"So Sexy So Soon" - Jean Kilbourne & Diane Levin on "Today"

[bestofyoutoday]

Visit the Best of You Today to view Diane Levin's interview with us

[happyfacercs]

I don't see how things like heels, nail polish and makeup relate to sex. A lot of kids want to wear these things because they see them as being beautiful. It's the parent's choice whether they want to let their children use these or not but just stop claiming it to be over sexualization.

[MySophisticated]

& i think parents should control their kids, by watching or looking witch interest their kida have and talk to them about it

[pyrogyra72]

@MySophisticated Agreed.

[MySophisticated]

Its not the media who should change It should be the Parents who should take care that their daughter should´t go in the wrong diretions (like becoming to sexy or simple becoming to adultlish).

[IDaCashman]

This will go away. I was reading Watchmen (the graphic novel version, wonderful by the way), and it stated towards the end that in times of war the media will become overtly violent, sexual and other things that go against common moral values. It's very true as well. Look at World War II Propoganda, the violence in that, or media from the Vietnam era, that was very sexual.

I'm not sure why this is, but once we start acting like responsible human beings in Western society, it will lessen.

[Admercial]

Funny how it's always "Kids doing this," "Teens doing that," "This generation..." What about the generation before this one? Older generations are the ones who taught by example. Older generations are the ones who don't educate their kids about this. Why not go after the parents with the same vigor used to bash the media?

[pyramidhead138]

"parents" dont wanna BE parents anymore

[thepixieful]

Jean had a terrific slide show about advertising years ago, she KNOWS advertising. she is spot on.

[pancakehead911]

Girls today are definitley dressing and acting way more provocative then they ever have. I'm not even religious or ultra conservative, I just look around and see how different my childhood was, compared to my nieces childhood. She goes on facebook and posts pics of herself in tiny clothing. Things that wouldn't of entered my mind at that age.

[lovemyselfforever86]

i read her boo "can't buy me love" two years ago, she hit the target right on the mark, except it's worst now from when she wrote the book and even from 2 years ago

[MattS1224]

Just saw Dr. Jean Kilbourne when she spoke at my college today. She was amazing, hilairous, and gave a great speech. Currently reading her book, "Can't buy my love." Very interesting and really pertains to a lot of daily life.

[heidishoshana]

to everyone talking about shorter skirts in the past... short skirt do not define sexuality. there is a HUGE difference between a short skirt and a sexualized child. stop fixating on an item of clothing... this is a much bigger social problem.

[Patternpop]

OH GOD HELP US.

[KBKWealthConnection]

A must see for any parent and anyone influential in young girls and boys lives.

[MaddDogg81]

Don't give little girls lipstick

[CrazyCheeseMagee]

"We homeschool them in order to protect them from the culture." Sounds precisely like something I heard in the movie Jesus Camp. Indoctrination is indoctrination no matter where it is on the political spectrum.

[CrazyCheeseMagee]

I'm sorry, but this is very similar to pushing religious fundamentalist morals. In the Jazz age, not only were there conservatives deriding the "jungle music" and the miscegenation but there were progressives deriding the culture for being "exploitative" or otherwise harmful to women. Nothing ever changes; only the extremity changes to become more and more offensive. Unless it's Lucille Bogan's "Shave 'em Dry" or something like that, it's probably not going to offend now. That's counterculture.

[mastersnet18]

um weren't little girls wearing skirst waay shorter in the late 60's/early 70's? And what about in the 30's with the supershort shirley temple dresses?Back then girls wore them because it was seen as childlike to wear skirts that short, now it's considered the opposite. Weird isn't it? Also alot of the parents who wore skirts that were even shorter when they were girs now don't allow it for their girls. Why?

[SexyMelon]

There's nothing wrong with sex and sexualisation. We're sexual creatures, embracing it is fun, healthy, and natural.

What isn't fun, healthy or natural is pretending that what is essentially fun past time can rule and outplay every aspect of everyone's existence, and be anyone's ultimate merit and currency.

What we have is a conflict of extremes: either we use candy as ultimate measurement of human worth, or we ban it completely because it rots your teeth. You'll never get anywhere that way.

