Sexy Inc. Our Children Under Influence
7.84
Ratings: 7.84/10 from 89
users.
Bissonnette's documentary analyzes the hypersexualization of our environment and its noxious effects on young people.
Psychologists, teachers and school nurses criticize the unhealthy culture surrounding our children, where marketing and advertising are targeting younger and younger audiences and bombarding them with sexual and sexist images.
Sexy Inc. suggests various ways of countering hypersexualization and the eroticization of childhood and invites us to rally against this worrying phenomenon.
...it's gender equality or anti-sexism. ... saganist... those aren't proper terms either. The real term used to describe total true equality is egalitarianism. Unfortunately, too many people today overlook at that term and call themselves by other names... i.e. Feminism, BLM, SJWs, MGTOW. These groups aren't for total equality, because they only focus on isolated incidents. They don't focus on the whole picture on what truly causes inequality. They all overlook at Classism, which to me is the byproduct of our monetary-market system which profits off on all human misery, pain, suffering and death. All this misery, pain, suffering and death can be linked to the faulty, outdated principles of the monetary-market system. This is why I despise and avoid the agenda and people within the Feminism, BLM, SJWs, MGTOW groups. Feminists blame men for the problems women face... BLM blame white people for the problems black people face... SJWs blames everyone who isn't like them for the problems they face.... MGTOWs blame women for the problems men face... when will these *beep*ing clowns realize that these aren't isolated incidents or problems... they are human problems created from the monetary-market system that profits off of them.
And THIS>> is why i say yes it is true that being a Demisexual makes you a better person inevitably.
Bravo! Bravo! For many years I've felt the pendulum swinging too hard in several areas of society and this one scares me for both genders. These are things that have always (rightly!) been of concern & topics of conversation but it's getting harder & harder to fight the wave of sexual saturation. How do you teach a child that "this" is acceptable & true when "that" surrounds them at every they turn? I don't understand how we got this way when EVERYONE knows it's wrong. Is it truly a handful of people re-shaping our society?
AMAZING AMAZING DOCUMENTARY! Thank you! Really! Thank you so Much! As a muslim Girl, I've always known that the image projected about women nowadays is not approriate! It's like detaching a women from who she really is, and projecting her a sexual object! If us, young people can identify the problem with Ads today, kids are not able to do that. Some people are held back by Religion from watching inappropriate websites, or selling themselves for free, but kids are only kids. They are still building their personality, and their perspective about life, and if they grew up watching stuff like that; I can predit the consequences. I was SHOCKED when there was no difference between porn pictures, and " normal" ads. It's a clear corruption of people's minds. I wish I can do something! I wish we can do something, I wish somebody can do something...
Men are as deeply affected by this same, over sex-saturated money-oriented, culture as women are. Do you think little boys are born looking at women as sex objects? Do you feel women are born that way? I've met many men who don't buy into it, and many women who empower this stereotype.
Chauvinism is no better or worse than feminism. Really the opposite side of the same coin. Feminism while having done some good things in our world, is also responsible for a great many problems facing our society as well. The vilification of men is one of them. I'm not down playing the inequality that is evident in history, I am suggesting that the demonizing of male sexuality is not a solution. I have no problem with feminism, and chauvinism can be a good thing as well. Chauvinism, is deeply related to chivalry, and that was actually a good set of moral guide lines for the era in which it developed. Nor do I always hear chicks complain when guys open the door for them, pick up the tab, initiate the action in a relationship.
Today, boys are as deeply affected by this trend of "sexy" we see in the world. They're being educated by commercialism and normalcy (in both men and women) to see things in a certain way. Men have also become sex objects in this modern age. My ex - broke up with me, and one reason she kept giving was my lack of a "6 - pack" abs. Hmmmm..... no objectifying in there. Sadly, today, men will be blamed for her issue.
