Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T14:57:09.015Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Primary School Children's Imitation of Sexualised Music Videos and Artists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 August 2013

Lesley-Anne Ey  and
C. Glenn Cupit
Lesley-Anne Ey*
Affiliation:
University of South Australia
C. Glenn Cupit
Affiliation:
University of South Australia
*
addresses for correspondence: Lesley-Anne Ey, University of South Australia, St Bernards Road, Magill SA 5072. E-mail: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Music media contains high levels of sexual content and children spend a considerable amount of time interacting with it. This poses the question as to whether children internalise and imitate the sexual behaviours displayed by music artists. This study observed the self-presentation of 366 children aged 5–14 years at two Australian primary school discos. Children of all age groups were directly imitating both sexual and non-sexual dress and behaviours seen in contemporary music videos. Approximately one third of children observed presented in a sexualised way, which suggests children more broadly may be adopting sexualised behaviours at an early age. The prevalence and nature of sexualised behaviours by children, and the impact of this on children's socio-sexual development, are matters requiring further investigation.

Keywords

childrensexualisationimitationmusicmedia
Type
Articles
Information
Children Australia , Volume 38 , Issue 3 , September 2013 , pp. 115 - 123
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, C. A., & Warburton, W. A. (2011). The impact of violent video games: An overview. In Warburton, W. A. & Braunstein, D. (Eds.), Growing up fast and furious: Reviewing the impacts of violent and sexualised media on children (pp. 56–84). Annandale, NSW: The Federation Press.Google Scholar
Andsager, J., & Roe, K. (2003). ‘What's your definition of dirty, baby?’: Sex in music video. Sexuality and Culture, 7 (3), 79–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arnett, J. J. (2004). The sounds of sex: Sex in teens’ music and music videos. In Brown, J. D., Steele, J. R., & Walsh-Childers, K. (Eds.), Sexual teens, sexual media: Investigating media's influence on adolsecent sexualisty (pp. 253–264). Hillsdale (NJ): Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009). Children's participation in cultural and leisure activities, Australia, April 2009. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics.Google Scholar
Australian Communications and Media Authority (2010). Trends in media use by children and young people: Insights from the Kaiser family foundation's generation M2 2009 (USA), and results from the ACMA'S media and communications in Australian families 2007. Melbourne: Australian Communications and Media Authority.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Barlett, C. P., Anderson, C. A., & Swing, E. L. (2010). Video games effects – confirmed, suspected, and speculative: A review of the evidence. Simulation & Gaming, 40 (3), 377–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baxter, R. L., De Riemer, C., Landini, A., Leslie, L., & Singletary, M. W. (1985). A content analysis of music videos. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 29 (3), 333–340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biddulph, S. (2009). How girlhood was trashed and what we can do to get it back: A fathers view. In Tankard-Reist, M. (Ed.), Getting real: Challenging the sexualisation of girls (pp. 163–170). North Melbourne: Spinifex.Google Scholar
Briggs, F. (2012). Child protection; The essential guide for teachers and other professionals whose work involves children. Docklands, VIC: Jo-Jo Publishing.Google Scholar
Buckingham, D., Willett, R., Bragg, S., & Russell, R. (2010). External research on sexualised goods aimed at children (Equal Opportunities Commission, Trans.) (pp. 1–58). Scotland: The Scottish Parliament – Equal Opportunities Committee.Google Scholar
Burke, S., Gridley, H., & Pham, H. (2008). Submission to the inquiry into the sexualisation of children in contemporary media (pp. 1–6). Melbourne: The Australian Psychological Society Ltd.Google Scholar
Casciani, D. (2010). Young ‘exposed to sexual imagery’. Retrieved from http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/85377Google Scholar
