Why Does Hollywood Insist On Sexualizing Children?
We know that the world is filled with horrible people like Jeffrey Epstein who would gladly exploit children in order to fulfill their sick desires. What is it in our society that would embolden these child sexual predators to think that it is acceptable for them to act on their sick perversion towards children?
Hillary Duff recently made a statement on her Instagram about being perturbed by a stranger taking pictures of a group of 7-year-old children at her son’s football game. The photographer resisted her request to stop by claiming that it was perfectly legal for him to do so.
Sure, it might be legal. But is it moral or ethical for him to commodify children like this? Increasingly, we are seeing more and more sexualized images of children and teens in today’s media. The New York Times reported that, in 2018, tech companies uncovered over 45 million online photos and videos of children being sexually abused — more than double what they found in 2017.
The New York Times reported that in 2018, tech companies uncovered over 45 million online photos and videos of children being sexually abused
Another poll of 2,000 teens found that nearly 75% had received pornographic direct messages from strangers, even if they had a private account. And 55% of victims of sex trafficking in 2015 met their abuser through a website, app, or text.
Among the latest casualty of the sexualization of children in the entertainment industry is actress Millie Bobby Brown from the hit Netflix show Stranger Things. Brown recently posted about her struggle with child sexualization on her Instagram where she says she gets “frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualization, and unnecessary insults that ultimately have resulted in pain and insecurity for me."
What Is Causing This Disturbing Trend?
First, let it be said that it’s neither appropriate nor right to judge or criticize Millie Bobby Brown as an adult since she is, after all, still just a child. The blame for all of the inappropriate creative decisions and scandals here falls on Brown’s parents and the adults in charge of managing her career.
The blame for all of the inappropriate creative decisions and scandals here falls on Brown’s parents and the adults in charge of managing her career.
The earliest incident which sexualized Brown was the August 2017 cover of W Magazine, where it listed the then 13-year-old child actor as part of a “Why TV Is Sexier Than Ever" magazine story.
Granted, it could just be that the editors at W Magazine were asleep at their job because, otherwise, they wouldn’t have approved the listing of a 13-year-old girl as part of the “sexy” and “hot” list. However, this seems to be an ongoing trend with Brown. The most recent scandal of her sexualization can be witnessed by her red carpet outfit at the SAG Awards where she wore a mature makeup look paired with a plunging neckline dress. Her styling for the event had the internet in an uproar over the teen actress’s inappropriately aged-up look.