The Sexualisation Report 2013…A reasoned and well researched report covering the issues usually monopolised by campaigners and moralists

Read more Sex Aware at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See The Sexualisation Report 2013 [pdf] from thesexualizationreport.files.wordpress.com by Feona Attwood, Clare Bale and Meg Barker

From the introductory sections of the report:People are worried about sexualization; about children becoming sexual at too young an age; about the ways in which women may be being defined by their sexuality; and about the availability and potential effects of online pornography, to name but a few of the often repeated concerns. The word sexualization has been used to mean many things and to refer to a wide range of issues. This report aims to summarize what is known — and not yet known — on each of the main areas of concern. The term sexualization was virtually non-existent in news headlines in 2005, but since then it has been widely used. Sexualization has become a political and policy issue; the topic of several significant reports and of comment by leading politicians. The contributors to this report are conscious of the inaccurate and sometimes sensationalist information that often circulates publicly about sexualization, not only in media and popular books, but also in policy reports, statements by politicians and other public figures, as well as in some academic work. Our aim is to set out clearly what current good research tells us about these issues, and make clear what is known and what is not known or is unclear. The report addresses the wide range of issues relating to sex, sexuality and sexual health and wellbeing that seem to underpin public anxieties that are now commonly expressed as concerns about sexualization . These include STIs, pregnancy, addiction, dysfunction, violence, abuse, sex work, sexual practices, different forms of sexuality, medicalization, commerce, media and popular culture.

Sweet Dreams Turn Sour…Annie Lennox: I’m all for freedom of expression. I’m all for boundary pushing…BUT…this is clearly one step beyond, and it’s clearly into the realm of porn.

Read more UK Nutter News at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Annie Lennox has captured a fair bit of press coverage over a bizarre claim that sexy music videos are somehow pornographic. Surely there would not be many people in the country who could not distinguish a Miley Cyrus video from a porn film. Still, you can claim any old unchallenged bollox if you are preaching from the moral highground.Pro-censorship Lennox was speaking against in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live’s Anna Foster and Peter Allen. She spouted: I’m all for freedom of expression. I’m all for boundary pushing …BUT… this is clearly one step beyond, and it’s clearly into the realm of porn. She seemed a little angry that millions of people enjoy sexy music videos: There are so many millions of hits on Youtube; with this barrage how do you stop your kids being exposed to it? It is so powerful. I am sure I talk for millions of parents. Claiming that she’s a liberal minded person, Annie at one point commended artists who are pushing sexuality boundaries but reaffirmed that the music videos need to be age appropriate, and shouldn’t be viewed by young audiences. I actually think that what is really required are some kind of very clear boundaries. There is a difference between what is pornographic and what is entertainment. She previously wrote on her Facebook page that if a pop star created a soft porn video or highly sexualised live performance, then it needs to qualify as such and be X-rated for adults only . If sexy music videos were to be rated by say the BBFC, then hardly any would be 18 rated. A 15 rating would be tops, with most qualifying for a 12.

The Latest Sexualisation Nonsense from the Daily Mail…Oops! my mistake, it’s from the Guardian. It’s hard to tell the difference these days

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See article from guardian.co.uk

The Guardian introduces an article from Zoe Williams: The pornification of Britain’s high streets: why enough is enough Magazines with naked women on the cover sit next to kids’ comics in newsagents. Scantily clad models are draped across the nation’s billboards. We asked readers to send photos showing how sexual images have invaded the high street Of course the reality is that the advert censor has been banning anything remotely sexy on billboards and the Guardian gender extremists have scoured the country for probably one example that has escaped the clutches of the censors is in a shop window rather than a billboard anyway. And then of course there is the fundamental issue that society seems to be surviving pretty well with crime generally on the decrease. Definitely infinitely better than any society that lets bullies and moralists censor the very existence of sexuality from society. Comment: When Right-Wing Conservatives Approve Of Something In The Guardian You Know There’s Something Wrong See comment from mediasnoops2.wordpress.com This is yet more evidence of how The Guardian is turning into the Daily Mail when it comes to sexual imagery. This type of moral panic about porn being everywhere on our high street is the type of thing regularly seen in the Mail yet it’s in a liberal newspaper. …read the full comment