[SexyMelon]

It works anywhere, too. Just create two polar opposites with neither one having full picture, and you're set for life in people bickering between each other without once catching glimpse of truth.

I'm looking at you too, two-party political system, by the way.

[heidishoshana]

@SexyMelon that's correct, children should know about sex and sexuality and one of the big problems in the USA that contributes to the highest pregnancy and STD rates among young children in the developed world is the over sexualized society clashing with the repressed sexuality of the home. but right now, we are living in an extreme sexualized society, this is not the middle ground.

[SexyMelon]

@heidishoshana Bingo. In fact they are two sides of the same coin: making something prohibited and misunderstood only makes it more attractive to the human mind. Hell, it could be the reason it IS discouraged.

Per se... In old Russia, Peter the Great actually banned both smoking and dueling under threat of death penalty with the *known aim* to encourage both, on record. And it worked.

[SexyMelon]

(But I'm mainly saying this because I never thought I'd get to use that useless trivia from History lessons anywhere at all.)

[bonheurdocassion]

we don't have to have the right answer but we have to talk  :)

[thestarduster]

It's a no-brainer that females are being pressures to become more sexualized far ealier. 10 years ago, most pop music videos were ultra-conservative compared to what we have today. Now, we have orgies, bare bums and dry humping on a huge majority of pop videos. Why? To sell an idea that women must be sexual objects so that the diet industry, fashion industry and beauty industry can make their money off unhappy females. Quite sickening.

[thestarduster]

pressured*

[thestarduster]

pressured*

[InsrtUsrnmeHere]

Jean Kilbourne is my idol :)

Deadly Persuasion made such an impact on my life. I can't even look at ads the same way, I'm surprised I was so numb to all the things we see everyday. If you step back and really look at what we see on a day to day basis and how women are portrayed in the media, it's appalling.

[kissfan7]

I couldn't agree more with the "don't just say no" point. This is just annecdotal, but when I was a kid and a teenager my parents didn't just say "No watching show X, Y, or Z". We talked about it, they told me what they thought about it, and they used humor. I still saw WWF, for example, at my friends' houses (whose parents tried to ban it), but I was able to mock it and realize what messages they were sending.

[MaddDogg81]

it's true we are saturated by sex. Almsot everyday there is something on tv talking about sex and magazines on the shelf say sex 2 or more times or imply sex. Little girls shoudln't be sexy.

[ConvenientIThinkNot]

it is how the world is today. the sooner kids learn the sooner they can react give your kids some faith they'll learn its a natural prosess sex isnt wrong sheltering kids is not the answer, homeschooling can lead to social problems later on in life. yes public schools can be a bad enviornment but throught history we learn from mistakes under exposure to large groups of problems can lead to your child never learning to cope as well as others setting them back in life.

[Koolvedge]

It's obvious that the media has been brainwashing since it's creation. Govt. is behind the scenes like the wizard of oz preying upon our youth so they can continually control the future by controlling our children. Parents need to be a part of their children's lives instead of letting the T.V. and peer pressure raise them. It's also why they try to break families... so our children are easy prey. Recognize, and homeschool your own!

[coolbeens21]

=( that just made me so sad you know.

[coolbeens21]

"what happens when they are 13 happens when they are 3" I pray to goodness she is over-exaggerating.

[webkinzmediamonster]

I know it's good to protect your kids but if your too safe then kids won't have any fun!

And whats wrong with wearing miny skirts?

[hasan218]

they are not talking about normal mini skirts

its about sexually designed mini skirts for young girls

this is really dangerous that young kids are wearing clothes which is closer to a street hookers clothes.

its not about normal clothes, they said that companies and media is trying to make those kids believe that they should look like a sex object to be something in this life.

maybe you dont feel it... but if you check the concept of a girl in a young boys mind nowadays you will get understand

[CrazyCheeseMagee]

I noticed they used a lot of those Gossip Girl ads that noted the conservative organizations such as the Parent's Television Council's hatred for the show's lack of morality. I just don't think that's a good example because the point of those ads is to insult organizations like this, saying they're puritanical and morally-conservative. (And I agree.)

