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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/09/the-yesallwomen-campaign-made-me-worried-for-my-infant-daughters-future
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| The #yesallwomen campaign made me worried for my infant daughter's future | The #yesallwomen campaign made me worried for my infant daughter's future |
| (2 months later) | |
| My daughter is just 14 months old. My partner and I love her with all our heart, from her pudgy feet to her bright, watchful eyes. She is perfect. Like all fathers, I want her to grow up happy and healthy. | My daughter is just 14 months old. My partner and I love her with all our heart, from her pudgy feet to her bright, watchful eyes. She is perfect. Like all fathers, I want her to grow up happy and healthy. |
| I'm worried that she may grow up discriminated against, be the victim of violence, develop mental health problems or an eating disorder, suffer depression or have a distorted body-image. The #yesallwomen hashtag, which took off on Twitter over the last week, makes me worried for her future. | I'm worried that she may grow up discriminated against, be the victim of violence, develop mental health problems or an eating disorder, suffer depression or have a distorted body-image. The #yesallwomen hashtag, which took off on Twitter over the last week, makes me worried for her future. |
| #notallmen practice violence against women but #YesAllWomen live with the threat of male violence. Every. Single. Day. All over the world. | #notallmen practice violence against women but #YesAllWomen live with the threat of male violence. Every. Single. Day. All over the world. |
| She's going to grow up in a world that is saturated with sexualised images of women and girls. As #yesallwomen shows, she will grow up in a world where girls and women are constantly barraged with sexism and misogyny. As a result, she may join the one third of young girls who are not happy with their shape or weight, or the one quarter of girls who are dieting before the age of eight. | |
| Women today are objectified like never before. The average person sees more than 3000 ads per day. As ads infiltrate further into every aspect of our life, this number is growing. To get an idea of just how commonplace sexism is, take a look at pages of examples here. | Women today are objectified like never before. The average person sees more than 3000 ads per day. As ads infiltrate further into every aspect of our life, this number is growing. To get an idea of just how commonplace sexism is, take a look at pages of examples here. |
| Because the same "harmless" misogynist rhetoric that fills up my inbox every day also fills a mass murderer's manifesto. #YesAllWomen | Because the same "harmless" misogynist rhetoric that fills up my inbox every day also fills a mass murderer's manifesto. #YesAllWomen |
| Depiction of children and young women in a sexual light is now commonplace. Outdoor advertising on billboards, bus shelters and trams, or even ten metres tall on the sides of buildings include images that reference "raunch" and porn material. | Depiction of children and young women in a sexual light is now commonplace. Outdoor advertising on billboards, bus shelters and trams, or even ten metres tall on the sides of buildings include images that reference "raunch" and porn material. |
| Women in ads for even the most prosaic products are sexualised to sell products. They are almost universally depicted as thin, white, and young. This normative image of women creates impossibly unrealistic expectations for young girls and can contribute to body image dissatisfaction, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and self harm. | Women in ads for even the most prosaic products are sexualised to sell products. They are almost universally depicted as thin, white, and young. This normative image of women creates impossibly unrealistic expectations for young girls and can contribute to body image dissatisfaction, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and self harm. |
| Sexualisation is both direct and indirect. Children in ads who are directly sexualised are posed in adult ways. When a child is exposed to these images, or sexualised images of adults, they are indirectly sexualised. The ads may be targeting adults, but they are being viewed by children, and young girls in particular. | Sexualisation is both direct and indirect. Children in ads who are directly sexualised are posed in adult ways. When a child is exposed to these images, or sexualised images of adults, they are indirectly sexualised. The ads may be targeting adults, but they are being viewed by children, and young girls in particular. |
| #yesallwomen are constantly barraged with sexualised advertising and told to aspire to be #nobody pic.twitter.com/NpFaA1VxgP | #yesallwomen are constantly barraged with sexualised advertising and told to aspire to be #nobody pic.twitter.com/NpFaA1VxgP |
| What is particularly disturbing is that there are ads that target young girls with sexualised images, promoting the view that young girls aren't children but instead are tiny sexy adults. From the Bratz dolls to newborn t-shirts emblazoned with "blow job instructor", these sexualised products and the ads that accompany them are reinforcing an objectified view of women and their bodies. Magazines available in supermarkets and aimed at young girls are more focused on presenting girls as hot and sassy tweens rather than bright, healthy and active children. | What is particularly disturbing is that there are ads that target young girls with sexualised images, promoting the view that young girls aren't children but instead are tiny sexy adults. From the Bratz dolls to newborn t-shirts emblazoned with "blow job instructor", these sexualised products and the ads that accompany them are reinforcing an objectified view of women and their bodies. Magazines available in supermarkets and aimed at young girls are more focused on presenting girls as hot and sassy tweens rather than bright, healthy and active children. |