Vogue for Sexualisation Reports…A French government report calls for anti-sexualisation measures

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See article from guardian.co.uk

A French government report is calling for a ban on mini-miss beauty pageants and children’s lingerie to combat what it describes as the hyper-sexualisation of children. The moves follow a controversy over a Vogue magazine photographic shoot featuring images of a 10-year-old French girl in a typical Vogue fashion setting. While the feature initially failed to rouse anger in France, it caused outrage in America where the pictures were considered inappropriate, prompting the French government to announce its inquiry. The parliamentary report, translated as Against Hyper-Sexualisation: A New Fight For Equality, calls for a ban on child-size adult clothing, such as padded bras and high-heeled shoes for children, and an end to beauty competitions for the under-16s. Chantal Jouanno, the author of the report and a senator and former sports minister, has also called for the outlawing of young models in advertising campaigns and the return of uniforms in primary schools as part of a series of measures to stem the psychological damage she claims is being done to children. She argued that while the sexualisation of children is not widespread in France, it is increasing and becoming acceptable because of what she described as the insidious normalisation of pornographic images. The government report criticised the marketing of padded bras for eight year olds, thong underwear, make-up kits, and leggy dolls, all aimed at pre-pubescent girls under the age of 12. As well as banning clothing and make up considered inappropriate for young girls, Jouanno also proposes making it illegal for top fashion houses or companies to use models under 16 in their campaigns. Reintroducing school uniforms was a way of combatting competition between pupils over fashion label clothes which highlight social inequalities, said the report.

Tory Taliban…David Cameron goes to war against anything remotely sexy

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See article from telegraph.co.uk

Businesses have been warned that they face new rules to tackle what the Prime Minister has described as the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. The Prime Minister will hold meetings early in the new year with retailers and advertisers to put a spotlight on their conduct, whatever that means. If voluntary codes of conduct fail to do enough to protect children, ministers are threatening to legislate and impose new laws. In a letter to business leaders inviting them to meet the Prime Minister, Sarah Teather, the children’s minister, warned that companies must demonstrate the real difference they are making for families. She said: The Prime Minister and I will expect to see concrete progress and for this to feel real and meaningful to parents and children. The letter, seen by The Daily Telegraph, sets out a detailed list of reforms that ministers want to see introduced over the next 10 months, including: Children under the age of 16 must not be used as brand ambassadors or in peer to peer marketing campaigns. A voluntary ban is already under way but Teather said: The industry needs to do further work to ensure that this is strongly enforced. A nationwide ban on outdoor advertising that uses sexualised images. A voluntary ban already exists on advertising near schools but ministers want firms to go further. Teather suggested a ban on outdoor advertisements using sexualised images could be required. She said: Children go to more places than just their school and see advertising everywhere they go. If an advertisement is not acceptable close to a school, is it acceptable anywhere? So-called lads’ magazines and newspapers with sexualised images on their covers must not be in easy view of children in shops. A code of practice already exists for newsagents and retailers. However, application of the code is very patchy and there are many shops, including many well-known high street names where these magazines and newspapers are very clearly visible to children, Teather said: There is no reason these magazines could not be sold bagged or shelved behind modesty boards provided by publishers and wholesalers and we expect to see a great deal of progress on this issue. Age ratings for music videos could be introduced as a result of a Department for Culture, Media and Sport consultation. [This may be interesting, the government may find that most of the supposedly child devasting Rihanna videos may turn out to be no more than 12 rated, with even the most sexy being 15 rated rather than the assumed 18].

Too Much, Too Young…Are advertising censors pandering to sexualisation nutters?

