Are you defining as a "child" anyone who is under 18? 16?

If so, is your concept of human sexuality that it springs into being fully formed at that age? That people before the statutory age, in effect, have no sexual thoughts, feelings, or behaviour?

If so, why?

But if not, why not?

I'm basically on your side about commercial entities going too far in sexualising youth. Primary example of this include:
-That whole cottage industry of child beauty pageants and their creepy, pushy parents (which you don't mention);
-The faux-edginess manufactured to surround raunch culture that the entertainment industry and media use to target young people; and
-The proliferation of tawdry female pop stars, and all those R&B video clips which feature the worst elements of dance hall.

I'm pretty libertarian personally, but even I can see how these phenomena create am environment which can negatively impact youth development and health sexuality and body image.

However, I fear you lost me a couple of times with the overly wowser tone of the article. For example, your fixation on those gimmick t-shirts slogans. I didn't see any need to include them in your piece as they don't bolster your argument and simply make you easier to dismiss as a humourless fringe cultural critic.

A free word of advice for future cultural criticism: pick your fights carefully and don't object to all gimmicks because it's convenient. When you do, it appears that you are conflating judgements about taste ie. that something lacks class, with judgements about harm (ie. that something is really anti-social or regressive). Taste is mostly subjective, whereas you should be arguing from objectivity.

An excellent article Elizabeth.

You're going to have a tough time though, trying to educate some idiots who might have a hard time differentiating juvenile knowledge about sex in general, with the rather more abstract perceptions of peer acceptance and views of self and social behaviour and lifestyle- and also the understanding of the role sex may play in life, that seem to permeate in almost every teen movie- that you have outlined from the studies in your article.

It's strange- nudity and actual sex scenes (normal) are considered totally evil and carefully regulated- yet somehow a woman dressing like a hooker and straddling random strangers in a music video is somehow totally okay.
Stranger still is so many people don't seem to grasp it, and the superficial aspects seem to dominate their judgement (that the music video material is less 'sexual' than nudity- which is less sexual than 'sex' because that's how the media rates it.

It's actually harder to debate than it sounds- I've debated with people about alarming sexual harassment cases that couldn't figure out what the big deal was.

We are now reaping the fruit of the promiscuity promoted in the middle of last century. Parents are now paralyzed from placing any decent boundaries around their kids because of their own lack of character. These days we see wrinkled men and women still trying to hold on to their youth by tatooing their bodies. Why they insist on everyone having to be sickened by looking at it I really don't know. The rejection of God has led to a generations worth who is found only in body image. Gutless parents who allow the likes of Kylie, Madonna etc to be role models are as much to blame as anyone. Any attempts to change this culture without a heart change is vain. The problem is the sick heart more than the exposed body. A cleansed healthy heart will produce a dignity and modesty where children are no longer sex objects but people. Christ is the Only One able to do this heart change.

“Boys are absolutely being provided with sexualised role models to aspire to, just as much as girls."
No. It doesn't make this issue any less important, but this is overwhelmingly girls' problem. Boys have their own problem, being pushed to be tough from a young age. Few things are more heart-breaking than seeing a young boy who wants a cuddle being told to toughen up.

Girls will always want to get sexy while women who act in this are seen as powerful. The girls are simply practicing the behaviour that seems to be valued. When we tell older women about the negative consequences of this behavior, girls will stop wanting to act in this inappropriate way.

Benk <"...but this is overwhelmingly girls' problem. Boys have their own problem, being pushed to be tough from a young age. Few things are more heart-breaking than seeing a young boy who wants a cuddle being told to toughen up."

Benk, haven't you seen the men's underwear adverts showing good looking men with bulging biceps and bulging jocks? These show what men are supposedly supposed to look like in order to attract women.

Haven't you seen the adverts about erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation? Young boys or teenagers are bound to be asking each other about these things, and comparing each other.

These sorts of things are shown on TV while young boys and teenagers may be watching, and you think they aren't being sexualised at just the same rates as girls?

Your comment is typical of many men these days. While jumping up and down about the sexualisation of young girls (and yes it is a problem), you seem to think that young boys are immune.

Yes, young boys, teenagers and men (as well as females) do need plenty of hugs and affection in their lives. But let's not confuse that fact with the media's sexualisation of our children