It's the girls' fault?

This press release renders me mute. We've come a long way, baby.

MATANE, QC, July 16 /CNW Telbec/ - The Government of Canada is pleased to provide support to Regroupement des femmes de la région de Matane for its project, Et toi ton couple, ça clic? (So, Are You Clicking as a Couple?). This project aims to promote equitable, non-violent behaviour in the romantic relationships of adolescents by targeting the hypersexualization of girls as a root cause of dating violence. The Honourable *Helena Guergis*, Minister of State (Status of Women) made the announcement today.

"Through support for this project, we are addressing a priority issue for this Government - to end all forms of violence against women and girls across the country. By learning self-esteem and self-respect, the girls involved in this project will adopt solid values that will guide them in all aspects of their lives," said Minister of State Guergis. "By focusing on outreach, the project will help hundreds of girls, as well as their mothers, sisters, friends and relatives, become empowered to contribute to their community and their country. I am proud to be part of a Government that recognizes the significance of this issue and the need to take concrete steps to end violence against all women."

The Minister of State announced $144,361 in funding over 36 months for the project Et toi ton couple, ça clic? Funding for this project comes from the Women's Community Fund of the Women's Program of Status of Women Canada.

"Research shows that hypersexualization puts pressure on girls to engage prematurely in sexual activity and also promotes violence in intimate relationships," said Ms. Marie-Laure Leymonie, Coordinator of the Regroupement des femmes de la région de Matane. "Thanks to funding from the Government of Canada, the girls will learn to identify abusive behaviour, set limits and have healthier, more equitable relationships."

As part of the project, 15 girls in the Regional County Municipality of Matane will be trained to act as community outreach workers and agents of change in their schools and communities, and more than 1,000 youths, including 350 boys, will become better equipped to combat violence in their romantic relationships.

Comments

[Sanda Thompson]

Holy jesus. That is the most bat shit crazy thing I have seen. What the hell were they thinking when they sent this out?

[LDVK]

I'm trying to figure out the name of the project this money is funding.

"Et toi ton couple, ça clic?"

What does that mean?

[Steve Cameron]

I'd be interested in seeing this "research". My suspicion is that it either doesn't really exist, is deeply misunderstood, or it was ideologically driven to find the results it did (and hasn't been credibly peer-reviewed).

[Stephanie C]

OMG! OMG! OMG! You know, one out of three women will be sexual assault victims in their lifetime, many (if not most?) are raped by their current/former partners.

This has got to be the most sexist SoW program to date. "You're equal now, so equality is no longer part of our mandate." Now they seem to want to focus on regressive, paternalistic policies and programs. Honouring our hidden past, I suppose.

I feel sorry for those 15 girls in the pilot project. The lowest that a government -- whose priorities are law and order, or so they say -- can go is (p)revictimizing half of the population.

This deserves lots of cursing and swearing, but I'll "keep sweet" and be a lady. Apparently, it'll keep me from getting raped. Un-fkn-believably sick.

"When I'm done with Canada, you won't recognize it." Harper's keeping his word/threat. Election please!

[Karen Graham]

Have we been time-warped back 100 years? Beamed into a Taliban-controlled village? Guergis is an embarrassment to thinking Canadians. Her government has no clue about women's rights. True philistines.

[woods]

Can you find out more? As written, this is really bad.

[Joseph]

I'm sorry, so the "girls" (their descriptor) hoping to build strong heterosexual relationships need to learn how not to be so sexy so their men won't be violent?

Might it be proper to ask what nineteenth century study are they citing as justification for this "bold new initiative"? I'd certainly be interested in knowing.

[Wascally Wabbit]

Well - I have never had much regard for the brightness of Mrs. Jaffar - but this is a nadir - even for her!

[Christine]

LDVK: "Et toi ton couple, ça clic?" means "So, Are You Clicking as a Couple?"

I, too, was stunned to read this. Unbelievable that absolutely no mention was made of the responsibility of the perpetrators of this violence.

It calls to mind a comment attributed to Golda Meir, the former Prime Minister of Israel during the 1970s. Apparently, rapes were on the increase in the country. As a means of coping with the problem a male member of her cabinet suggested a curfew; women should stay in their homes at night. To which Golda Meir replied, "Men are committing the rapes. Let them be put under curfew."

[hysperia]

ZOMG? Passing this on to my world. Outf'ingrageous.

