The media on International Women’s Day focused on the proper need to increase the opportunities for women and their representation in senior roles. However, discussion of the depiction of women in the media was largely and sadly absent. I believe this is a major issue in Australian society. Unfortunately it is too often overlooked by the media’s emphasis on clothing, body image, etc.
Peter Garratt, federal Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth, has made a helpful contribution on the topic:
SHOULD 13-year-old girls be modelling on the catwalk for international brand products?
No. I think most people would accept that 13 is far too young an age to be working in an adult field, where image is everything.
Modelling age appropriate clothes? Sure. Modelling adult clothes? No way. I was pleased to see that the local modelling industry doesn’t appear to support it either.
Still there is no question that the sexualisation of children is prevalent because some sections of the fashion industry are willing it on. But it should be resisted, and here consumers, media, industry and governments alike have a role to play.
In particular, body image is an issue of huge importance for many young people, especially girls. Nominated by them as their number one concern, negative body image can lead to serious health issues which can affect an individual during the course of their adolescence and into adult life.
Expert advice to the government on the best strategy for dealing with this issue included a recommendation to initiate body image awards to recognise positive steps taken by the media, fashion and advertising industries to represent positive body image.
We want to encourage cultural change and the awards will build on the voluntary industry code of conduct developed by the former National Advisory Group on Body Image which guides the media, advertising and fashion industries in development of body image-friendly practices.
As a parent of three young women, one of whom is a part-time model, I am well aware of the pressures that exist in the industry and the link between the projection of unrealistic images and expectations and poor body image.
As Minister for Youth I’m aware that our goal of providing the opportunity for all young people to lead happy and healthy lives, with sufficient resilience to manage the turbulent journey through the teenage years to adulthood, will be harder to reach if we have a culture that continues to misrepresent images, especially through the use of very young people as role models.
Read more: Is 13 too young to be a model?
Pornography has a significant impact on culture and the impact is then reinforced by the impact of culture on pornography, especially the increasing influence of violent sex and also ‘porn body image’. Pornography is destructive of our humanity and respectful relationships. A recent report notes,
But for all the disturbing findings in the recent research, perhaps the most depressing statistic was that kissing, hugging or laughing was depicted in only 10 per cent of sex scenes. This statistic alone should be enough to make us want to challenge and change the ‘‘porn norm’’ so that it includes positive representations of women, and space for intimacy, trust and respect.
Read more: Why the new porn is hurting women.
I’m not convinced that the Slutwalk in Hobart has accomplished very much for building respect and healthy relationships between men and women. Respect for women is the key issue and the use of the word “slut” is unhelpful as it has to do with the commercialisation of a woman’s body. For most men prostitution does not engender respect! If the aim of the march is to encourage respect for women I am all for it, but please, let’s find a new name.
My summary,
- Sexual abuse is always wrong.
- Sexualisation of our young and pornography is always destructive.
- Building healthy relationships is always right.
See also, Getting Real: Challenging the sexualisation of girls and Exposing the harm of pornography.