I loved the documentary. It draws attention to some really burning issues. I loathe our sex-saturated money-oriented culture in which girls wear padded bras to look alluring and have the audacity to use sexually explicit language. I'd hazard we still live in a male-driven world. Male chauvinism has only changed its face from "stay at home, don't receive education" to "show your tits to prove your value". Appalling.
Men and women are both pressured to conform to what society idealized as masculine and feminine. I think whatever guys do whatever it may be, even cooking and cleaning, is masculine. The same for women, whether it is construction or repair or what have you...whatever they do its feminine. This idea that one is only this or that is so limited and constrictive...no wonder our species as a whole (sexism is a human phenomenon issue) is stuck and hasn't really evolved or grown much. Nature rewards differences, why can't we humans see that change is good that differences and not limiting roles and such benefits our species survival for the future. Just imagine how advanced we would be as a whole (forget society, culture, etc; its about the human species, your species), if we weren't so constrictive with the human made notion of gender, race, ethnicity etc and the roles that are placed/focused upon because of those notions.
A good example would be this scenario between me and my man. If I earned more than he does, he said he would be the stay-at-home husband. However, if he earned more, I would be the stay-at-home mom. We share the same ideals, that someone needs to be the knight that guards the fortress (home security/ home maker), while the other knight fights off the enemies and protects the land (work to pay the expenses). The knight who guards the fortress protects and trains the future knights (looks after and educates the kids). Restrictive gender roles don't permit the person who is stronger for that role to do his/her job. Based on gender roles, my man shouldn't cook, even though he loves it and is a professional at it. Gender roles limits the family and therefore the whole society into evolving and advancing itself in a better position. Sometimes men aren't meant to be always the one to provide income, just as women aren't always the one to be home makers. :) Occupations/ roles ought to be given and done by those who are best at it. Gender roles don't allow for that to occur thus cause tension for everyone... and that's where the wars/arguments amongst the sexes starts. Allow the people to chose what is best without ridicule and you have a helpful household, thus peaceful society.
Hard to stand out? I always stood out as a teen and even more so as an adult. It's called dressing and acting ...being yourself. I loved to study, at a generation of kids who view being educated as uncool, so I stood out like a stubborn nail that won't hammer in. I also have the genes that make me look younger than I do. I still stand out in society. I'm 30 yrs old, but look 16 yrs old. O_O I have to live with this. I use to hate it because when I was a teen I look like 6 to 8 yrs old. I now like the young genes. Its still painful because I have the awkward preteen body. My face is that of a 16yr old. Its difficult but I accept it now. Took me forever to do so. I wanted to NOT stand out. Everything I tried I still stood out as a teen. >_> I just have to accept the fact that I have an appearance that people just want to look at and that I stand out, regardless.
ok okay, yes its true but c'mon, Pink a sexualized color? As an artist, pink is a color i fell in love with after having my two girls.....as a disenfranchised punk...pink meant to me acceptance, finally, of womanhood and everything that came along with it. This doc, while making valid points, is a little extreme in the messaging. My girls are raised to know the truth, about ads, tv, sex, females........media is only as strong as parental involvement......btw, spell-check wants to change "sexualized" to "serialized"...go figure....
I have two girls and I know that media, especially music video's and the celebrities you idolize shape how you want to dress, act, dance etc. You are looking for your identity and your looking the impress boys and you want attention and you want to be accepted but to what extremes. Seeing this documentary is really sad that our society is so sexually charged about everything. There is no sensory in public. I know as a parent we have to sensor but when they are bonbarded daily by images plastered on billboards or on magazines its hard to shelter them. I guess the only thing as a parent we can do is let them know that media is not realistic and that it doesn't portray the truth about women or men. That we don't have to look or dress like the pictures they see. That is ok to be different and to be themselves. Good doc. Thanks for sharing. If all parents could raise their children with good morals and values and help them to see that they don't have to be what they see on tv, I wonder what that would be like.
By looking at this,i really do feel proud to be Muslim.
I see the western-world is somehow seeing their own exploitation of women .Like they say Muslim women are oppressed and stuff, but what this shows is exactly where the problem of the west lies.