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See details from asa.org.uk

Too Much, Too Young: Are advertisers sexualising childhood Burnage Media Arts College, Manchester Thursday 1 December, 7pm – 9pm The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is hosting a public debate on how we should protect children from inappropriate advertising. Many parents are worried about a sexualised culture surrounding their children. The accessibility of pornography on the internet and sexual imagery in advertising, TV programmes, films and music videos are just a few examples of things that parents say contribute to their anxiety that children are under pressure to grow up too quickly. The ASA is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media and works to ensure that all ads are legal, decent, honest and truthful. We place the protection of children at the heart of our work. We already have strict rules that prevent ads from containing anything likely to result in a child’s physical, mental or moral harm. But what about ads aimed at an adult audience, for example posters for perfume featuring sexual imagery? Are these contributing to an unthinking drift to ever greater sexualisation? Do you think the ASA makes the right decisions or should we be drawing the line in a different place? Make your voice heard and join the debate Whatever your views, the ASA invites you to participate in Question Time style public debate. We’ll provide you with a valuable opportunity to put forward your opinion, concerns and questions on this topical subject and hear the views from representatives from the advertising industry, family and parenting groups, and Reg Bailey, the Government’s independent reviewer of the sexualisation of childhood. There will also be a chance to act as ASA Council and look at recent ASA rulings where you can decide whether or not the complaint should be upheld. The event is free but registration is required. Loved the bollox about sexualisation campaigner Reg Bailey being an ‘independent reviewer of the sexualisation of childhood’ He is a lead campaigner of the christian Mothers’ Union who actively campaign against ‘sexualisation’.

ParentPort…UK government to solve all society’s ills with internet blocking and a website for parental complaints

Read more UK Government Censorship News at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from telegraph.co.uk See article from dailymail.co.uk See also parentport.org.uk

The government has set up a website for parents, guardians and carers to either complain about something they see as inappropriate for children, or else just to pass on their opinions. The parentport.org.uk website points out that it is only for parents, guardians and carers, so it will inevitably be one sided ,and now doubt pander to those who shout loudest about the easiest offence. Complaints to ParentPort will be allocated to the appropriate censors who are taking part, namely: ASA ATVOD BBC Trust BBFC Ofcom Press Complaints Commission VSC David Cameron in a press release said: Parents will be able to report products, television programmes or other services which promote images of a sexual or risque nature to young children to a new whistleblowing website The move also comes as the four big ISPs reveal that they will in future offer customers an active choice, at the point of purchase, of blocking adult content.  Subscribers to BT, Sky, Talk Talk and Virgin who do not opt in will have no access to internet porn. There is no mention of the specifications of what will be blocked yet. Advertising near schools will also be more restricted. Billboards which show sexy images will be banned from close proximity to schools. There will also be attempt to stop brand ambassadors with ministers saying that they are determined to try and halt the way social media can get to young impressionable children. Apparently some big companies, in the wake of crackdowns on traditional advertising of certain products to children, have turned to paying children small sums to promote sugary soft drinks and other products through social networking sites and playground chat. And if this is not enough, as it surely won’t be,  Cameron is expected to warn that he is prepared to act if companies do not do more to halt the sexualisation of children.

Freedom for Adults…To make informed viewing choices after 9pm

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Suggested by Les See petition from epetitions.direct.gov.uk

Freedom for adults to make informed viewing choices after 9pm Responsible department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport After the 9pm watershed adults should be free to make their own informed viewing choices: After 9pm encrypted television channels with age verification should be permitted to show any BBFC certificate 18 equivalent content regardless of genre, broadcaster motivation or context. The BBFC makes no such distinction and Ofcom should not either. After 10pm free-to-air adult channels should be permitted to broadcast any cert 18 equivalent content subject to adequate labelling and the ability to block them. Sexual content on sex themed channels has attracted an extremely small number of complaints, the majority from competitors. The serious or widespread offence that Ofcom cites simply does not exist. After midnight all channels should be permitted to broadcast any cert 18 equivalent content subject to adequate labelling. After midnight encrypted television channels with age verification should be permitted to show BBFC certificate R18 content and its equivalent.

