March 2, 2005: Headlines: COS - Cameroon: Journalism: Speaking Out: Madison Capital Times: Cameroon RPCV Margaret Krome says Girls' sexuality overhyped

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Cameroon: Peace Corps Cameroon: The Peace Corps in Cameroon: March 2, 2005: Headlines: COS - Cameroon: Journalism: Speaking Out: Madison Capital Times: Cameroon RPCV Margaret Krome says Girls' sexuality overhyped

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Cameroon RPCV Margaret Krome says Girls' sexuality overhyped

Cameroon RPCV Margaret Krome says Girls' sexuality overhyped

Cameroon RPCV Margaret Krome says Girls' sexuality overhyped

Margaret Krome: Girls' sexuality overhyped

By Margaret Krome
March 2, 2005

I went to our son's middle school talent show recently. It was an explosion of creative talent, from juggling, piano and singing to rock bands and dramatic skits.

But this year's Follies were most distinguished by the number of acts where clusters of girls came on stage to bump and grind. It was, with one exception, entirely about strutting their stuff. Even the group with real dance training choreographed their dance around sexual displays. What the rest lacked in skill, they made up for by sexy moves and outfits.

I didn't think I had illusions about our culture, but I hadn't realized how toxic the message to girls must be until I saw how many girls evidently think their principal talent is how well they market their sexuality.

Don't misunderstand me. Girls aren't bad, nor are boys, for expressing interest in sexuality, and I don't see sexual identity as a taboo topic for creative expression. Girls and women are the usual targets of hostility when governments or other authorities in eras of sexual repression try to curb rights. My wish for my own children is a healthy and exuberant appreciation of sexuality between vigorous people with an appetite for discovery and creative expression.

But this presumes active cultivation of non-sexual competence and exploration. When a middle school talent show generates a spate of girls' sexual exhibitionism, it strongly suggests a lack of leadership in helping girls identify creative expressions that aren't tied to their function as sexual objects.

Research studies report conflicting results regarding the relationship between sexually explicit images and violence against women. There's little doubt, though, that a constant message about the importance of being sexy limits what girls think makes them important.

Sexuality isn't the issue; the limited presentation of women as objectified sex objects is. The opponent of sexual censorship, Marcia Pauly, wrote in 1993, "Being an object of sexual desire is demeaning only if that is all one is. As part of life, as a piece of experience, it is a boon." This is true only if girls see examples of successful alternatives to that role.

I found that a number of other people at this year's Follies were appalled by these dances. Some said they wonder if they're being prudes or just an older generation shaking its finger at the "youth of today."

I'm definitely not shaking my finger at the girls; this exuberant display was understandable for many of them. It was likely the first, big blast of power they've known. All their lives they see sexy images held up in countless commercials and other ways as a standard of successful and powerful womanhood. Suddenly, without having to try, they hit puberty and win the lottery. They're sexy and exulting in it. It may not be talent, but it's valued.

So the people at whom I'm shaking my finger are those who foster the message that sexuality is a girl's greatest asset. It's those who gratuitously market virtually any product with a sexual woman angle, but also parents, schools and the greater community for failing to help girls excel in talents over which they have actual mastery.

Schools are important not only to teach cognitive skills but also social ones, including how to navigate the sexual feelings that grow wildly throughout middle and high school. Is it helpful to girls to showcase them as sexual objects in talent shows intended to communicate what's creative and interesting about a person?

Certainly it's unfair to criticize schools for social ills over which they have no control. But schools do set cultural standards. In a world where many students' standards are set by commercial TV, it's important to show healthier models of success.

Next year I hope the school will set guidelines so girls' dances display more talent than breast and bottom. More important is to help girls develop other skills and talents that justify true public displays.

Margaret Krome of Madison writes a semimonthly column for The Capital Times. E-mail: mkrome@inxpress.net





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Story Source: Madison Capital Times

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Cameroon; Journalism; Speaking Out

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