Words Can Work > Issues and Answers > Adolescent Mental Health: Depression



View all issues

Sexual health Sexualization of girls

Provocative images of girls and young women are everywhere in popular culture and merchandizing, and many parents feel powerless over the effects on their daughters.

Now a report by the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls supports parents’ concerns.

The Task Force reviewed dozens of studies about media, marketing, and music and has concluded that the sexualization of girls and young women is harmful to girls’ healthy psychological development. The task found that in girls 18 and older, sexualization has been linked to depression, eating disorders, and low self-esteem.

But parents are not powerless. They can strengthen their daughter’s sense of self even in the face of competing influences. Getting informed is the first step.

Get the story about the sexualization of girls.

Learn the facts about the sexualizing of girls in U.S. popular culture.
Find the answer to your concerns about the sexualization of girls.

Next >>

Sexual health   How parents teach
Sexual health   Talking with kids
Sexual health   Kids and oral sex
Communication   Listening
Sexual health   Self-respect

Read more issues >

	Words Can Work: When Talking With Kids About Sexual Health - Book Families tell true stories about discussing sexual health. Teens, in first-person accounts, take readers into their world.
	The Power of Girls: Inside and Out - DVD Girls tell how friends, parents, or other caregivers helped them handle bullying, eating disorders, early sexual activity, and deep loss.
See more products >