Cummins, R. G. (2007). Selling music with sex: The content and effects of sex in music videos on viewer enjoyment. Journal of Promotion Management, 13 (1), 95–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cunningham, H. (2005). Children and childhood in Western society since 1500 (2nd ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.Google Scholar
Cupit, C. G. (1989). Socialising the superheroes. Canberra: Australian Early Childhood Association.Google Scholar
Darian-Smith, K. (2010). Children's Dictionary of Sydney, 1–9. Retrieved from http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/childrenGoogle Scholar
Department for Children Schools and Families (2009). The impact of the commercial world on children's wellbeing (Department for Children Schools and Families & Department for Culture Media and Sport, Trans.) (pp. 1–172). Nottingham: Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.Google Scholar
Dittmar, H., Bell, B., & Lawton, R. (2007). How pop video models prompt poor body image in girls. Retrieved from http://www.sussex.ac.uk/press_office/bulletin/15jun07/article1.shtmlGoogle Scholar
Doherty, E. (2011). Angry mums rally over beauty pageant, Herald Sun, p. 2. Retrieved from http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/angry-mums-rally-over-kiddie-waxingGoogle Scholar
Duschinsky, R. (2013). The emergence of sexualisation as a social problem. Social Politics, 20 (1), 137–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Egan, R. D., & Hawkes, G. (2008). Girls, sexuality and the strange carnalities of advertisements; Deconstructing the discourse of corporate paedophilia. Australian Feminist Studies, 23 (57), 307–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flood, M. (2009). The harms of pornography exposure among children and young people. Child Abuse Review, 18, 384–400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gale, J. (2010, 13th May). Sexualisation. Paper presented at the Bratz, Britney and Bralettes seminar, Adelaide.Google Scholar
Gonzalez de Rivas, M. R., Fuld, G. L., Mulligan, D. A., Altmann, T. R., Brown, A., Christakis, D. A., . . . Wilcox, B. (2009). Impact of music, music lyrics, and music videos on children and youth. Pediatrics, 124 (5), 1488–1494. doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-2145Google Scholar
Greenfield, P. M., Bruzzone, L., Koyamatsu, K., Satuloff, W., Nixon, K., Brodie, M., & Kingsdale, D. (1987). What is rock music doing to the minds of our youth? A first experimental look at the effects of rock music, lyrics and music videos. Journal of Early Adolescence, 7 (3), 315–329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, P. C., West, J. H., & Hill, S. (2011). Sexualisation in lyrics of popular music from 1959 to 2009: Implications for sexuality educators. Sexuality and Culture. Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com/content/u777062808r5j228/ doi:10.1007/s12119-011-9103-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton, M. (2009). What's happening to our girls? Victoria: Penguin Books.Google Scholar
Hamilton, M. (2010). What's happening to our boys? Victoria, Australia: Penguin Books.Google Scholar
Kalof, L. (1999). The effects of gender and music video imagery on sexual attitudes. Journal of Social Psychology, 139 (3), 378–385.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelton, S. (2010, August 12th). Public outcry grows as pop star shock tactics get more and more extreme, The Advertiser. Retrieved from http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/public-outcry-grows-as-pop-star-shock-tactics-get-more-and-more-extreme/story-e6fredpu-1225904099010Google Scholar
Levin, D., & Kilbourne, J. (2008). So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids. New York: Ballantine Books.Google Scholar
Martino, S. C., Collins, R. L., Kanouse, D. E., Elliott, M., & Berry, S. H. (2005). Social cognitive processes mediating the relationship between exposure to television's sexual content and adolescents’ sexual behaviour. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89 (6), 914–924.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDonald, T. (2007, 2nd June). AM – Call for music videos to be classified, ABC Online. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/printfriendly.pl? http://www.abc.net.au/am/coGoogle Scholar
McManus, G. (2009, 21st August). Ban on raunchy video clips rejected by government, Herald Sun. Retrieved from http://www.news.com.au/features/ban-on-raunchy-video-clips-rejected-by-governmentGoogle Scholar