A Disservice to Young People…Experts criticise Reg Bailey’s sexualisation review

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From Jane Fae See full text of the letter from timeshighereducation.co.uk

The government’s review of the premature sexualisationof young people could make matters worse, exacerbating the very problem it is supposed to tackle.That was the unanimous view of a group of experts in this field, whose letter setting out their concerns was published yesterday in the Times Higher Education Supplement. They criticise the review on three key grounds: it will make it harder for young people to speak about sex, so increasing the risk of sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy and unwanted sex; by making girls’ sexuality — and female modesty — a key issue, the review is adding yet further to the pressures to conform on young girls: although if the report is to be believed, it is those pressures that are already causing significant harm to girls; the review appears to have taken little account of existing research: it has ignored areas where real risks to young people has been previously identified (health, housing, poverty and education) and focuses instead on an area — sexualisation — which is poorly defined and for which it fails to provide any meaningful measures. Above all, those critical of the report point out, many academics and researchers with a known track record in this area offered their services to the government in respect of the Bailey Review — and were turned down. It is their hope that in future, government will be better prepared to listen. See full text of the letter

The World is a Nasty Place…Reg Bailey publishes his whinge at modern society: Letting Children be Children

Read more UK Government Censorship News at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See Letting Children be Children [pdf] from education.gov.uk

