The stereotype of a sexualized hollywood image has often been overlooked because of the glamour and formality of the red carpet. By challenging reporters and fans to ask more of the nominees and guests than their physical appearances, Amy Poehler aims to combat this stereotype and recognize actresses and artists for heir achievements leading up to the red carpet experience, and for just being themselves.
A recent study connected my childhood views and aspirations to this sexualized female stereotype (Stone, Brown, & Jewell, 2015). In this study, 208 elementary school children in Kentucky were shown four images of female dolls, two of which were "sexualized" and two of which were "nonsexualized" according to their clothing and appearance. The children were individually asked a series of questions about the doll's traits including athleticism, intelligence, popularity, etc. The children then rated each doll on a scale from "not very much" (1) to "very much" (4). Results portrayed that sexualized girls were perceived as significantly more popular, less athletic, and less smart than the nonsexualized girls. After rating the dolls on these traits, the children gave explanations of why they rated the girls accordingly. Regarding popularity, explanations discussed the "fanciness" and "expensiveness" of the clothing on the sexualized girls that made them appear popular. In rating athleticism, some children referred to the type of clothing on the sexualized girls as being unsuitable for athletics, thus the girls appeared to be uninterested in sports. Lastly, regarding intelligence, some explanations attributed a lack of focus to the fancy or revealing clothing. The perception of a greater focus on appearance resulted in the sexualized dolls seeming significantly less smart than the non sexualized girls(Stone, Brown, & Jewell, 2015).
In hindsight, my elementary school self watching the red carpet events was envying the most attractive and sought-after celebrities in the most extravagant dresses and with the cutest dates. Curiosity about Shakira's favorite book or role models probably never even crossed my mind as her gown sparkled and twirled into my soul. The sexualized stereotype of women was confirmed in my mind over and over as the stars smiled for the cameras and bragged about their garb.
With a push from Amy Poehler and the Ask Her More movement, this stereotype can be diminished and we can shift the focus of the media to aspects other than mere sex appeal.
Sophia Chaves
Reference
Stone, E. A., Brown, C. S., & Jewell, J. A. (2015). The sexualized girl: A within‐gender stereotype among elementary school children. Child Development, doi:10.1111/cdev.12405
Yes! Amy Poehler and her twitter are AMAZING! The study you shared was awesome, and I think it helped highlight a really important point: kids are being exposed to more hyper-sexual images at younger ages. I mean, my old Barbie dolls look super conservative compared to some of the Barbies and Bratz dolls today. Characters in TV shows for kids are dressing and even acting more adult-like and "sexy" too. There's tons of exposure to this kind of thing, so it's easy to see how many young girls are getting caught up in sex-appeal and the surface glamor of celebrities. There's been a lot of attempts to move away from this though, as seen in your example of Amy Poehler's Smart Girls and even Barbie, who has a great new advertisement ("Imagine the Possibilities"). Nice job!!
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