Children 'over-exposed to sexual imagery'

[hpmons]

BBC News - Children 'over-exposed to sexual imagery'

The report calls for tougher regulation of sexual imagery in adverts and a ban on selling "lads' mags" to under-16s.

Uh...Under-16s? That sounds a little pointless.

Dr Papadopoulos said there should also be symbols to show when a published photograph had been digitally altered - such as pictures of celebrities manipulated to make them appear thinner.

I don't think that's a bad idea, but at the same time...What would it achieve? Most sane people already know that pretty much every photo is manipulated in some way, a tiny logo isn't going to make a teenage girl stop and think "Y'know what? This image is totally unrealistic.  Now I'm not going to have sex until 21."

In the video:
"And a lot of girls offer themselves up to boys for...popularity, or 'I'll get more attention if I do that'" etc
Surely that's more to do with just being stupid than THE MEDIA MADE ME DO IT.

[Treguard of Dunshelm]

"And a lot of girls offer themselves up to boys for...popularity, or 'I'll get more attention if I do that'" etc

So there's hope for me yet...

[_Hypnotoad_]

Well they're not going to snare a man with miserable fucking faces like that, am I right guys?

Crack a smile girls! and let's see some leg!

[biggytitbo]

I'm baffled by the focus on lads mags. There's a time and place for sex and sexual images, and that time and place is not everywhere all the time as we have now. That's the problem, our entire culture has become completely saturated with not just sex, but the pornography of appearance. Focusing in on one narrow thing like lads mags is just a distraction from the real problem. Young people (and plenty of adults) are having their minds warped by this toxic obsession with sex, perfect physical appearance and celebrity by our culture. All those things are tied together for me - X factor is as much to blame as dirty magazines or pop videos. TV programs that insist on having every presenter, even news and weather, be a thin attractive young woman (when did all the enthusiastic and unfashionable middle aged men like Michael Fish get replaced with dolly birds?) is just as damaging to children as fashion magazines with size 0 models. Childrens TV used to be populated with enthusiastic and eccentric middle aged people who absolutely loved what they did, now its just a stepping stone on the career ladder for the latest blonde bimbo or wacky haired young bloke.

What I don't like the idea of is the government stomping in with their bovver boots banning and censoring everything in sight 'for the sake of the children'.  That's not the solution to a wider cultural issue. Its up to us to change it - stop buying the magazines full of airbrushed stick thin women.  Stop watching the shitty programs that rot kids minds with celebrity and physical perfection. And I'm all for the government helping parents to make it easier for them to control their kids internet use and things like that but what Idont want is them stepping in with ill conceived and heavy handed legislation as is their instinct.

[Retinend]

human nature, innit. obsession with childhood 'purity', innit.

I wouldn't mind lads mags so much if they were more honest about their utility. 'Front' magazine is refreshingly honest about its passion for onanism.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Surely no man looks at Katie Price anymore and thinks 'Phwoar'.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

when did all the enthusiastic and unfashionable middle aged men like Michael Fish get replaced with dolly birds?

The moment Fish fucked up with the hurricane denial, that was the death knell for all unfashionable middle aged men in the modern media.

(It wasn't really, I just thought I'd pretend to be a tabloid journalist.)

[rudi]

I'm enjoying the blurring of the lines between sexual imagery and airbrushing photos/obsession with size and looks. When did sex become a bad thing? Did I miss a meeting?

[biggytitbo]

There's a real concern about the bombardment of sexualised images but I think the danger is that genuine concerns could be hijacked by puritanical (and authoritarian) dickheads, which we don't want.

[hpmons]

I'm enjoying the blurring of the lines between sexual imagery and airbrushing photos/obsession with size and looks. When did sex become a bad thing? Did I miss a meeting?

Yes, its odd how they talk about "children" being over-exposed, while interviewing teenagers.  Those teenagers are at the age where presumably they do develop sexual desire,

The first teenager says something like, "Oh, I look at these images of perfection and it makes me feel bad".  Really? Really? That's the kind of thing people always say about others, it just sounds like she's been prompted to say it.

Is there evidence of the "clear link between sexualised imagery and violence towards females"?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I agree with rudi- the conversation wasn't really to do with the issue of exposure to sexual imagery as much as young female body image and the effect of artificially airbrushed supermodels in magazines on their self-esteem. There was a bit of discussion about losing their virginity and wanting it to be special which was quite naive- the lie about it being special is surely more potentially damaging to someone than the attitude 'let's get it over with', which okay, we might not want 13 year olds to be doing, but- girls receive mixed messages about how they should behave, so there is a really confused situation whereby being a slag is not something to be, but neither is being a virgin. While at the same time they are heavily marketed to by the cosmetics/fashion industry. :/

This all goes back to what Ronnie The Raincoat was saying about these crappy magazines, creating false ideals and trying to manipulate young women. They're even worse than religious groups.

