If you have daughters or granddaughters, this post is for you!

Prevent the Sexualization of Your Daughter by Vicki Courtney

Have you seen the "juicy" fashion line for little girls that makes them sound like a luscious piece of fruit to be tasted? Have you seen Victoria Secret's line that pastes messages on girls' bums to better attract the male eye to her crotch and on her underwear so she gets the message of exactly why she's of any value at all? Then there are celebrities like Paris Hilton who's gone under the plastic surgeon's knife so often, she's paid for his house, boat, and vacation cottage at the beach.

I haven't read Courtney's book yet, but she's definitely on to something. She reports on a study detailing the impact of sexualizing young girls. (The study defines sexualization as "occurring when a person's value comes only from her/his sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics, and when a person is sexually objectified, i.e., made into a thing for another's sexual use.")

Take a look at some of the fallout the study confirmed:

•Cognitive and Emotional Consequences: Sexualization and objectification undermine a person's confidence in and comfort with her own body, leading to emotional and self-image problems such as shame and anxiety.

•Mental and Physical Health: Research links sexualization with three of the most common mental health problems diagnosed in girls and women — eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression or depressed mood.

•Sexual Development: Research suggests that the sexualization of girls has negative consequences on girls' ability to develop a healthy sexual self-image.

Parents can be a large part of the problem says Courtney:

According to the task force report, parents can play a major role in contributing to the sexualization of their daughters, or they can play a protective and educative role. The study acknowledges that parents may actually contribute to the sexualization of their daughters in a number of ways. One way is to convey the message that maintaining an attractive physical appearance is the most important goal for girls. As abhorrent as it is, we have all heard rumblings about parents who even go so far as to pay for plastic surgery for their daughters, whether it's a nose job at sixteen or a boob job for graduation. It certainly leaves their daughters clear on where mom and dad stand on the importance of vanity.

All of us are impacted when a culture emphasizes physical attractiveness as the be-all and end-all of life. That false value needs to be seen as a temptation and rejected. Mother Teresa had real beauty unlike most of the celebrities held up as role models for the young today. Children need to know that inner beauty and character are more important than the exterior package which may hide filth and corruption within.

Read the complete article here and the next time you walk the mall consider the messages those mannequins and fashion lines are sending to your daughters and granddaughters - not to mention the message they are giving the boys that girls are consumable sex objects!