We hear it all the time, sex sells. What does it mean? Is it acceptable?

What does it mean? Sex sells is a term used in advertising all the time. It is the use of sex appeal or erotic imagery to entice someone to purchase a service or a product.

Is it acceptable? We are all adults, sexual beings, right? The answer is no we are not. I have been having conversations with my almost sixteen year old as of late whom I have a very good relationship with and her statement to me as of late is that "they made it casual."

I know as an educator that children learn more by example than they do by what we say. What are the examples coming at our young people right now? Children look to adults or role models for direction, for inspiration, to help solve problems to help them make choices and to basically tell them what they should do.

I am trying to teach my young daughter to respect her body and herself. I do not want her to be a mindless consumer of any product or idea. I am teaching her to think critically and to be aware of the manipulative tactics of advertisers and the manner that celebreties that are set up to be viewed as role models when many of them are anything but. There are plenty of positive role models in the world for young people. I want her to discern who is a good role model versus those who have it all backwards.

Parents need to oversee what their children read, watch and play with. I can recall a few years ago when my daughter was flipping through channels during her cartoon watching time. One would think they would be safe in allowing their child a half an hour of cartoon watching time. I stood alert to her choice and she found a cartoon called Johnny Brava. I could not believe the sexual images and the put down on women. I immediately made her change the channel. She did not want to stop watching. I was appalled that such things could be put on channels during family hours. This was when I realized more than ever how much I would need to oversee magazines, tv, movies, and any other form of media that my impressionable daughter would be exposed to.

When my daughter made her statement to me about sex being made casual, I realized that no matter how much I tried to protect her the reality of the world is before her and her peers. It is our job as the adults to help our young people to stop relying on hollywood to decide who their role models are and will be.

What are we to do you ask? First, stop dressing young children like they are adults. Reject the fashions that mature the young girls. My daughter was never allowed to have clothing that stamped writing across her behind. My daughter has not been permitted to get a belly button piercing performed on her. This has been at times much to her chagrin. Don't be afraid to be the parent. Your child will love you for setting boundries. They may not like it at the time, but trust me, they will respect you more in the long run. Teach your child to make good choices. Give them choices from the time they are young, but you set the choices for them. Give appropriate consequences for poor judgement. It was once said to me that if you do not give your child consequences, the world will. Don't let the world be the one to issue consequences for your child. The world will not be fair as you will. Teach your child that they made the decision; thus, they chose the consequences. These can be positive consequencfes as well as negative consequences. 

Love your child enough to be their parent, not their friend.

For a humorous view on this subject go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RKQ9csaRwQ

 I have included the following video to educate the public about the depth of minipulation that is going on in the advertising industry. Do you want your child or you teen to be controlled by those who do not have your child's best interest at heart and instead have their own selfish focus of selling a product even if it means selling sex to someone who is not emotionally prepared?