[Gabby in QC]

There is nothing sinister in this press release.

I am posting several excerpts from various sources showing that the “hypersexualization” of girls has been the topic of discussion for a number of years here in Quebec.
But first, I’d like to point out a slight yet significant difference between the English and French versions of this press release.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2009/16/c6850.html
“MATANE, QC, le 16 juill. /CNW Telbec/ - Le gouvernement du Canada est heureux d'accorder son soutien au Regroupement des femmes de la région de Matane pour son projet Et toi ton couple, ça clic? Le projet vise à promouvoir des comportements égalitaires et sans violence dans les relations amoureuses des jeunes, en ciblant l'hypersexualisation des jeunes filles comme une des causes de la violence dans les fréquentations. L'honorable Helena Guergis, ministre d'Etat (Condition féminine), en a fait l'annonce aujourd'hui.”

The French version states “ … en ciblant l'hypersexualisation des jeunes filles comme une des causes de la violence dans les fréquentations.” whereas the English version states “… by targeting the hypersexualization of girls as a root cause of dating violence.”
I believe there is a difference between saying the hypersexualization of girls is a root causeune des causes [one of the causes].

As far as the issue of hypersexualization. it has been discussed for quite a while in Quebec. Minister Guergis is simply addressing a topic that has received wide exposure here, as evidenced by various articles. Here is an excerpt from one:
http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/33/14/90/PDF/Caron_too_sexy.pdf
1-3 June 2006
“Too Sexy to go to School:
A discourse analysis of the recurring public debate on girls’ dress
Caroline Caron
CONCLUSION
… The aim of this research is not to decide whether the problem of hypersexualization exists or not. It does exist in language, as the Office québécois de la langue française has confirmed in providing a definition for it (there is a power point slide showing the definition they gave to hypersexualization). Indeed, at the first-stage of the media discourse analysis I am conducting for my dissertation, I wanted to take a critical look at the assumptions embedded in the controversial discussion going on for the last five years in Quebec. [my emphasis] ...

A critical analysis of the controversy is necessary, because adults (parents, teachers, school boards, etc.) make decisions that affect girls, often by increased measures of control. Is has gone so far last summer that the youth wing of the Liberal Party proposed banning g-string underwear at schools and that hypersexualization has been discussed at the National Assembly of Quebec. ...”

[Gabby in QC]

Here’s another excerpt from a Quebec publication.
This one is from the magazine of the Quebec Federation of Parents’ School Committees:
http://www.fcpq.qc.ca/fr/Revue/Action%20parents%20Nov%2008.pdf
“In conclusion, I see there are several good initiatives across Quebec that can help our young people face the phenomenon of hypersexualisation. People from the fields of education, health and community affairs are working together in order to ensure a coherent intervention strategy. I thus invite you to be on the lookout for what is happening in your community regarding sex education, so that the children of Quebec can feel that the adults who surround them are there for them, and be assured that a healthy and egalitarian sexuality is still possible.”

[Gabby in QC]

Other various articles can be found here http://sisyphe.org/spip.php?article917 such as this one:
“Opinion on hypersexualisation - Corrections necessary”
http://sisyphe.org/spip.php?article3079
“Young people exposed to such “hypersexualisation” engage in sexual activities earlier than the average, and many girls who had sexual relations at a very early age say they experienced violence in their relationships. Studies also show that early sexual relationships increase the number of sexually transmitted diseases.

The Council [on the Status of Women] thus wishes to see young people better equipped to handle the sexual messages which assail them. Their sense of critical thinking must be stimulated: the school thus seems to be highly indicated for this task. In order to reach parents and the general public, the Council proposes a broad media campaign to promote egalitarian relationships between the sexes.”

[Jennifer Smith]

Looking at the (admittedly poor translation of the) website for the program and information on the forum they reference, it appears that what they're talking about is the hypersexualization of SOCIETY. That the government would lay this exclusively on the girls in their language is very, very sad.

[Gabby in QC]

I'm having trouble posting the last excerpt ...

Will try again later.

