Lolita Effect: The media sexualization of young girls and what we can do about it
Gigi Durham’s book, The Lolita Effect, has an important message for parents and other concerned adults about the exploitative and damaging sexualization of young girls in the media. Ms. Durham begins by identifying five myths put forth in the media about young girls and their sexuality: If you’ve got it, flaunt it, Anatomy of a sex goddess, Pretty babies, Violence is sexy, What boys like. At the end of each chapter is a discussion of how to take action against each myth and empower girls to make healthy decisions about their sexuality.
One point I find particularly disturbing is the internationality of the culture and the media to sexualize young girls. Nabokov’s 12-year old Lolita was truly an innocent victim of Humbert’s perverted passion and greed. In today’s culture, it is difficult for young girls to preserve their innocence, with pressure from the media for girls to explore their sexuality at younger and younger ages.
Clearly, Ms. Durham has a liberal view of sexuality, and not a scriptural one. She repeatedly points out a media bias against gay teens (citing Disney programming as one example). While the author does not write from a point of faith, her message is certainly valuable for believers and nonbelievers alike. The author encourages us all to be “smart, proactive critical media consumers” which is certainly apt advice.
Review by Janell Kerski
