Yes yes yes! We really need to talk about this issue. It is simply dreadful the brainswashing of girls into becoming stupid sex objects. This is the brainwashing of everybody, boys and girls.

I totally hear you. The Verbal Bullying video on this site echoes some of these concerns too. Check it out on the left side of the homepage.

What great observations. The stupid ideas that go into girls' heads go into boys and vice versa. It really is disgusting what they try to make out of our wonderful and smart girls. I really hate the advertising targeting girls.

Great article. And you didn't even mention "sexting". I'm glad I am not a child in today's world.

Yes yes yes. We need a site for girls!

A friend of mine told me about a documentary that interviewed people in former communist East Germany versus people in West Germany. The documentary was about their sexual behavior and the consensus was that people in former East Germany were far more natural, happy and had fewer sexual problems as their contemporaries in the West who were bombarded with ads and a pressure on beauty and the gadgets "you need to have" in order to be sexually attractive.

Interesting comment, Aurore. This commercialism is killing us and our kids. It makes you feel so helpless. I mean, we work so hard to cultivate our children's intelligence and to instill in them decency and humanity, and then advertising comes in and undoes a lot of what we are trying to do. I do think we have a good chance of fighting the effects of advertising in our kids, but boy it takes a lot of strength and time and energy. And we always worry, what if we don't succeed?

Hah! Those ol' programs taught me to be even more annoyed with girls that acted like that, and appreciate the ones who didn't...

Somehow, I don't think that was what they were supposed to do.

Bless your heart Russ! I really needed to hear that. May all boys -- and girls -- see through this garbage. You're a great guy!

This is a well written piece - and I'm a mom of two girls. 14 and 9. And it's hairy. I love mass media - and I hate it too. I've been a media educator for a billion years- but when it comes to your own kids, it's more worrisome. But I try hard to do a couple of things - modeling - how I react/act to what I see on TV or, even more, what I do that is feminine and how that works in my relationships is key. Movies, reality shows, commercials, etc. I narrate, ask questions, make comments, etc. I talk a lot about my past — what I did that I thought was attractive, etc. Most of it is food for fools at this point (yes, I had '80's hair). I also watch what my kids watch — like the blogger. It's really key. Even if your kids aren't TV watchers, their friends are, so it's important to know what's in the mix. I applaud the shows I think are good — and try to explain why. Being articulate about why we feel these things may be 'good' or 'bad' is really important. Kids need the language, that meaning making. And last, I try to bring in critical viewing questions... "why is that commercial focusing on cute blondes at the Burger King counter... do they think it matters?" etc.

are you rerunning this piece?!!

@ anonymous: yes, I'm rerunning some old pieces on topics that keep coming up. The concerns and interests don't get old!

What a great blog. It is certainly a topic that does not get old because the problem does not go away. I think you are doing the right thing by making your son aware of all the falseness you mention. Maybe if enough boys and men didn't fall for all this
superficial stuff girls would not be encouraged to fall for it themselves. it is such a shame.

This is certainly always a relevant topic. Check out the link below about very young girls being taught pole dancing: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2002697/Little-Spinners-pole-dancing-classes-children-young-THREE.html

I love the comment about the "date" !!! But don't worry too much --- your kid might "date" certain kind of girls but he probably wouldn't marry them. At least that's how it was in the old days :))

I just saw this news about how twice as many Americans would prefer to have boys than girls. I wonder what this means about having and raising girls: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2007948/How-twice-Americans-prefer-son-daughter.html