[Stephanie C]

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful
And keep your hands to yourself
But keep them out of your pants, too
Please and thank you

[Gabby in QC]

And finally, from a Government of Quebec website: http://www.csf.gouv.qc.ca/fr/english/ (under “English Publications”)
“Sex in the media : obstacle to equal relationships
Synthèse, Septembre 2008, No. 208-09-I, 25 p.
“A stereotyped view
The fashion, cosmetics, music, magazine and movie market increasingly targets 8-to 13-year-old girls. A whole range of beauty products and clothing has been developed for this clientele which is urged to believe that beauty, popularity and happiness are connected. Young girls continue to be encouraged to adhere to fashion and beauty standards, to satisfy other people’s needs and to be willing to do anything to attract boys’ attention, seduce them and make sure the romantic relationship succeeds. Hence, according to Bouchard and Boily, [Translation] “in teen girl magazines, the construction of the ‘feminine’ identity is reduced to an eternal quest for one’s partner’s consideration and approval.”

Sorry to bombard this site with all the above excerpts. My intention is simply to show that the subject of "hypersexualization" has been widely discussed in Quebec for some time. A campaign whose sole purpose is to strengthen young girls’ self-esteem so that they need not imitate the media “role models” is a valid project, IMO. The inferences made about some dark ominous purpose behind Minister Guergis’ press release are clearly unwarranted.

BTW, in my first entry this sentence "I believe there is a difference between saying the hypersexualization of girls is a root causeune des causes [one of the causes]"
should read
"I believe there is a difference between saying the hypersexualization of girls is 'a root cause' rather than 'une des causes' [one of the causes]."

[Martin Dufresne]

I agree with gabby and think we may have a misunderstanding here and one going beyond mistranslation. I did not read the SOW press release as "laying hypersexualization on the girls" but as acknowledging, as many front-line activists have been doing in Quebec for years, that it is BEING laid on the girls - and indirectly on the boys - by an intensive xommercial/social pressure for girls to play an artificial part as early as possible. Girls are not responsible for sexist advertising and girl magazine COSMO-type copy (adult writers lecturing pre-teens how to give better blow jobs to keep their boy-friend), prostitution-inspired window displays in girls' clothing stores, etc. This is what is meant by hypersexualization in Quebec - a process whereby girls are pressured into acting and looking like "Lolitas". Which translates into sexual pressure and often violence from boys. Of course I also want projects to target male abusers, directly; indeed, this is part of what anti-sexualization activists have been doing in Quebec with traveling displays of sexist material, conferences, education work, protests, etc. It is all about confronting the male system that dictates the Lolita script.

[Rosemarie Buchanan]

And so where is the equivalent training for the boys?

French-to-English translation accuracy notwithstanding, the more intelligent way to go is societal, rather than young women only. The perpetrators must be held accountable for their violent and/or sexual behaviour. They're the ones that need a program to change their behaviour, NOT the girls.

I prefer the method suggested by the Council on the Status of Women. Na, not prefer. I would demand it.

[Catherine]

Maybe instead of women wearing burkas to cloak themselves in propriety, men should wear blinders.

Oh, they do in the Conservative pews.

The Harper party is unbelievable.

[MyThought]

Doesn't everything that goes out need PM approval? Look at who's behind this (on the panel). The religious right.

What's next - all Canadian women will have to wear burkas so they won't be sexy looking?

Are men not supposed to take responsbility for their actions?

[Sandra Thompson]

Wheres the media outrage on this story? Why isnt this in the TorStar today?

[Martin Dufresne]

I have done such work with young men in Montreal, trying to get them to take responsibility for their sexist attitudes and actions. But experience indicates that pressure to do this must come from people their own age, speaking their language - and as soon as possible before abusive and misogynist behaviours are set.
And this is EXACTLY what the Regroupement des femmes de Matane has managed to get support to do: funds and educational material to train mentors that will go in school environments and talk to kids about the social process that defines pre-teens as sexual targets and "Lolitas" - this process is what we call "hypersexualisation" in Quebec. Opposing this social process is not about denying girls a sexual identity or quashing it; it is about reclaiming it by fighting back against the social pressures that boys absorb via the pornographic industry.
Has Ms. Delacourt at least taken the time to google the project title and read the project description (yes, it's in French - is that enough t get slagged by the Star?) before she launched such a canard - it is quite the contrary of pointing "hypersexualisation" as "the girl's fault": http://www.regroupementfemmesmatane.com/dossier.php
Why not at least try to read it before you gon smearing a front-line project inspired by the work of the regional rape crisis centre - one of the most creative and in-your-face in Quebec?
There are days where I miss Michele Landsberg...

