Contrary to the popular belief that girls are passively soaking up sexualised messages in the media in a way that distorts their views on sexuality, a study has shown that ‘tweenage’ girls (those aged 11 to 13) are making informed decisions about sexualised popular culture. The study analyzed the opinions of 71 girls using video diaries and focus groups.
Using Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus’ decision to appear bare-shouldered and wrapped in a bed sheet on the cover of Vanity Fair in April 2008 as an example, lecturers at Canterbury and Victoria Universities found that rather than wanting to be like the star, the ‘tweenage’ girls found the magazine cover “yuk”, ‘gross’ and “uncool”.
Dr Tiina Vares, of Canterbury University and one of the study’s principal investigators, said that study was the first of its kind to take into account the views of the girls.
Image Details: Miley Cyrus – 2007 American Music Awards – Red Carpet – Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA USA