[Jayn0o]

sry did not mean to spam...major lag and i was clicking alot... :(

[Jayn0o]

ppl like to talk about elvis. well since then the moral values and behavior relating to sex and relashionships has done nothing but DEGRADE DRAMATICALLY.anton lavey said: all we need to do to gain massive influence is to gain control of the music industry because it is the main motor of culture creation. look at the evolution of music vs the evolution of behavior in history and you will find answers..although you might not like them. and NO i am not christian nor do i practice any known religion

[chessie2003]

1:07 I understand where you're coming from, but your efforts are futile. If you think you can protect them, what happens when they turn 18? They're on their own, watching what they want, seeing what they want to see. You can't keep them sheltered forever.

[hasan218]

you are right.

but the difference is... when you are 18, you can know that these are all media scams, that you wont look sexier if you bought this thing or used that product or looked like that actor.

but when the kids are at age 4. they dont know... they believe what they see on TV. the TV said Hannah Montana is pretty..thats what they will build their thoughts on.

now if by age 18 the kids were not totally educated. that these people are brain washing us now that's a true loss.

[meheale]

what a sad world we live in.

[comperic2003]

The ugly author wouldn't let the pretty author speak. What's up with that?

[oHelmslyo]

One mom says she wants her daughter playing with dolls. What, you mean the Barbie dolls? Poor her, she doesn't realize that sexualized media has totally and unscrupulously taken over the Earth and destroyed quality media.

[akawhippy]

No wonder I never saw my younger cousins living their normal lives like actual kids playing with their toys. And I was just 11 years and they were 9 and 8 years old! At those ages they started using makeup and buying things for adults! Today, they live their lives with repentency.

[nuwavegrl]

Bravo Jean and Diane!

[stylos29]

To "blue64," claiming that this is a generational thing or that people like Kilbourne are pushing Judeo-Christian values is incredibly off-track. Ms. Kilbourne is NOT a conservative Christian, and there is a huge difference between parents lamenting Elvis Presley and Ludacris's "Move Bitch Get Out The Way!" The movement toward sexualized and misogynist media has exploded in the last couple decades, and unless you have been living in a cave, how you claim that it is all relative. What naivete!

[qwertyblue64]

"What happens when they're thirteen now happens when they're three." No, isn't that just a bit of an exaggeration? I think it's more like 8, 9, or 10.

[chessie2003]

hy per bo le

noun, Rhetoric.

obvious and intentional exaggeration

[qwertyblue64]

No offense, but it seems like these parents are living in the 1950s, where there was a lot of sexual repression and so-called "good Judeo-Christian morals." They should accept that things have changed, and I'm sure that when these sexually-influenced kids have kids of their own, they'll be saying the same things their parents are saying, that the society is too sexualized. It's a generational thing, that is, it's all relative.

[ladyvincenza]

I think there is a healthy medium, as in not repressed, not "slutty," as neither extreme is sex-positive, if you see what I mean. And right on, Diane and Jane! There is nothing wrong with sex-- but if it's presented the way Jane and Diane say it is, and I agree with them, than that is *not* good for sex and sexuality. Do you see this sort of behavior as healthy?

[mrpinkisagirl]

You're not getting the point

[Daikiirai]

You think Christians are "sexually repressed"? Are you an idiot? Most Christians pick to not have sex til marriage BY THEMSELVES. It isn't forced on them.. It shouldn't be forced on people. So stfu, because that isn't what this video is about.

This video is really scary. . I've seen little girls wearing tiny skirts, and having their stomachs showing. Part of the responsibility goes to the parents. But the other part goes to the media. Why would kids want to wear that kind of crap anyway?