[sk]

I think the term 'hypersexualization of girls' does not mean girls are hypersexual and so are to blame for violence against them. I think it means that media and marketing sexualize girls (very much = hyper) so that they are seen only as sexual beings and that can result in males seeing them as there for sex only and so could lead to a lack of respect that could prompt abusive behaviour or put pressure on the girls to live up to these hypersexual images/expectations that are foisted on them through pop culture, advertising etc.

[Jason Cherniak]

Why is this not getting more coverage? It's unbelievable.

[Martin Dufresne]

I agree with sk's reading.

Here is my translation of the Matane women's project description (http://www.regroupementfemmesmatane.com/dossier.php)- I hope that Ms. Delacourt will correct the erroneous impression given.

And how are things going in YOUR relationship?
Project Description

In recent years, a growing media trend tends to depict girls as sex objects and this at an increasingly young age. For Rimouski’s Rape Crisis Centre (Centre d’aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel), there is no doubt that the early sexualization of girls is a consequence of our society’s hypersexualization, and that this hypersexualization is a contributing factor to sexual assaults.1 In 2008, more than 16,000 Quebec women have knocked on the door of a women’s centre for reasons related to violence.2

The beginning of adolescence is acknowledged as a period of openness where youths are receptive to the establishment of healthy relationships and to non-violent conflict. A certain number of changes occurring at adolescence – e.g. the apprenticeship of autonomy and the displacement of dependency from parents to peers – make this period especially crucial in learning to establish non-violent relationships.3

As far back as 2001, a survey we organized in Matane among 552 youths aged 14 to 20 determined that 25% of respondents, most of them girls, spoke of violent behaviours in their romantic relationship. In 2009, we must more than ever promote both equalitarian models and behaviours, not only with regard to sexuality but also in perspectives regarding dating relationships between youths.

The project entitled "And how are things going in YOUR relationship?" is an interactive, multi-year (2009-2012) endeavour, that will be developed with female teenagers of the Matane region. For maximum impact, it is important to us to obtain an active interaction and participation of female teenagers, both in the design and rollout of the program.

The educational project "And how are things going in YOUR relationship?" aims to promote equitable, non-violent behaviour in the romantic relationships of adolescents. By putting out information and creating an education tool, the project will ensure support and mentoring to female teenagers, in order to prevent dating violence.

The project’s specific objectives are the following:
1. To describe the impact of hypersexualization on self-esteem, to highlight the various forms of violence in romantic relationships and the possibility of non-violent conflict resolution.
2. To create and distribute an education to promote equalitarian and non-violent behaviours in the context of youth romantic relationships.
3. To create a mentoring process.
4. To have female mentors act as community outreach workers, using the project’s education tool in the various communities of the Matane region.

Footnotes:
1 Regional Forum on Hypersexualization, Rimouski, May 16-17, 2007
2 l’Intersyndicale des femmes – January 2009
3 Wolfe, Wekerle & Scott, 1997

Partnering with the Matane Youth Centre, La Lucarne
To achieve this project that mainly focuses on young girls, we decided to work cooperatively with La Lucarne, Matane’s youth drop-in centre. Thus, the youth outreach worker will share her working hours between the Regroupement des femmes and La Lucarne. Similarly, youths will have activities both at the Women’s Centre and at the Youth Centre.

Active participation of youths
To maximize impact, we find it paramount to For maximum impact, it is important to us to obtain an active interaction and participation of female teenagers, both in the design and rollout of the program. This is why we have chosen to create education tools and to organize a mentoring process rather than organize workshops. We know that the information will be conveyed much better if it is transmitted by youths themselves, especially during teenage years.

During the first year, teenagers will create and distribute an information brochure on the link between hypersexualization and violence in dating relationships (in the form of a quiz + info). On the second year, young women will create an information tool (video, comic book, play…) and outreach with it among youths. During the third year, female teenagers will be trained to become mentors and thus equip their peers with tools in their living environment. Young males will also be able to participate in this project, especially at the Youth Centre.

Cooperation with our partners
Of course, this project involves a knowledge transfer component. The tools created will be distributed among our partners:
Locally: Committee on hypersexualization, community organizations and school environments.
Regionally: Regional coalition table on violence, Regional tables of Lower St-Laurent women’s centres and women’s organizations.
Nationally : L’R des centres de femmes du Québec, Status of Women Canada.