Rag Bailey has now published his hardly independent review on sexualisation and rather reveals his nutter stance by claiming that the world is a nasty place and that in an ideal world, adult entertainment would be shunned by society. He says:  We believe that a truly family-friendly society would not need to erect barriers between age groups to shield the young: it would, instead, uphold and reinforce healthy norms for adults and children alike, so that excess is recognised for what it is and there is transparency about its consequences. Bailey’s summary reads: The Review has encountered two very different approaches towards helping children deal with the pressures to grow up too quickly. The first approach seems to suggest that we can try to keep children wholly innocent and unknowing until they are adults. The world is a nasty place and children should be unsullied by it until they are mature enough to deal with it. This is a view that finds its expression in outrage, for example, that childrenswear departments stock clothes for young children that appear to be merely scaled-down versions of clothes with an adult sexuality, such as padded bras. It depends on an underlying assumption that children can be easily led astray, so that even glimpses of the adult world will hurry them into adulthood. Worse still, this approach argues, what children wear or do or say could make them vulnerable to predators or paedophiles. The second approach is that we should accept the world for what it is and simply give children the tools to understand it and navigate their way through it better. Unlike the first approach, this is coupled with an assumption that children are not passive receivers of these messages or simple imitators of adults; rather they willingly interact with the commercial and sexualised world and consume what it has to offer. This is a view that says to do anything more than raise the ability of children to understand the commercial and sexual world around them, and especially their view of it through the various media, is to create a moral panic. The argument suggests that we would infantilise adults if we make the world more benign for children, so we should adultify children. This Review concludes that neither approach, although each is understandable, can be effective on its own. We recognise that the issues raised by the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood are rooted in the character of our wider adult culture and that children need both protection from a range of harms, and knowledge of different kinds, appropriate to their age, understanding and experience. Parents have the primary role here but others have a responsibility to play an active part too, including businesses, the media and their regulators. Above all, however, we believe that a truly family-friendly society would not need to erect barriers between age groups to shield the young: it would, instead, uphold and reinforce healthy norms for adults and children alike, so that excess is recognised for what it is and there is transparency about its consequences. The creation of a truly family-friendly society is the aspiration: in the meantime, we need a different approach. Reg Bailey’s recommendations are: Ensuring that magazines and newspapers with sexualised images on their covers are not in easy sight of children. Retail associations in the news industry should do more to encourage observance of the voluntary code of practice on the display of magazines and newspapers with sexualised images on their covers. Publishers and distributors should provide such magazines in modesty sleeves, or make modesty boards available, to all outlets they supply and strongly encourage the appropriate display of their publications. Retailers should be open and transparent to show that they welcome and will act on customer feedback regarding magazine displays. Reducing the amount of on-street advertising containing sexualised imagery in locations where children are likely to see it. The advertising industry should take into account the social responsibility clause of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) code when considering placement of advertisements with sexualised imagery near schools, in the same way as they already do for alcohol advertisements. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) should place stronger emphasis on the location of an advertisement, and the number of children likely to be exposed to it, when considering whether an on-street advertisement is compliant with the CAP code. Ensuring the content of pre-watershed television programming better meets parents’ expectations. There are concerns among parents about the content of certain programmes shown before the watershed. The watershed was introduced to protect children, and pre-watershed programming should therefore be developed and regulated with a greater weight towards the attitudes and views of parents, rather than viewers as a whole. In addition, broadcasters should involve parents on an ongoing basis in testing the standards by which family viewing on television is assessed and the Office of Communications (Ofcom) should extend its existing research into the views of parents on the watershed. Broadcasters and Ofcom should report annually on how they have specifically engaged parents over the previous year, what they have learnt and what they are doing differently as a result. Introducing Age Rating for Music Videos. Government should consult as a matter of priority on whether music videos should continue to be treated differently from other genres, and whether the exemption from the Video Recordings Act 1984 and 2010, which allows them to be sold without a rating or certificate, should be removed. As well as ensuring hard copy sales are only made on an age-appropriate basis, removal of the exemption would assist broadcasters and internet companies in ensuring that the content is made available responsibly. Making it easier for parents to block adult and age-restricted material from the internet: To provide a consistent level of protection across all media, as a matter of urgency, the internet industry should ensure that customers must make an active choice over what sort of content they want to allow their children to access. To facilitate this, the internet industry must act decisively to develop and introduce effective parental controls, with Government regulation if voluntary action is not forthcoming within a reasonable timescale. In addition, those providing content which is age-restricted, whether by law or company policy, should seek robust means of age verification as well as making it easy for parents to block underage access. Developing a retail code of good practice on retailing to children. Retailers, alongside their trade associations, should develop and comply with a voluntary code of good practice for all aspects of retailing to children. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) should continue its work in this area as a matter of urgency and encourage non-BRC members to sign up to its code. Ensuring that the regulation of advertising reflects more closely parents’ and children’s views. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) should conduct research with parents and children on a regular basis in order to gauge their views on the ASA’s approach to regulation and on the ASA’s decisions, publishing the results and subsequent action taken in their annual report. Prohibiting the employment of children as brand ambassadors and in peer-to-peer marketing. The Committee of Advertising Practice and other advertising and marketing bodies should urgently explore whether, as many parents believe, the advertising self- regulatory codes should prohibit the employment of children under the age of 16 as brand ambassadors or in peer-to-peer marketing – where people are paid, or paid in kind, to promote products, brands or services. Defining a child as under the age of 16 in all types of advertising regulation. The ASA should conduct research with parents, children and young people to determine whether the ASA should always define a child as a person under the age of 16, in line with the Committee of Advertising Practice and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice codes. Raising parental awareness of marketing and advertising techniques. Industry and regulators should work together to improve parental awareness of marketing and advertising techniques and of advertising regulation and complaints processes and to promote industry best practice. Quality assurance for media and commercial literacy resources and education for children. These resources should always include education to help children develop their emotional resilience to the commercial and sexual pressures that today’s world places on them. Providers should commission independent evaluation of their provision, not solely measuring take-up but, crucially, to assess its effectiveness. Those bodies with responsibilities for promoting media literacy, including Ofcom and the BBC, should encourage the development of minimum standards guidance for the content of media and commercial literacy education and resources to children. Ensuring greater transparency in the regulatory framework by creating a single website for regulators. There is a variety of co-, self- and statutory regulators across the media, communications and retail industries. Regulators should work together to create a single website to act as an interface between themselves and parents. This will set out simply and clearly what parents can do if they feel a programme, advertisement, product or service is inappropriate for their children; explain the legislation in simple terms; and provide links to quick and easy complaints forms on regulators’ own individual websites. This single website could also provide a way for parents to provide informal feedback and comments, with an option to do so anonymously, which regulators can use as an extra gauge of parental views. Results of regulators’ decisions, and their reactions to any informal feedback, should be published regularly on the single site. Making it easier for parents to express their views to businesses about goods and services. All businesses that market goods or services to children should have a one-click link to their complaints service from their home page, clearly labelled complaints. Information provided as part of the complaints and feedback process should state explicitly that the business welcomes comments and complaints from parents about issues affecting children. Businesses should also provide timely feedback to customers in reaction to customer comment. For retail businesses this should form part of their code of good practice (see Recommendation 6), and should also cover how to make it. Ensuring that businesses and others take action on these recommendations. Government should take stock of progress against the recommendations of this review in 18 months’ time. This stocktake should report on the success or otherwise of businesses and others in adopting these recommendations. If it concludes that insufficient progress has been made, the Government should consider taking the most effective action available, including regulating through legislation if necessary, to achieve the recommended outcome.