Wednesday Wisdom: TV’s 6 Key Messages to Girls

Posted by Raquel on January 30, 2013 in parenting with 6 Comments

take a deep breath and enjoy the world around you

“For girls, TV isn’t just entertainment. Every time your daughter watches TV they will absorb thousands of bewildering, distorted, artificial and just plain wrong messages about the world.”

Yesterday I came across an article which really got my attention. The article shocked me as, even though I already knew the pressures our daughters are under, I didn’t expect it to be this bad. The article was called; ‘How big business is stealing our little girls’ childhoods’ and it stated…..take a deep breath before you read this…

“Researchers have found that TV’s six key messages to girls are”:

1. Your looks are the most important thing about you.
2. Your physical characteristics (shape, weight, skin, hair, teeth, colour, smell) are NEVER, EVER good enough.
3. Sex is primarily a currency that you exchange, for love and attention or for power.
4. It’s normal to have sex with people you don’t even know, or especially like…
5. The world is a scary, lonely, dangerous and competitive place. Better get going – you might lose the race.
6. The answer to all life’s problems is to buy something.”

After reading this article it made me realize even more how WE, as mothers must keep talking to our girls/daughters. Our aim is to be a bigger influence on our daughters than TV and ALL media. We must stay close and guide our daughters along the way, spend time with them, talk to them and confirm for them what is real and what is fake. It’s our job to build their self esteem and self respect to help them make the right choices in their lives.

But here is the biggy……

In order to be the role model our daughters need we have to be sending out the right messages too. It is not what we say they will believe, it is what we do.

What do you think? Are you worried about the messages TV and media is giving our daughters? How do you protect your daughter from this?

You are able to find the full article here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Raquel

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http://www.asortafairytale.com/ Camille Griffiths

I just don’t let my daughter watch anything but educational TV! I don’t know how I’ll deal with this as she gets older. I guess I’ll just try to tell her that society has a warped idea of perfection and beauty, and hope my words sink in more than the outside influences…
http://twitter.com/1House1Couple Kyle & Lisha

This is a great post Raquel! TV is really horrible for people who are still forming opinions about themselves and their worldview, what they believe, etc.

I hope you continue to post on your blog because I love reading it! I know I don’t comment very often, but I read almost all your posts. Looking forward to more
http://www.facebook.com/panAngler Laurie Nylund

My son will be 21 next week, so my days of controlling what he watches on TV are long gone. And for at least the first decade, the technology to buzz by commercials didn’t exist. Instead, we did limit (when he was little) what he/we watched and picked a few things to watch as a family. Then, we talked about the commercials (and the shows for that matter.) What made you interested in that commercial, what did the company/advertiser do that made you want that product? How is that one different than another? Is what they claimed really true/possible? By the time he was eight, he was pretty was allowed to watch whatever he wanted (though we were always around and there was never a TV or computer allowed other than in “public” places – inspect what you expect!) IMHO, eliminating exposure to the negative things our kids are exposed to isn’t the answer – they are gonna get exposed *somewhere* no matter how careful we are. Re:advertising, I think it’s better to make them good consumers, point out the good and bad stuff, and teach them how to think for themselves.
http://www.dgmommy.com/ DGMommy

I limit my girls’ (and my boy’s) exposure to any advertising and keep a tight control over what they watch. They hardly watch any ‘live’ television – it’s all recorded (digitally) and I usually make them skip commercials for the same reason as RichlyMiddleClass – I didn’t want them asking for every toy they see! I don’t want to raise them as ‘consumers’.

More importantly, I want to let them glory in the fact that to their family they are just as they should be – beautiful and perfect beings. I want them to have a firm grasp on the intrinsic before they reach the ages where it’s all about the extrinsic. I feel we’re on the right path and I wish for more families to… rebel, I suppose, against today’s messages from the media!
RichlyMiddleCla

I have cut out a lot of tv in our house especially during the week. I did not cut it out for the reason above. I cut it out because I think it is healthier to use your imagination verses always being in front of the tv. And also because even on kids channels, it is just a bunch of advertisers. I really got sick of the mommy can I have? I do worry about what society is teaching our girls about self esteem and body imagine. My child is only 7 but I tell her that being smart and having a good education will get her further than being pretty and not knowing anything.
Amy

I ABSOLUTELY worry about this! That’s why we pretty much keep the TV off. I almost never have it on when my kids are awake. When we do it’s usually for a football or basketball game, and then I cringe during all of the commercials (or change the channel)! Thanks for sharing this. I think it’s so true and important to think about – Amy