For information, please contact :
Lucie Watts, 418-562-6443
Youth outreach worker in charge of the project

[Dave]

I don't tend to comment on articles, but I feel strongly on this one.

I don't get the uproar, folks. Let's take a step back and look at the big picture. They are trying to help address a key issue for young people right now - the "hypersexualization" of teens. I saw a TV show on CBC the other day talking about how far teens will go on a first date and what they think is "appropriate" or not. I won't go into the details, but let's just say they weren't just holding hands. I honestly fear for the day when I eventually have kids, what they (and I!) will have to face if this sexually aggressive behaviour continues.

Let's take a look at society first. Teenagers and young adult females are more often than not dressing in much more provocative ways -- I don't think people can argue that is untrue. Personally it shocks and disturbs me and I'm a fairly "hip" adult (mid-30's male). I've seen girls wearing very tight shirts, short skirts and g-string underwear that sticks out in plain view, which can do nothing but accent sexual undertones. You can call me a prude all you want, but I personally think I'm taking a balanced look at the situation and all I know is I don't see teenage boys doing the same thing in the same way (they're not wearing tight clothes or trying to enhance anything). You may call this a double standard, but even with the guys who wear their pants too baggy, the tendency for multiple layers of clothing seems to not bring out anything sexual.

Though I recognize that men may be to blame for the violence, do we not agree that focusing on girls and improving self-esteem to protect themselves is a good thing?

Does no one else who is commenting see this as an issue? Because all I see are negative rants about the government in the recent comments?!!

I tend to believe that the Internet and easier access to pornography has a lot to do with this issue, and as much as I would wish that this could be protected from those who are naive and uneducated, teens will see this and imitate. Especially teenagers who just want to "fit in" who give into peer pressure.

My girlfriend is confident and intelligent. She's told me about situations when she was growing up where boys got aggressive with her and she's definitely strong (she pushes me around just fine :^) but most importantly, she knows how to hold her own.

This is the sort of role model I wish for other teen girls, to know that you can be your own person and not give into peer pressure, which may be at the heart of these issues.

I've said my piece. I like that the French have the courage to call out the issue honestly and not tiptoe around stereotypes and equality issues in order to confront the REAL issues. Kudos to you!

I, for one, wish for funding to teach people to stop complaining whenever someone tries to do something good in this world!

Nothing is going to be perfect either. But we have to start somewhere, and every attempt and step forward helps. As long as we learn, help people and keep improving, we've taken a step forward and shown success. Don't be afraid to try. Harness that time and energy you spend complaining and do something positive for the world around you. Peace!

D

[Martin Dufresne]

FWIW, here is how a dedicated Quebec feminist commented on the Matane women's project (as translated on the Bread & Roses discussion forum - http://www.breadnroses.ca/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23484&p=169298):

"What a great project! I hope it will serve as inspiration for other projects of its kind in Quebec and Canada! Obviously, there is not much to expect from the school system, so the community would do better by taking over! Do not hesitate to share information and educate groups, organizations and institutions that could be interested (schools, youth centers, community centers, etc). It is important to involve young women and men, as boys and girls have everything to gain from an egalitarian culture!

We must also struggle to convince the media to talk more often about hypersexualization and make them realize that the problem is not just that of women's image in the media. This issue is too often reduced to a matter of centimeters of bare skin. We talk too little of other issues that may be related to hypersexualization such as risky sexual behaviors, relationship violence in "love", the social pressures experienced by girls to always be in a couple, eating disorders, depression, etc. .

Stéphanie

[Kathleen in Ottawa]

I'm outraged by this. And I'm equally outraged that this has not been getting media attention or statements of response from opposition parties. Where is Ignatieff et al. calling the government to task on this?

I can't believe this got through so many people and made it this far. Is everyone in government sleeping?

Since when are GIRLS responsible for violence perpetrated against them? OUTRAGEOUS.

[Emily Dee]

I think the Matane project is probably a good one, but the Conservative take on it is somehow lost in translation. However, we're missing a bigger picture here. This is not about a single funding but was part of a string of fairy dust sprinkled by the Cons the past few weeks to give the appearance of all of a sudden supporting women's groups.

