure is a measure of freedom."

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Instagram's New Guidelines: Their Impact on Freedom and Self-Expression

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There has long been a pattern across social media and membership-based platforms. Initially, platforms profit from the engagement of sex workers and from sex-oriented content, only to turn around and deplatform sex workers and marginalised sexual communities, such as queer- and kink-oriented accounts.

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Media normalizes sexualization of adolescents girls

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In just one year, grade school children could take in as many as 80,000 ‘sexy girl’ portrayals while watching kid targeted TV programs, according to DeseretNews. TV shows and movies often sexualize girls to gain popularity and money. For instance, the movie “Cuties” made 11 year old’s perform provoc…

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Responsible Sex Education Institute (RSEI)

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Written by Meghan, RSEI Educator | Published September 30th, 2019
At the Responsible Sex Education Institute, we provide sex education at a variety of settings, both in and out of school. Some of the schools we work with have adopted SSA (standard school attire, aka uniforms), while others utilize dress code policies. While acknowledging that people have lots of different feelings about dress code policies, we wanted to dig in to the topic a bit more.

Let's first start by outlining breaking down some of the reasons why schools adopt dress code policies and the issues that can come along with these justifications.

Schools often say that their dress codes promote professionalism and prepare young people for the work force.
The expectation set by school dress codes is often rooted in a white standard and assumes that all students strive for the same type or level of "professional" work.

Schools often defend dress codes by saying that they reduce classroom distractions.

Usually what they're talking about are distractions of a sexual nature. These rules punish the person who is being perceived as sexual rather than the engaging in conversations with the person who is "being distracted" about respect and bodily autonomy (Pudding, 2019).

Other distractions related to clothing are linked to references of drug, gang affiliation or other obscene content, which is highly subjective and can differ greatly from one school to the next.

Lastly, some schools adopt a dress code to "level the playing field" and "reduce disparities" that could be apparent in clothing.
This is the most common justification for SSA or uniforms. In addition to school enforcing dress codes sometimes communities also rally behind these policies out of fear that without them schools will become environments where "club attire" or revealing clothing is the norm.

We've already begun to talk about how dress codes can add to student stress and disproportionately punish certain students. In the resource section of this blog we've cited two very thoughtful and compelling articles (Vox, 2018 and The Pudding, 2019) that take in-depth looks, both from qualitative and quantitative approaches, at the harm many dress code policies press on their students (especially femme and POC students). From these articles we've compiled a list of negatives that often result from dress code policies and their enforcement:

Problematic enforcement
School administrators have often have discretion in determining whether or not something is a dress code violation. This can introduce bias in who must follow the rules more closely as well as in what the consequences of a dress code violation are.

Some schools have been critiqued for their inappropriate requirements of students when they have received a dress code violation. Everything from administrators asking students to bend over, jump up and down, and band-aid over nipples to requiring students to wear shamefully labeled "Dress Code Violation" outfits have been recorded as "solutions" for dress code infractions. These are approaches are shame-based and are rooted in adults sexualizing the bodies of young people.

Dress codes often focus on femme bodies
The body parts that are typically deemed as violations to a dress code are more commonly highlighted by styles of clothing that are typically marketed in a "Girls" section of clothing (e.g. backs, midriff, cleavage, shoulders and legs, among others)

Re-enforces messages that "whiteness" is the norm or "default"
Dress codes often target styles that are popular particularly among minority groups, thereby normalizing and prioritizing "whiteness."

Rules on how hair is to be styled and worn has direct bias against natural hairstyles for POC

While this point isn't inherently linked to sex education it felt as though it would be a disservice not to mention. More can be learned about dress codes racist history in the articles linked in the Resource sections.

A clothing item could be a violation on one body but not on another based-on how the clothing fits. This then punishes a person based on their body not based on the specific clothing items.
For example, the same dress on a shorter person may meet length requirements but on a taller person may not.

Dress code violations often result in missed learning opportunities
Many dress codes can cause Black students to fall behind academically, according to a 2018 National Women's Law Center study.

Policies are often out of date or have been in place for many years without question.

Traditional gender roles, as well as the gender binary, are at the root of many dress code policies. Many outline what is "appropriate" clothing for boys and girls separately (such as no earrings for boys or requiring girls to wear skirts).

Title IX requires schools to let youth dress in alignment with the gender identity rather than their sex assigned at birth, but we know that many times dress code policies are gendered and are enforced based on sex assigned at birth rather than gender identity.

