Restrict the Sexualization and Unrealistic Representation of Women in the Media

Media Corporations and Advertisers frequently use sex to sell their products from magazines to website domains. They sexualize women to a nearly pornographic extent by displaying them in certain manners such as with their lips parted, tongue out, partially or fully nude, or describing them with sexually explicit language as described by Erin Hatton PhD from the University at Buffalo in his study “Equal Opportunity Objectification? The Sexualization of Men and Women on the Cover of Rolling Stone”. Media Corporations and Advertisers also sexualize women who possess a body, or are photoshopped to possess a body, that only 5% of American women naturally have, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.

Facts about the sexualization and unrealistic representation of women in the media:

• In the United States, 20 million women suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life. (nationaleatingdisorders.org)


• If Barbie were an actual woman, she would be 5'9" tall, have a 39" bust, an 18" waist, 33" hips and a size 3 shoe. Barbie would weigh 110 pounds and have a BMI of 16.24. A BMI of under 17 is considered underweight or anorexic. That puts you at high risk for negative side effects like osteoporosis, amenorrhea (not being able to menstruate) and low heart rate. (The Scary Reality of a Real-Life Barbie Doll, Galia Slayen)


• 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat and 42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner. (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders)


• Percentage of teenage females depicted with some nudity has increased 32.5% from 2007 to 2012. Roughly a third of female speaking characters are shown in sexually revealing attire or are partially naked. (study of gender inequality in the film industry performed by the New York Film Academy)


• Several studies (on both teenage and adult women) have found associations between exposure to narrow representations of female beauty (e.g., the “thin ideal”) and disordered eating attitudes and symptoms. Research also links exposure to sexualized female ideals with lower self-esteem, negative mood and depressive symptoms among adolescent girls and women. In addition to mental health consequences of sexualization, research suggests that girls’ and women’s physical health may also be negatively affected. (American Psychological Association)


• 47% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures. 69% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of a perfect body shape. (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders)


• Sexualized portrayals of women have been found to legitimize or exacerbate violence against women and girls, as well as sexual harassment and anti-women attitudes among men and boys. (Erin Hatton, PhD from University at Buffalo)

Don’t allow Media Corporations and Advertisers continue to harm the mental and physical health of American females through sexualizing women and unrealistically representing them to sell their products. Tell Senator Bill Nelson that it is time to put a stop to endangering females for financial gain.