But we're talking Helena Guergis here, a woman who couldn't find her way home on a good day. Someone else orchestrated this and if you look at the ridings that are getting the cash, they are all ones that they are targetting for the next election - mostly Bloc and Liberal. So this isn't about women, it's about votes.

http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/med/news-nouvelles/index-eng.html

[Gabby in QC]

I see the anti-Harper, anti-Conservative crowd has been outraged. That's what the opposition to this project is all about, nothing else.

Had this been a Liberal project, it would have been hailed as a great example of empowerment of young girls, who should be shown how to throw off the shackles of _______ (fill in the blanks).

But because it is a Conservative Minister who approved this initiative, well, then, it must be an evil plan to keep women enslaved by anti-deluvian stereotypes.

And of course, how enlightened and progressive this splendid phrase is: "Helena Guergis here, a woman who couldn't find her way home on a good day."

Great way to encourage women's participation in politics, eh? How sisterly!

[classic]

Helena Guergis, oh signer of Free Trade Agreements, can you stoop any lower?

[Donna Brundige]

I agree with Gabby. Comments such as the one made by Emily Dee are counterproductive and do nothing to enhance the credibility of the writer.

However, I do agree with Emily Dee that the program likely has more to do with votes than with women. (The Conservatives do seem to be in election mode 24/7). I also agree that the intent of the Status of Women Canada (SWC), and by extension the government, is suspect. By silencing government-funded women researchers on matters of equality, and by removing all references to equality in the mandate of SWC--its raison d'etre--the government looks as though: a) it's afraid of women and what they represent, and b) have set women's rights movements back though their repressive agenda. In other words, be seen but NOT heard. My own Conservative MP said he hated SWC, "because they're all a bunch of NDPers and they say nasty things about us . . . and the Liberals." I pointed out to him that perhpas the reason for that is because only Conservatives and Liberals have been in a position to help create true equality as defined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and in the UN Human Rights Charter.

Women in the federal public service have been fighting for more than two decades for equality with men in pay for doing work of equal value. Many have retired and some have died while the battle languishes in limbo. Governments of both stripes--Liberal and Conservative are responsible for this unacceptable situation.

It all comes down to society's attitudes towards women and girls. Magazines, movies, TV shows and video games depicting women as weak and defenceless, as as worthless sex objects that can be abused at will are a reflection of what values we want to emphasize.

If we boycotted such mags, etc., refused to buy them or tickets to see them, the prevailing attitude would change. Again, it's all about money.

The program's focus on girls is not necessarily bad. Remember that girls mature more quickly than boys so can act as leaders with both sexes in an important debate. I do hope that there will be a program, not only for boys, but some co-ed sessions as well.

Society has got to come to terms with its hedonistic obsession with sex and pleasure. We need to, as a society, take the time to reflect on our priorities. Are they all about the almighty dollar or do we still have the principles and values that Canadians say are important, such as, equality, compassion, fairness and justice.

It'll be interesting to see what happens in this debate and what the outcome is.

Donna

[Shari Laliberte]

I am also outraged with this dehumanizing initiative. As a children's mental health nurse (who is currently doing my Ph.D. on the social determinants of children's mental health), I have witnessed first hand the effects of violence on women and children and the patterns of re-victimization that they endure in our health care system that tends to targets them in treatment initiatives. In my graduate level family therapy training and my introduction to just and feminist approaches to supporting families struggling with the effects of violence, I learned that by focusing therapy and treatment solely on the women and children one LOCATES blame and responsibility within them. If the focus of intervention is on changing one person in the family system, in which their time and energy are taken up to address the issue, it is clear that it is they that are being held primarily responsible for the patterns of violence. Clearly this is ludicrous and hence why just and feminist oriented family therapists have shifted their focus to working with men and the larger cultural context of gender socialization that perpetuates such patterns of violence.

Another key lesson learned in my graduate studies was that by focusing our treatment on the child and then putting them back into the unhealthy family system in which they came from, that long term healing was not likely for that child. The same goes within society. As captured by a focused piece in Macleans in January 2006 by an article titled, "Why do we dress our daughters like skanks?" (p. 10), the pornification (or what I think would be better characterized as pedophiliazation) of our culture was explored. As has already been mentioned in previous posts, this article further supports the role that our media plays in entrenching girls’ self worth in their sexuality. While I agree that this can increase girl’s risk of being targets of dating violence, girls should not be the primary target of intervention.