[soniccage]

It has nothing to do with the 50's but with what is focussed on and how it influences society as a whole

[qwertyblue64]

I'm not sure about you guys, but have you seen in the video the recent ads for Gossip Girl, where they quote newspapers and right-wing organizations who think the show is the worst thing since the creation of cable TV? Well, one thing these people should know is that they're just actors, and in real life, they're smart and even politically active, as shown in this satirical ad supporting telling parents to just say no to McCain. (It's done in the style of a drug PSA.)

watch?v=RxvHkFLmqRk

[soniccage]

"they're just actors, and in real life, they're smart and even politically active"

Their job is part of real life and their choice for filmroles influences culture and society

[jtilak]

thank you for posting this

[BenIGreen]

I really don't think that the emphasis on restricting children's exposure to sexualized content is practical. While parents do have some degree of control, you cannot seriously argue that even the most vigilant parents can compete with a multi-billion dollar industry bent on sexualizing children. It makes more sense to emphasize critical thinking and media literacy skills so that children learn from a very young age how to be good people in a system that dehumanizes them.

[stylos29]

Agreed, but since the piece with Wolf and Kilbourne is so short, we don't get to hear their views in much depth. They agree that critical thinking and media literacy are crucial parts of getting kids to think more carefully about the choices they make with regard to media. Kilbourne actually advocates getting media literacy into the curriculum for younger kids in public schools. Some parents may complain about such an idea, but it something that is long overdue.

[BlacklitFloater]

lol... "bent on sexualizing children."

That just sounds wrong. XD

[natogreen]

Yeah... it is wrong.

[Roguemember]

Good point. Also, a lot of kids out there don't have responsible parents or have parents who are responsible, but in order to live in a decent neighborhood, they must work a lot of hours.

It's about time we work for ourselves and not to support a ruling class of owners. This whole society is run for the benefit of a few.

[TheMessageStupid]

why is nobody hearing me. DREGULATION IS BAD, and here is good example. DONT GIVE ME 'ITS THE MARKET STUPID' BULSHIT!! De regulation promotes monolopolies and eplicit collusion. ECONOMICS IS A FAKE SCIENCE AS IS PYSCHIATRY!!

[mooktank]

Hey, maybe people actually like sex?

This is not an economic issue. They have one hell of a product out there...

[Hopeful71]

Economics and psychology are both "real" but "soft sciences" based on statistics. The same scientific theory applied to hard sciences applies to the soft ones.

[TheMessageStupid]

pyschology is the study of behavior in relation to the human mind and pyschiatry is study of 'mental diseases' of which you cannot die from or see in an autopsy when a peson is dead yet there is a whole pharmacuetical industry behind it. Pyshology is real, psychiatry is not.

Economics is false to, the whole science is found upon false principles "the market regulates it self." this is false, the market is entirely regulated by banks, the Federal Resevre in the US, economics is a common myth.

[Hopeful71]

I will skip the psychiatry discussion as from what you are saying it would take volumes to argue. We can just agree to disagree.

Economics is in no way BASED on "the market regulates itself." That is just one of many simple and complex theories that developed. Economics is a much broader field of study then you seem to be understanding from your statement. Google it

Simple put; to say economics is false implies something has been proven, if it has been proven it was proven using economics.

[TheMessageStupid]

okay your talking in maths my friend. I'm having trouble understanding your point. Yes, I understand it a recognized science but many believe it to be a fake science, you dont hear those dissents anymore though, they've been banned from colleges and universities alike. I don't to think of that as opinion though, cause im not just basing it off what someone else tells me. When the economy is doin good the people are not, yet it gives the people something to believe in so idk

[godelfan]

I didn't think the Today Show interviewed anybody but celebrities. Don't have to look too hard to find that the Today show is itself a serious problem with regard to social attitudes towards women.

In other news, why can't kids today be the perfect moral abstinent angels we were in the 80s :( Elvis and Live a Virgin bits were total cop-outs. Parents don't face reality of their own high school years, how can they possibly understand the middle-schools of their children.

[MariborchanX]

At first I thought this is the Onion news..

[IWantDemocracyNow]

I can't believe this made it to the corporate news??!?!?!

[Sonnera]

Dammit I love Jean Kilbourne :) I gotta get this new book.

[Suzbekistan]

I love her too. I was lucky enough to have Diane Levin as a college professor, and mentor! Two awesome role models...

:D