Whether we know it or not, we live in an era where we’ve become de-sensitised to the messages the media is sending us. What we deem as acceptable viewing has changed. The same goes for our children, who as a result, may be void of the censorship level that we once experienced as children.
It’s common knowledge that in order to get attention amongst a massive overload of media and marketing messages every single day, more needs to be done to get your attention. More intensity. More drama. More shock. Because if it doesn’t shock or stir us, then we are less likely to look.
However, what we’ve slowly become used to, our children are being born into. What impact is this going to have on our girls? What about who our boys will date and who they choose as their life partners?
Before you say, ‘hey, I live it and I turned out alright!’ “ let’s take a look at society as a whole. We have epidemic levels of depression, anxiety, low self esteem, addictions and people resorting to unhealthy fixes to shove horrible feelings down. For example, smoking, drinking, drugs, explicit material (the ‘p’ word), food, sex “ can all end up as a crutch for some people who are trying to fix something going on underneath. What percent of the population are truly happy, healthy (emotionally and physically) and in fulfilling relationships? How many people have one of those addictions named above?
How many people feel like they are not enough or don’t have enough? A huge percent. And when people feel this way, they want to feel better, usually in unhealthy ways.
You don’t have to go far to hear some pretty awful stories of abuse which have been facilitated by what is readily available for our viewing pleasure displeasure — and our kids have easy access. A distraught woman was seeking help in the BellyBelly forums. Her husband wanted her to act and behave in certain ways that he had seen in adult material, because “that’s what those women do, why can’t she?”. She not only found it too rough and painful, but she felt degraded and horrible. She said she didn’t like it; he got angry. Imagine what this does to a woman’s self esteem, since she’s not like “one of those women” that her partner finds to be better.
More than ever, we’re seeing people blur the lines between reality and fantasy. We were born in an era when this was much less prevalent. There was no high-speed, instant access explicit material like we have today. Now, these messages are everywhere, and they’re very accessible to adults and children alike.
Why is this happening? How can this happen? Watch, and see what you might really be missing on your television screens and on the internet your daughters — and your sons — will thank you for it.
As you watch, consider this: ‘Is this how I would like my daughter to behave “ or for her to think this is how she has to behave in order to feel like she’s loved and enough, all in an attempt to get the attention and approval of men?’
Watch The Award Winning Documentary
Would you like to see the whole Miss Representation documentary? You can get it on demand from Amazon
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YES, it happens in Australia too “ read this woman’s personal account of attending the Channel 7’s Lingerie Football League which is currently being broadcast, despite numerous petitions and lack of endorsement from official Australian sports organisations. You can also find out what happened when one woman tried out for the LFL.
Watch how the US media failed women in 2013. In a short video of shocking snippets of media interviews, ads and more “ snippets which our children see and think is normal behaviour.
Recommended Reading
- Raising Girls by Steve Biddulph
- What’s Happening to Our Girls?
by Maggie Hamilton
by Maggie Hamilton