So, what are the options when our outdated dress codes are causing harm and creating inequitable learning environments? The lingering fears that without a dress codes schools would no longer have any regulation on exposure may still exist so getting schools to opt out of dress codes altogether may be a far off dream. However, there are ways that schools can do dress codes better:

Oregon NOW created a model student dress code in 2016 (linked below). This dress code aims to be more inclusive and less disruptive to students and could be used as a jumping off point for schools looking to revise their dress code.

Schools can solicit input from their students about dress code policies and language to ensure that they aren't perpetuating harmful norms or stereotypes

Schools can update their existing dress code policies to be more intentional, culturally sensitive, gender-neutral and body-positive

Of course, if a school or district is struggling to decide what their policy should or should not include, they can always eliminate the dress code all together. Abolishing the dress code can empower the students and their families to make decisions about how they are dressing for school, which emphasizes the importance of bodily autonomy. Bodily autonomy is, arguably, an even more important message for young people to receive than is the standard of professionalism that dress codes supposedly promote. Evidence has already shown that even small changes to make dress codes inclusive have had positive impacts on students' experiences and, in many cases, the way students are dressing has not changed dramatically with or without a policy in place.

Resources for Further Reading

Oregon National Organization for Women, Oregon NOW Model Student Dress Code, 2016

Amber Thomas, The Pudding, The Sexualized Messages Dress Codes are Sending to Students, 2019

Nadra Nettle, Vox, Students are Waging War on Sexist and Racist School Dress Codes and They're Winning, 2018

National Women's Law Center, DRESS CODED: Black Girls, Bodies and Bias in DC Schools, 2019

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#IAmNotADistraction: How Dress Code Policies Sexualize Young Bodies - Responsible Sex Education Institute (RSEI)

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Written by Meghan, RSEI Educator | Published September 30th, 2019 At the Responsible Sex Education Institute, we provide sex education at a variety of settings, both in and out of school. Some of the schools we work with have adopted SSA (standard school attire, aka uniforms), while others utilize dress code policies.

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From a very young age, children are taught that what they wear is a form of expression that should not offend others. This lesson of avoiding clothes with racial slurs or depictions of illegal activities is good to learn at a young age, unless the restrictions are taken too far.

Girls are often the victims of more extreme restrictions, and even though the limits to their attire may seem minimal, the justification behind setting them in place are often detrimental to girls' self-image.

When young girls and women are taught that their shoulders or knees are a distraction, they lose the ability to feel comfortable in their own skin, and that is essential to developing a sense of self-love and self-acceptance.

What It Means to Be "Dress-Coded"

If you are not familiar with the term, to be "dress-coded" is to be called out or written up by a teacher or authority figure in an institution for inappropriate clothing. This is not always a bad thing, depending on the intent and the consequences for being dress-coded.

Sometimes, a dress code can result in the removal of an offensive article of clothing exhibiting racist or sexist concepts. This is an example of when a dress code violation is justified as it intends to make everyone in the institution feel safe and accepted.

More often than not, however, a student may be written up with a dress code violation for the wrong reasons. The word "distracting" gets thrown around a lot in relation to girls' exposed bra straps, shoulders, knees, and midriffs. These parts of the body are sexualized by school administrations by showing girls that their bodies are objects of attraction and therefore can become distracting when even partially exposed.

If the punishment for a dress code violation results in missing part of class or some of the school day, then the consequence of the dress code violation is worse than the girl's bra straps or shoulders remaining visible, prioritizing the sexualization of girls over their education.

The Harmful Effects of Over-Sexualized Dress Codes

With young girls as targets for being sexualized by dress codes, it can be incredibly detrimental to the children's self-image and confidence. When girls are told that their choice of expression may distract classmates and staff, more often than not this refers to the male classmates and staff who seem to need to be sheltered from girls' and women's bodies.

Such comments over students' attire objectifies the child's body and blames the person wearing clothes, rather than the people who perceive a young girls' shoulders or knees as distracting.

Another common issue that is associated with being "dress-coded" is missing essential class time. When told to go to the nurses office or even to go home due to inappropriate attire, students are taught that their outfits mean more than their education. If an item of clothing is offensive or crude, then actions should be taken to cover it up, as it can disrupt others' feelings of safety.

If the faculty unfairly deem an article of clothing inappropriate-such as an exposed a bra strap, shoulder, or knee-and the student misses class to mend the fashion infraction, then it is not only unfair to write a student up, but also unethical.

The priority of an academic institution is to promote a safe learning environment, and the objectification of women does not create a positive environment for the girls who feel they cannot express themselves freely.