A teenage girl, what an utterly horrendous experience that must be.

[biggytitbo]

I think being young in 2010 sounds horrendous all round. Monitored, tested and demonized in equal measures, growing up in an environment of intense paranoia and hysteria about everything from paedophiles to gangs to obesity and fed these warped ideas about celebrity and self worth. Must be fucking horrible!

[ThickAndCreamy]

Just like most years then...

Life could be a lot worse and I think promoting sex isn't that bad of a thing. It's just a natural desire, like promoting murder or gang violence. There's nothing wrong with just advocating to follow the tribal instincts of evolution.

[biggytitbo]

It wasn't like that when I was a kid. Granted I had to shit in a bucket but that was character building.

[Blumf]

When did sex become a bad thing? Did I miss a meeting?

Possibly the First Council of Nicaea, meaning you over-slept by about 1685 years. Your alarm clock batteries probably need replacing.

[thugler]

The kids in the video are so obviously coached to say certain things. Who looks at pictures (THAT THEY THEMSELVES POINT OUT ARE OBVIOUSLY AIRBRUSHED) and thinks, 'why can't I be perfect like that'. BECAUSE THEY'RE FUCKING AIRBRUSHED LIKE YOU JUST SAID!

It beggars belief.

Crappy magazines and tv are absolute cunts mind. Reading a womens/mens magazine is so infuriating, and you can see where idiots are influenced by it. Not so much to do with sex though I think, just teaching young people being a cunt is something to aspire to.

[ThickAndCreamy]

It wasn't like that when I was a kid. Granted I had to shit in a bucket but that was character building.

Yes. Scaremongering was never popular until New Labour came to power.

[biggytitbo]

Yes. Scaremongering was never popular until New Labour came to power.

Ha sarcasm, you're brilliant!

You can't pin it all on New Labour, although a lot of it is a product of their bullying authoritarianism and lack of understanding of risk. The whole of society is to blame for the excessive paranoia and over protectiveness on one hand and the excessive fear and demonisation on the other. It can't be a nice climate to be a kid in.

[Friendly_Milk]

It wasn't like that when I was a kid.

It was when I was a kid.

[jutl]

Dr Papadopoulos attending Cosmo's Hypocrite of the Year awards.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

That is a hot body. I'm glad I'm not a child so I can FREELY FUCKING PERV OVER THAT HOT BODY

[DJ One Record]

One Self - Over Exposed

[Retinend]

the fuck?

[biggytitbo]

Dr Papadopoulos attending Cosmo's Hypocrite of the Year awards.

I wouldn't mind if she overexposed me to her sexual imagery. Eh lads?!

[Backstage With Slowdive]

She's exploiting my right arm, eh?

I am typing this with my girlfriend next to me. She approves. She corrected a typo for me. Feminism, eh?

[Steven]

You'd certainly have to be SICK to notice any kind of subtext in this cartoon.

Mr Men - Tickle It Out

Errrr.... I don't remember the old Hargreaves one being like this.

[The Boston Crab]

Thank goodness the extra apostrophe was added to the thread title.

I'm 'chilling' back up to a 7.1.

[Big Jack McBastard]

Surely no man looks at Katie Price anymore and thinks 'Phwoar'.

Agreed, though appallingly low standards and lack of taste are a symptom of our 'culture' that should not be underestimated.

You'd certainly have to be SICK to notice any kind of subtext in this cartoon.

I did like that Mr Glans is his sidekick in the song, or is it Mr Gonad? I forget.

Dr Papadopoulos, #sigh# she can plum my psychological depths any time she likes.

"You know you're just perpetuating a sexual ideal with these fantasies that you can't satisfy"

"Oooh yeah now whisper it all softly and wet like a bad girl. What was that about sex?"

[Backstage With Slowdive]

See also: Anastasia De Waal, who is in some dull right-wing thinktank and gets invited on News 24 to croon sweet nothin's about conservative social policy, whilst being a bit of a hottie. May possibly be a devout Catholic, so don't get your hopes up.

[jennifer]

Yes, its odd how they talk about "children" being over-exposed, while interviewing teenagers.  Those teenagers are at the age where presumably they do develop sexual desire,

The first teenager says something like, "Oh, I look at these images of perfection and it makes me feel bad".  Really? Really? That's the kind of thing people always say about others, it just sounds like she's been prompted to say it.

I remember clearly (15 years ago) being assigned projects like "Do magazines give girls body image issues" where you were meant to answer "yes, yes they do, here's some things i cut out of a magazine of a woman sucking a Flake etc"

You're mainly concerned with getting a good grade on your school project more than actually answering the question.