Girls & Sex

Girls & Sex identifies how pop culture and societal expectations hurt young women as they begin navigating the realm of sexuality, teaching us how to help girls feel empowered in choosing who they want to be.

If you have a daughter, you’ve probably become increasingly aware of the concerning ways the media portrays young women. Usually, men treat women merely as sexual objects, which can affect the way young women see themselves.

Many of the women the author spoke to who were in their late teens and early twenties compared themselves readily to women they had seen on TV or in movies.  Unfortunately, far too many of the characters who are female have little to no personality or deep characterization. Most often, they serve as an object of the male character’s lust.

Female celebrities, particularly in the singing industry, further reinforce this objectification. For example, singers like Beyonce and Miley Cyrus perform on stage in front of hordes of young female fans wearing revealing clothing and making blatantly sexual movements.

Some may say they are owning their sexuality performing in such a way.  But it’s more likely just a dangerous way to gain attention. For instance, when Miley Cyrus’ twerking on live TV caused a media frenzy, her popularity skyrocketed overnight and she sold millions of records.

Parents usually dread having to give “the talk.” It’s easy to see why. Talking about sex openly with your own child is uncomfortable for everyone involved. But it is a small price to pay for the trouble your daughter can find herself in down the road if you don’t help her navigate it.

When parents won’t openly talk about sexuality, girls can become confused. Particularly because they receive many mixed messages about how they should behave. On the one hand, they and their friends start to want to explore their sexuality. But on the other hand, they are told to remain virtuous.

This leads to stress, confusion, and bullying. Girls receive labels such as “prude” if they are shy about sexuality or don’t wear revealing clothes. But if they do start becoming sexually active and wear more revealing things they run the risk of being sexually harassed or slut-shamed.

Unfortunately, it’s also common for young girls to feel an obligation to perform sexual acts for boys. Exposure to porn only reinforces this notion. This is because so much of it involves men disrespecting women only to get sexual rewards in return. Because of this pornography exposure, many young boys expect things like oral sex on dates.