Comparison to Male Dress Code

When comparing the written rules of the dress code for young females to those of male students, the rules themselves may not always vary drastically. In theory, the dress code can be very equally ruled. In practice, however, the common no-shoulder rule is not enforced with boys, as well as the rule meant to hide students' knees.

While girls are often written up for off-the-shoulder tops, boys can usually attend class in a tank top without facing punishment. Boys can also usually attend school wearing athletic shorts that do not cover their knees without repercussions, whereas girls would be told to cover up.

This could be for many reasons depending on the faculty at a school, but it is most usually because girls are considered to be distracting to male staff and students, which sexualizes their bodies, whereas boys do not pose the same issues to females.

How Dress Codes Perpetrate Rape Culture

Because girls are targeted for harsher dress codes, school policies become tied to the widespread issue of blaming victims of sexual assault and rape victims for their choice of clothing rather than the person who commits the assault. This blame-the-victim mentality teaches girls that their body is not their own instead of teaching boys and men how to respect others' bodies.

There is a very direct connection between "your shorts distract boys" to "your shorts are the reason you were assaulted", as both phrases convey a common conception in society: boys and men cannot control themselves and thus they cannot be held accountable for their actions. This is offensive to males and detrimental to girls' self-image, yet is still a case made in trials involving rape and sexual assault cases.

As reported by RAINN, an organization dedicated to helping victims of sexual violence, only about 4% of sexual assault perpetrators go to jail, making them less likely to go to jail than other criminal. Only 23% of sexual assault cases are even reported. This can partially be attributed to the lessons that girls learn growing up, that as the victim it is their fault, and so they do not report it.

When shaming girls for their attire instead of teaching boys that girls are not sexual objects, schools and institutions preach hypocrisy as they claim to have an inclusive and equal environment for all students, yet offer no such thing.

When a girl's school day is interrupted so that she can change clothes due to her outfit being considered distracting, children and adolescents are being taught that distracting from a boy's education is worse than a girl missing out on class altogether.

Dress codes are put in place to make learning and working environments safe and unoffensive, but when girls are taught their their bodies and their education need to be controlled by their male peers, a safe and accepting environment is far from reality.

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HeForShe: How School Dress Codes Sexualize Young Girls

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From a very young age, children are taught that what they wear is a form of expression that should not offend others. This lesson of avoiding clothes with racial slurs or depictions of illegal activities is good to learn at a young age, unless the restrictions are taken too far.

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A Guide for Staff

There is a range of sexualized behavior in preschool children from age-typical and developmentally appropriate behavior, to behavior that is of concern or "flag" behavior, and dangerous behaviors that affect other children.

Proactive Guidance

1. Teachers will educate children about safe touches and setting boundaries around touch with others.

2. Activities around safe touches, boundaries, and children's bodies belonging to themselves will be integrated into the curriculum. Especially, but not limited to, the first 2 months of school. Examples include--Talk about Touch (TAT) - it is recommended that teachers not wait or confine their teaching to TAT. On-going lessons can be integrated into songs, lessons at circle, and teachable moments

3. Classroom rules will include instruction related to safe touch. For example, safe touch can include non aggression as well as asking permission before you touch another person's body. Teacher will utilize circle time and other teachable moments to teach this to children.

4. The classroom and outside environments should be set up to maximize safety around sexualized behaviors/inappropriate touch. More than one child should not be allowed in a covered/hidden space unless there is direct adult supervision.

Response to Behaviors in the Classroom

1. Teachers should label, identify, and tell children to stop sexualized behavior in the classroom. Language should be direct, educational, and non-shaming. They should then monitor to see if the behavior ceases or if additional follow-up is required. Please see Scenarios for RTM Discussion of Sexualized Behavior in the Classroom for examples and more information about language to use. Teachers should teach children to set boundaries for themselves, but should ultimately take responsibility for addressing sexualized and intrusive behaviors in the classroom.

2. Teachers can access their mental health specialist/consultant anytime they have a question related to sexualized behavior.

Communication with Families and Regional Managers in Response to Behaviors

1. DST should communicate with parents regarding all instances of sexualized behaviors, including age-typical behaviors. Age-typical sexualized behaviors are discussed as a part of discussing developmental information with parents. Additionally, it is important that RMs and parents are informed of all sexualized behaviors, so they are aware of the history should the behavior escalate to a level considered unsafe for the classroom.

2. DST can decide if the teacher or family advocate is the best person to communicate with the family should an incident occur. This communication should include information gathering about any observations or concerns parents might have. Once information has been gathered, DST can discuss with parents whether children's behavior is thought to be age-typical or a possible concern. See Sexualized Behavior Flags for more information on distinguishing between age-typical behavior and something more concerning.