Mass marketing targets NOT ONLY girls but also boys and creates a context that invites violence in which girls’ self esteem is based on their sexuality AND boys’ self esteem is based on their level of machismo (two excellent resources exploring how boys and girls gender identity has been shaped by our friendly marketers include: “The macho paradox: why some men hurt women and how all men can help” by Jackson Katz; “Packaging girlhood: rescuing our daughters from marketers’ schemes” by Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown).

I thus think that in order to address the “root causes” of dating violence, we need a comprehensive plan that targets the multiple factors at play EQUALLY including:

-Yes-working with girls to increase their media literacy and to increase their awareness of their rights to safety in intimate relationships AND educating them about the political economy of our mass marketing industry and teaching them how to engage with caring adults to advocate for a culture that celebrates their unique and varied forms of beauty AND a culture that reflects values that THEY choose to form the context of their lives.

-Working equally with boys to explore how they too have been the target of marketing campaigns; helping boys to understand how their gender identity has been constructed and to educate them about the political economy of our mass marketing industry and advocating for more humane ways of building BOTH girls’ and boys’ self worth and the creation of culture that reflects their chosen values.

AND critically important is the need to support initiatives such as the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood (http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/) and to address this issue at the policy level with the aim of PROTECTING our children from being exposed to such degrading, dehumanizing and violent messages. This is critically important in light of neurobiological research that has demonstrated how children’s brains are literally shaped by the interpersonal environments that they grow up in (e.g. Daniel Siegel’s The developing mind Toward a neurobiology of interpersonal experience). As the media environment that we currently live in forms a critically important context of children’s lives, it seems to me that this is a root cause that needs to be addressed first and foremost so that we don’t re-victimize children by putting the blame on them for patterns of social interaction that are produced by adults in the name of the bottom dollar.

[glasshouse]

Seriously, where are the boys in all this??

When will people learn that sexual violence isn't about sex? It's about POWER. It goes much beyond media representation and girls wanting to emulate Britney Spears or Brats dolls. It's about how girl relate to boys and how girls relate to one another. It's about a more deeply entrenched societal belief that women can only find true value in themselves through men and through their reproductive capacities: as girlfriends, as wives and as mothers. Sure you can make a lot of money and get a good education but if you don't have a man in your life, something must be wrong with you. We have a gazillion negative words to describe women who are unmarried, who have multiple partners, who pursue men and who love other women. There's so much woman-hating in this world. How do we expect girls to love themselves and value themselves in midst of all this? It's like teaching them how to swim and dropping them in the middle of the ocean miles away from land.

Educating girls about self-esteem and how to identify signs of abuse is only half the story. Where's the half that directly confronts hetero-sexism? Why don't boys get any education about how not to be sexist women haters and women abusers? And Dave, sorry to burst your bubble there, but the majority of perpetrators of sexual violence are someone close to the woman (or child), like siblings, relatives, neighbours and figures of authority. I'm glad that your girlfriend was able to stand up to that bunch but the fact of the matter is, she shouldn't even have to go through that in the first place!

Doesn't the rhetoric in the above article remind you of anything? Say... rape trials that bring up what the woman was wearing as evidence? Cuz girls, if you don't wanna get raped (by a stranger or someone you know or your boyfriend), lower your skirt hem and don't walk around at night. Riiight. Because that's why women get raped. Because that will bring about serious progressive change.

Oh and being anti-Harper or anti-Conservative doesn't make you a Liberal by default, thank you very much. And simply having individual women in politics is NOT equivalent to progressive feminist politics. The latter requires change in perception, redistribution of resources and confronting relations of power.

[someone who wonders]

In a society that has practically destroyed the institution of family, it is not surprising that this kind of study is taking place in Quebec, no matter how you slice up the two solitude-like semantics.

The holier-than-thou secularists who take such umbrage at this study should take a step back and think about their daughters and sisters who are assaulted at every turn with images and messaging telling them that their body and not their mind is the key to success.

Sexaulity is power at its rawest form. Popular culture harnessed this power for profit and that profit motive is what is defining what is right. But power is best exercised in a system of checks and balances. Only the truly deluded would argue that sexaulity's power should be unrestricted, especially for those people who aren't even old enough to vote.

Before people go off with the instant outrage against the social conservatives (and I am not one), they should ask themselves whether or not this study would have been done under a different government. The answer is probably yes.

Girls and boys have access to the most extreme forms of imagery at the earliest of ages. Anyone who thinks that doesn't change behaviour is whistling past a few graveyards ....