Today’s children live in a world where they are riddled with the increasing burden of the mainstream arguments regarding gender normality and equality. They are being thrust into a situation where they have to be distinctly clear on what gender they are and how they are going to represent that gender. Quite possibly the most renowned characterizations of a “female” are the Disney Princesses. Typically heralding from historic Western European countries and based on the tales of the Grimm Brothers, these young females are personifications of the qualities that women should possess: femininity, beauty, and elegancy. The problem with those specifications, as Stephanie Hanes would argue, is that the constricting definitions of this presentation
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There is evidence toward decreased cognitive abilities, mental health and physical health, as well as an increased tolerance toward sexual crimes and exploitation of women. As Hanes explains, a study in which college-age women tried on different types of clothes and tried to solve math problems resulted in the women with “sexier” clothing performing worse than those in conservative clothing (Hanes, 512). Though this situation is not necessarily the societal norm, the results are profound: women who are uncomfortable do not function as well as those who are. Hanes argues that the insecurities brought on by the sexualization of women put a damper on their problem solving skills. This evidence makes it is safe to say that young women are subject to ill effects due to the constant criticism. According to Hanes, these effects make it clear that women are suffering far more from this institutionalized standardization of what defines them than anyone else (Hanes, …show more content…
She brings into play the experts encouraging “parents to simply opt out” as the solution to the sexism in media (Hanes, 513). There is no question that children’s activities should be monitored, but Hanes does not suggest that the root of the problem, the media’s representation of women as “sexy”, should be attacked. She merely explains that parents should hide anything inappropriate from their young girls, or modify the media to make girls seem more “powerful” than they are represented as. While parents and their daughters are integral for presenting women as more than sex objects, this movement should include schools, the media, stores, or anything that a girl might potentially interact with. Hiding from the truth is not making anything better, but it is making girls ignorant of the world around them. If a young woman goes into the “real world” having been told these white lies and kept from the truth, they have been made fools. By cooperating with every party involved in a young girl’s development, she can grow up strong without the influence of sexuality from such a young
There is evidence toward decreased cognitive abilities, mental health and physical health, as well as an increased tolerance toward sexual crimes and exploitation of women. As Hanes explains, a study in which college-age women tried on different types of clothes and tried to solve math problems resulted in the women with “sexier” clothing performing worse than those in conservative clothing (Hanes, 512). Though this situation is not necessarily the societal norm, the results are profound: women who are uncomfortable do not function as well as those who are. Hanes argues that the insecurities brought on by the sexualization of women put a damper on their problem solving skills. This evidence makes it is safe to say that young women are subject to ill effects due to the constant criticism. According to Hanes, these effects make it clear that women are suffering far more from this institutionalized standardization of what defines them than anyone else (Hanes, …show more content…
She brings into play the experts encouraging “parents to simply opt out” as the solution to the sexism in media (Hanes, 513). There is no question that children’s activities should be monitored, but Hanes does not suggest that the root of the problem, the media’s representation of women as “sexy”, should be attacked. She merely explains that parents should hide anything inappropriate from their young girls, or modify the media to make girls seem more “powerful” than they are represented as. While parents and their daughters are integral for presenting women as more than sex objects, this movement should include schools, the media, stores, or anything that a girl might potentially interact with. Hiding from the truth is not making anything better, but it is making girls ignorant of the world around them. If a young woman goes into the “real world” having been told these white lies and kept from the truth, they have been made fools. By cooperating with every party involved in a young girl’s development, she can grow up strong without the influence of sexuality from such a young