3. DST will communicate with their RM about the behaviors and their conversations with families. RMs will also assess the situation in terms of level of concern for the child and possible effects on other children. DSTs and RMs will consult with their mental health specialist/consultant when needed.

4. Teachers will track any concerning or reoccurring behaviors in a narrative form, giving as many details about what occurred as possible. They will include information about other children's reactions. Information should be tracked in the child's Webcaf file under the Abuse domain. This information will be shared with the RM and the mental health consultant/specialist.

5. RMs will ask teachers if there are any sexualized behaviors in the classrooms during monthly check-ins.

6. RMs will support/mentor staff who do not feel comfortable discussing these issues with parents, so that they can increase their comfort level. The Mental Health Consultant and/or Specialist can assist as well.

7. The need for counseling, a safety plan, mental health consultation, or DHS reporting should be assessed by the DST and RM.

8. RMs and DSTs can access their mental health specialist/consultant anytime they have a question or feel the consultant should know about the situation.

When Sexualized Behavior is Considered Dangerous for the Classrooms

1. In general, sexualized behavior should be considered dangerous when

1. Despite teacher prompts to stop the behavior, it is occurring repeatedly without any "warning" signs or predictable triggers.

2. The behavior is affecting other children, usually because they are being directly touched or violated in some way.

2. Following up on Dangerous Sexualized Behavior

1. DST should immediately inform the Regional Manager and parents of dangerous sexualized behaviors.

2. A safety plan should be formulated, if there is not one already in place. Considerations will include the classroom environment, outside environment, possible aides, and a staffing matrix.

3. Program consultants and/or Mental Health Providers should be informed.

4. A staffing including DST, RM, mental health and education consultants or specialists, and parents, should take place addressing safety issues/protecting other children.

5. If the staffing team does not feel an aide would help ensure classroom safety, or if it is not possible to provide an aide, the RM should inform the Assistant Director (or Director) and discuss exclusion.

Understanding and Responding To the Sexual Behavior of Children
The Range of Sexual Behavior of Children Under Age 12
Normal Range

1. Genital or Reproduction conversations with peer or similar age siblings

2. Show me yours/I'll show you mine with peers

3. Playing 'doctor"

4. Occasional masturbation without penetration

5. Imitating seduction (i.e., kissing, flirting)

6. Dirty words or jokes within cultural or peer group norm

Yellow Flags

1. Preoccupation with sexual themes (especially sexually aggressive)

2. Attempting to expose others genitals (i.e., pulling other's skirt up or pants down)

3. Sexually explicit conversation with peers

4. Sexual graffiti (esp. chronic or impacting individuals)

5. Sexual innuendo/teasing/embarrassment of others

6. Precocious sexual knowledge

7. Single occurrences of peeping/exposing/obscenities/pornographic interest/frottage

8. Preoccupation with masturbation

9. Mutual masturbation/group masturbation [fn1]

10. Simulating foreplay with dolls or peers with clothing on (i.e., petting, French kissing)

1. Sexually explicit conversations with significant age difference * Touching genitals of others

2. Degradation/humiliation of self or others with sexual themes

3. Inducing fear/threats of force

4. Sexually explicit proposals/threats including written notes

5. Repeated chronic peeping/exposing/obscenities/pornographic interests/frottage

6. Compulsive masturbation/task interruption to masturbate

7. Masturbation which includes vaginal or anal penetration

8. Simulating intercourse with dolls, peers, animals with clothing on (i.e., humping)

STOP: No Question

1. Oral, vaginal, anal penetration of dolls, children, animals

2. Forced exposure of other's genitals

3. Simulating intercourse with peers with clothing off

4. Any genital injury or bleeding not explained by accidental cause

Although mutual or group masturbation is not uncommon among children, the interaction must be evaluated. We need to be concerned about behavior with dolls which may be rehearsals for behavior with peers. Although restraining an individual in order to pull down pants or expose breasts may occur in the context of hazing among peers, it is clearly abusive.

Information provided by Missouri Division of Family Services.

Policy Council approved September 13, 2011

© 2011. Head Start of Lane County. All rights reserved

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A Guide for Staff There is a range of sexualized behavior in preschool children from age-typical and developmentally appropriate behavior, to behavior that is of concern or "flag" behavior, and dangerous behaviors that affect other children. Proactive Guidance Teachers will educate children about safe touches and setting boundaries around touch with others.