| These ads and publications are embedding within the minds of young girls what it means to be a girl and later, a woman. | |
| Reports and research papers from Australia, the USA and UK document the effect of sexualised advertising and images on young children. Most of these reports also note the ill effect of sexualised advertising on boys too. | |
| I am sure I am not alone by being a parent who wants the best for their child, and who are alarmed at how our advertising and media culture seems to have run headlong towards using sex to sell, no matter the cost. How women are treated in our political and civic arenas, where women’s bodies are objectified and vilified to score cheap points, creates a culture where violence and objectification are normalised. | I am sure I am not alone by being a parent who wants the best for their child, and who are alarmed at how our advertising and media culture seems to have run headlong towards using sex to sell, no matter the cost. How women are treated in our political and civic arenas, where women’s bodies are objectified and vilified to score cheap points, creates a culture where violence and objectification are normalised. |
| If these ads were a pollutant or toxin in the air, and exposure to them caused eating disorders in young girls, they would be subject to strict regulation. Any advertising academic will tell you that the impact of an ad is in its effect on the mind of the viewer. | If these ads were a pollutant or toxin in the air, and exposure to them caused eating disorders in young girls, they would be subject to strict regulation. Any advertising academic will tell you that the impact of an ad is in its effect on the mind of the viewer. |
| "I have a boyfriend" is the easiest way to get a man to leave you alone. Because he respects another man more than you. #yesallwomen | "I have a boyfriend" is the easiest way to get a man to leave you alone. Because he respects another man more than you. #yesallwomen |
| What we need is common sense, and for companies to decide to treat our children with respect. That respect is lacking from significant parts of the Australian business community at the moment. I hope that in the board rooms of Australia, someone will do what's right. | What we need is common sense, and for companies to decide to treat our children with respect. That respect is lacking from significant parts of the Australian business community at the moment. I hope that in the board rooms of Australia, someone will do what's right. |
| Sexism is often a deliberate business strategy, being pursued by (mostly) men who run media businesses and advertising agencies. It is simply not good enough to hand-wave this issue away with talk about "educational programs" on sexual health, as a 2008 senate committee report recommended. | Sexism is often a deliberate business strategy, being pursued by (mostly) men who run media businesses and advertising agencies. It is simply not good enough to hand-wave this issue away with talk about "educational programs" on sexual health, as a 2008 senate committee report recommended. |
| Because we teach girls to dress decent instead of teaching boys to act decent. #YesAllWomen | Because we teach girls to dress decent instead of teaching boys to act decent. #YesAllWomen |
| Self regulation is completely insufficient for advertising, but the advertising standards bureau is a toothless tiger. The problem is compounded by the sexist attitudes of our political leaders, especially the "minister for women", Tony Abbott. | Self regulation is completely insufficient for advertising, but the advertising standards bureau is a toothless tiger. The problem is compounded by the sexist attitudes of our political leaders, especially the "minister for women", Tony Abbott. |
| I recognise that I am something of a Johnny-come-lately to this issue. Amazing women and women's groups have campaigned to raise awareness about the sexualisation of young girls and women for years. Dr Jean Kilbourne is just one inspiring woman who has done amazing work over three decades. | I recognise that I am something of a Johnny-come-lately to this issue. Amazing women and women's groups have campaigned to raise awareness about the sexualisation of young girls and women for years. Dr Jean Kilbourne is just one inspiring woman who has done amazing work over three decades. |
| I hope that as a father, I can add my voice to theirs. | I hope that as a father, I can add my voice to theirs. |
| I hope that as my daughter grows up alongside the daughters of my friends and all the women I know, can enjoy a world without fearing violence or having stereotyped, unrealistic, objectified images of women imposed upon them. | I hope that as my daughter grows up alongside the daughters of my friends and all the women I know, can enjoy a world without fearing violence or having stereotyped, unrealistic, objectified images of women imposed upon them. |
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