The Sexualization of American Culture

The Oscar-winning song of 2006 was "It's Hard Out There for a Pimp." That same year, Rolling Stone magazine featured Snoop Dog as 'America's Most Loveable Pimp'. He arrived at the MTV awards 3 years earlier accompanied by two women on leashes called "Delicious" and "Cream." The article quotes him saying, "If you really a pimp, you should be able to get two bitches to walk on a leash with you down the red carpet and be yo ho's for the night. And when I did it, it really was pimpin'."

We might dismiss hip hop artists like Snoop Dog as irrelevant to a girl's self-esteem, but as far away as Amsterdam, American hip hop musicians are influencing youth and their sexual norms. Willem Heemskerk, manger of the Scarlet Cord, a ministry in Amsterdam's central red light district, says the hip-hop scene has played significant role in the disintegration of boundaries surrounding sexuality for Dutch teens. The Scarlet Cord estimates that more than 2,000 girls under 18 are prostituted in the Netherlands. The ministry's nationwide prevention program for high school girls helps them learn to listen to media messages, and grasp the underlying lyrics of the music they jive to.

Here are some popular lyrics that sexualize or degrade women,

"Don'tcha wish your girlfirend was hot like me?"- Pussycat Dolls, 2005

"I tell the hos all the time, Bitch get in my car"- 50 Cent, 2005

"Ho shake your ass"- Ying Yang Twins, 2003

American culture glorifies unrestrained sex and is normalizing commercial sexual exploitation, says Lisa Thompson, the Salvation Army's Liason for the Abolition of Sexual Trafficking. "We're like frogs in the pot," Lisa says. "The water keeps getting hotter and hotter, and we keep sitting there."

(Read more about the Sexualization of American Culture in Chapter 6 of my book)

Lisa recently recommended this new book: "Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids" by Diane E. Levin and Jean Kilbourne. Here's a brief summary:

Thong panties, padded bras, and risqué Halloween costumes for young girls. T-shirts that boast "Chick Magnet" for toddler boys. Sexy content on almost every television channel, as well as in books, movies, video games, and even cartoons. Hot young pop stars wearing provocative clothing and dancing suggestively while singing songs with sexual and sometimes violent lyrics. These prod­ucts are marketed aggressively to our children; these stars are held up for our young daughters to emulate-and for our sons to see as desirable females. Without the emotional sophistication to understand what they are doing and seeing, kids are getting into increasing trouble emotionally and socially; some even engage in pre­cocious sexual behavior.
....

May God give us eyes to see the sexualization of our culture and wisdom and energy to challenge these messages. As I wrote at the end of this chapter, equally important, can we find opportunities to voice appreciation for positive messages in the media about sexuality? Options for challenging or praising messages may include writing a letter or email to a clothing company, celebrity, TV or radio station, website or magazine.

Pray or consider how you or your church could offer mentors and role models in your community for girls and boys who need to hear about healthy relationships and sexuality.

Comments

[Debbie]

Hi - I have enjoyed reading through your blogs this morning. They are poignant and remind me of how calloused I have let myself get about this subject. I am a pastor in Grand Canyon national park, and we minister to alot of International students working here. When I go to pick people up in their Cabins to take them to our house, there is a lot of cohabitation going on, and truly they see nothing wrong with it. Even students who proclaim to be Christians. I've heard rumors that there is prostitution going on around here, and I wouldn't doubt it.
What can I do here to "expose the darkness" for what it is? Is there anything more I can do? Also - I'm wondering if your book talks about the sex trade in Japan?

[Dawn Herzog Jewell]

Hi Debbie,
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment on my blog. I'm such a techy-dummy that I didn't realize I had a comment nor how to publish it until now! I sincerely apologize and don't want this to happen again!
You have a fantastic ministry opportunity there to reach students. All the ministry leaders I've talked to tell me that relationship is key to confronting people about their sexual lives. You must have a relationship of trust with them in order to speak directly about the harm they're doing to their bodies.
Prostitution is a different story since that is hopefully illegal where you are. Prayer is key for exposing this. Do you have others who can pray with you for how to go about beginning to tackle this in your area?
My book doesn't talk about the sex trade in Japan, although I know that's huge. If you have Japanese students, I imagine that informing them about what's going on in their own country would be key. Let me know if you still are looking for resources and I can look for some.
Blessings to you.
Dawn