Many parents, family members, and early childhood professionals today express concerns about raising children in a highly sexualized culture. According to the ideas presented in the book excerpt, So sexy so soon, children are being bombarded with messages in the advertising and media industries linking physical beauty and sexual attractiveness with happiness. The authors assert that young children’s exposure to an overly sexualized environment plays a significant role in undermining their healthy gender and sexual development and negatively impacts their sense of self-worth.

For this Blog assignment, you will share your thoughts about the topic of the sexualization of early childhood and provide insights about the implications it may have for children and early childhood professionals.

In preparation for the Blog, consider the following:

• What is your reaction to the ideas shared in this reading?
• In what ways have you observed the sexualization of early childhood in your own personal and professional experiences? What examples have you encountered in-store advertisements, television, the Internet, other types of media, and/or other types of environments?
• How might these messages impact children and their healthy development? Consider the ways they might influence gender identity, what children learn about being a girl or a boy, the expectations children may develop about gender and other related concerns.
• What can early childhood professionals do to tackle this problem and reduce the negative effects that it has on young children?

By Day 6

• Share your reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood.
• Provide three or more examples, from your personal or professional experience, that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment.
• Explain the implications this may have on children’s healthy development. Include ideas you might have, as an early childhood professional, to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impact on children.
• Describe the ways in which your awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and/or modified by studying the topic this week.