Bad Girls Rule”: an Interdisciplinary Feminist Commentary on the Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls Kari Leruma; Shari L
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Dworkinbc a Department of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, University of Washington, Bothell b Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco c Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco To cite this Article Lerum, Kari and Dworkin, Shari L.(2009) '“Bad Girls Rule”: An Interdisciplinary Feminist Commentary on the Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls', Journal of Sex Research, 46: 4, 250 — 263 To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/00224490903079542 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224490903079542 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.informaworld.com/terms-and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH, 46(4), 250–263, 2009 Copyright # The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality ISSN: 0022-4499 print=1559-8519 online DOI: 10.1080/00224490903079542 ARTICLES 1 ‘‘Bad Girls Rule’’ : An Interdisciplinary Feminist Commentary on the Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls Kari Lerum Department of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, University of Washington, Bothell Shari L. Dworkin Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco; and Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco Feminist, critical, and postmodern scholars have long recognized sexuality as a site of power relations. The recently released Report of the APA (American Psychological Association) Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls is a welcome addition to ongoing feminist and acti- vist conversations on how to intervene on issues of sexuality in the name of girls’ and women’s health. This article offers a critical interdisciplinary analysis of this influential APA report, expanding on and challenging several of its main claims. This article critiques the report as over-determining the negative impact of sexualization; offers other literatures as critical additions including feminist literature on media, consumer culture, gender, and the body, and earlier ‘‘pro-desire’’ feminist psychology scholarship; and critiques the task force’s con- flations of objectification and sexualization. The article concludes with a call for broadening feminist scholarship and activism across disciplinary boundaries to emphasize girls’ and women’s sexual agency and resistance, as well as sexual health and rights. On February 20, 2007, the American Psychological the role and impact of race=ethnicity and socioeconomic Association [APA] published the Report of the APA status. The Task Force will produce a report, including Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (available at recommendations for research, practice, education and www.apa.org/pi/wpo/sexualization.html). An appoin- training, policy, and public awareness. (APA, 2007a, Downloaded By: [University of Washington] At: 22:56 15 February 2011 ted task force of six psychologists and one public p. 1) member joined together to fulfill the following charge: This particular report followed on the heels of several APA stances and policy resolutions that were presented The Task Force will examine and summarize the best over the past few years that have been critical of the psychological theory, research, and clinical experience 2 addressing the sexualization of girls via media and other impact of media on children and youth. The authors cultural messages, including the prevalence of these mes- of this newest APA report were thorough and ambi- sages and their impact on girls, and include attention to tious, analyzing approximately 280 peer-reviewed jour- nal articles, 80 books and book chapters, and dozens of other sources.3 1‘‘Bad Girls Rule’’ is one of several phrases inscribed on the front The APA (2007a) task force defines sexualization as a page of the American Psychological Association task force report, with condition that occurs when a person is subjected to at the intent of illustrating and critiquing slogans that sexualize girls. Other terms include ‘‘good girls do bad things,’’ ‘‘flirty baby,’’ ‘‘hot chick!,’’ ‘‘hottie,’’ and others. We borrow this slogan for our title to 2Recent American Psychological Association positions are con- suggest that this phrase and others like it can evoke more than one type cerned with the negative impact of violent media (including video of feminist interpretation. games) on youth and the negative impact of advertising on young Correspondence should be addressed to Kari Lerum, Department children. of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, University of Washington, 3Other sources included newspaper and magazine articles, unpub- Bothell, Box 358511, 11136 NE 180th St., Bothell, WA 98011-1713. lished manuscripts, conference papers, dissertations, organizational E-mail: [email protected] reports, and documentary films. THE SEXUALIZATION OF GIRLS least one of the following four conditions: interpretation of sexualization is framed by broader (North American) discussions around sexuality. Sexual- 1. A person’s value comes only from his or her ity and girlhood are topics that command significant sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of attention from numerous stakeholders.4 Each of these other characteristics. constituencies is diverse both within and across their 2. A person is held to a standard that equates positions on what the ‘‘problem’’ is with sexuality and physical attractiveness (narrowly defined) with girlhood, and each differs in their assessment of who being sexy. stands to gain or lose when girls are sexy, sexual, and 3. A person is sexually objectified—that is, made sexualized. For example, in the United States, the into a thing for others’ sexual use, rather than United Kingdom, and elsewhere, social conservatives seen as a person with the capacity for indepen- have long been concerned with keeping girls’ and dent action and decision making. women’s sexuality confined within racialized, classed, 4. Sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a and patriarchal boundaries (Hill-Collins, 1990; Hooks, person. (p. 2) 1984), resulting in campaigns to keep girls and women (hence, family, race, and nation) pure of sexual The task force concluded that the sexualization of ‘‘corruption.’’ girls is pervasive in U.S. culture and that this negatively For different reasons, feminists too have a long impacts girls’ ‘‘cognitive functioning, physical and history of activism concerning girls, women, and mental health, sexuality, and attitudes and beliefs’’ sexuality, sometimes resulting in awkward alliances with (APA, 2007a, p. 2). The authors provide numerous pos- conservatives. While feminists and conservatives often sible interventions to reverse the incidence of girls’ sex- hold opposing positions, many in both camps bristle ualization and its negative impact. against the notion of sexuality as a marketplace good. The APA task force report is a welcome addition to This joint discomfort with commodified sexuality is par- ongoing conversations about constructions of sexuality ticularly evident among those who take stances against and girlhood, particularly in relation to commercial sex work, as was the case in the anti-pornography work media. While recent APA interest in media has focused of the 1980s and 1990s (Dworkin, 1989; MacKinnon, on how violent media images negatively impact children 1987, 1993) and contemporary anti-trafficking activism and youth, this particular report articulates how con- and legislation (Chapkis, 2005). The APA task force temporary psychological literature can explain how sex- joins this opposition to commodified sexuality by speci- ualized (but not necessarily violent) images negatively fically identifying the similarities between mediated (e.g., impact girls and women. In an historical time and place advertisements) and material (e.g., prostitution) forms where people’s understanding of themselves and the of selling sex: ‘‘[G]irls and women in prostitution are world is increasingly ‘‘mediated’’ by multimedia messen- by definition sexualized—objectified and treated as sex- gers (de Zengotita, 2005), this report is important and ual commodities’’ (APA, 2007a, p. 17). The language of timely. Additionally, by providing this