McNair, B. (2002). Striptease culture: sex, media and the democratisation of desire. New York: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council, & Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee (2007). National statement on ethical conduct in human research. Canberra: Australian Commonwealth Government.Google Scholar
Olfman, S. (Ed.) (2009). The sexualization of childhood. Westport: Praeger.Google Scholar
Papadopoulos, L. (2010). Sexualisation of young people: Review. London: Home Office Publication.Google Scholar
Pardun, C., & McKee, K. (1995). Strange bedfellows: Symbols of religion and sexuality on MTV. Youth & Society, 26 (4), 438–449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rideout, V. J., Foehr, U. G., & Roberts, D. F. (2010). Generation M2: Media in the lives of 8-18 year olds (pp. 1–85). California: Kaiser Family Foundation.Google Scholar
Rush, E., & La Nauze, A. (2006a). Corporate paedophilia. ACT: The Australia Institute.Google Scholar
Rush, E., & La Nauze, A. (2006b). Letting children be children; stopping the sexualisation of children in Australia. ACT: The Australia Institute.Google Scholar
Sanson, A., Duck, J., Cupit, G., Ungerer, J., Scuderi, C., & Sutton, J. (2000). Media representations and responsibilities; Psychological perspectives. Melbourne: The Australian Psychological Society.Google Scholar
Sherman, B., & Dominick, J. R. (1986). Violence and sex in music videos: TV and rock ‘n’ roll. Journal of Communication, 36 (1), 79–93. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.1986.tb03040.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shuker, R. (2005). Popular music: The key concepts (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Silmalis, L. (2010, 20th March). MP slams Lady Gaga in bizarre, sexually explicit speech to parliament, The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/mp-slams-lady-gaga-in-bizarre-sexually-explicit-speech-to-parliamentGoogle Scholar
Somers-Flanagan, R., Somers-Flanagan, J., & Davis, B. (1993). Whats happening on music television? A gender role content analysis. Sex Roles, 28 (11/12), 745–753. doi: 10.1007/BF00289991CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steingraber, S. (2009). Girls gone grown up: Why are U.S. girls reaching puberty earlier and earlier? In Olfman, S. (Ed.), The sexualization of childhood (pp. 51–63). Westport: Praeger.Google Scholar
Strasburger, V. C. (2005). Adolescents, sex, and the media: Ooooo, baby, baby-a Q & A. Adolescent Medicine Clinics, 16, 269–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Street, J. (2001). Rock, pop and politics. In Frith, S., Straw, W. & Street, J. (Eds.), The Cambridge companion to pop and rock (pp. 243–254). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, J. K., van den Berg, P., Roehrig, M., Guarda, A. S., & Heinberg, L. J. (2004). The sociocultural attitudes towards appearance scale-3 (SATAQ-3): Development and validation. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 35 (3), 293–304. doi: 10.1002/eat.10257CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Timmerman, L., Allen, M., Jorgensen, J., Herrett-Skjellum, J., Kramer, M. R., & Ryan, D. J. (2008). A review and meta-analysis examining the relationship of music content with sex, race, priming, and attitudes. Communication Quarterly, 56 (3), 303–324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Urie, B. (2008). Explicit lyrics on TV bombarding kids. 1–2. Retrieved from http://www.deseretnews.com/article/print/700249266/Explicit_lyrics-on-TV-bombarding-kidsGoogle Scholar
Villani, S. (2001). Impact of media on children and adolescents: A 10-year review of the research. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40 (4), 392–401.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wall, T. (2003). Studying popular music culture. London: Arnold.Google Scholar
Walter, N. (2010). Living dolls: The return of sexism. Great Britian: Virago.Google Scholar
West, C. M. (2009). Still on the auction block: The (S)exploitation of black adolescent girls in rap(e) music and hip-hop culture. In Olfman, S. (Ed.), The sexualization of childhood (pp. 89–104). Westport: Praeger.Google Scholar
Young, T. (2010). The home office report on child sexualisation is a 100-page cosmopolitan article. Retrieved from http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100027572/the-home-off-report-on-child-sexualisation-is-a-100-page-cosmopolitan-articleGoogle Scholar
Zurbriggen, E. L., Collins, R. L., Lamb, S., Roberts, T., Tolman, D. L., Ward, L. M., & Blake, J. (2007). Report of the APA task force on the sexualization of girls. Washington: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar