Getting real: challenging the sexualisation of girls

Television programs, advertisements on TV, advertisements in magazines and on billboards, comments on radio, lyrics of popular music and even children's toys, clothing and the internet bombard us with sexual images, references and inuendo. This is the world in which young children are growing up,

Edited by Melinda Tankard Reist this collection of articles looks at the pressures faced by girls and young women particularly in regard to the 'sexualisation and objectification of girls and women' in the twenty first century. Children have the right to be children and should not be bombarded with concepts of the 'right' body image, dressed in adult clothes at a young age and face the need to conform to the latest trend as portrayed on tv, film or other media. Articles include studies of the objectification of women in advertising and the media, examine the need for a healthy lifestyle without the need for medical and other intervention to conform, and a discussion on the risks of premature sexualisation of children. The final chapter provides a case study of a campaign by Julie Gale to raise awareness of current practices and to place pressure on advertisers, companies and shops to be more responsible when promoting and selling products.