Imagine how bad the kids are going to be coming from this young generation today obsessed with fufilling the image of porn stars.
the future is by no means bright and these ******* marketing pimp scumbags outta burn for it.
Boring... sex is an issue because we are animals. If you want to be considered more, be considered more. It's the marketplace that makes demands such stuff. Girls will say, i'm complex, blah blah blah, but then you see them at the bar dancing like sluts. then they say it's just cus they like to dance.
As a liberal, feminist, 18 year old girl who has witness all of this first hand in both small and large school systems, and has both an insider (as in being part of the demographic this infuriating crap is forced on for most of my life) and an outsider (as in being totally uninterested in sex by orientation), I have to say a lot of the comments completely missed the point.
Yes, there are tons of girls who don't buy into the sexism and are okay with being themselves. Unfortunately, they really are a minority. Because of gender socialization and brainwashing, not to mention peer pressure and many young boy's total lack of respect for women, a lot of otherwise smart, confident girls are sucked in and dehumanised by this infuriating culture we're all forced into. My slightly older sister, the twelve year old I look after, and almost all of my school mates (including those several grades under me) are prime examples of this.
Also, despite being asexual I am very pro sex for others, but only in situations that are healthy mentally and physically for all those involved. I don't think that any of what the media is trying to instill in children of all ages is either of those.
I really like this documentary, but... like what Scott Tramposch had written before me, I feel that the children seem to be exploited in this film. The creators are just as bad as the industry they're protesting against. The kids are being exploited because the creators are imposing and forcing their own beliefs on the kids. We don't know whether these kids are forced to believe that a lady in her underwear is bad or the images they're seeing is bad. How do we know these kids aren't being manipulated into the further right (conservative) propaganda, just as the media manipulates them into the further left (liberal) propaganda? BTW I think both sides are full of themselves and people need to go back being critical thinkers and stop this gang mentality childs' play.
One thing I do agree with the documentary... kids should be kids. I'm disgusted right now with how kids are pushed into play dates and scheduled after school nonsense. They're not allowed to explore for themselves what they really like and to use their imagination. Kids ought to chose for themselves who they should play with and when. My siblings and I never had a play date while growing up. Our cousins would come over whenever they felt like it and we played out for hours on end in the backyard (swimming pool, tennis, racket ball, basketball, baseball, stunt driving with the powerwheel on the ramp... etc). We would play outside till it got dark and then played more inside with our toys or played Nintendo games. Video games was strictly a night time event.
As for the topic of taking about sex with kids, I was fortunate enough to have such a great mom who taught me and my siblings about our changing bodies, puberty, and sex since the time we started to go to school (kindergarten). My mom was especially detailed about it with me, due to my autistic tendencies and ways. She didn't want anyone to take advantage of my overt friendly persona. Now just because I grew up with that and given that information at that age don't mean that it should be done to every child. After all every child is different with different family backgrounds and traditions. As a teacher and seeing how cruel the country is at parents and their parenting skills, I'm a firm believer that parents should be given back their power over their children, regardless if the rest of us may feel differently about that way of parenting. We're not the ones providing a roof, clothing and food for that child, the parents are. I agree parents ought to choose whether their kids ought to be taught about their changing bodies and sex at school or not, regardless of anyone elses' own beliefs, including my own.
One thing I really dislike about this doc. is how it portray kids as innocent empty shell beings with no sexuality... are you kidding me? >_> Who here remembers playing "you show me yours and I'll show you mines" games? I remember seeing a penis for the first time during first grade. It was at the back of the bus. Really sweet boy too. I knew exactly what I was looking at. I wasn't dumb. I gotten my hands on some high level science textbooks from my older brother. I mean seriously... I knew I liked boys more than the girls, and thought that if I hanged out with them more I would know them and win them over. I saw hanging out with girls as a waste of time. I was quite a sexual child, but that's because I took advantage of the open opportunities that were given to explore and understand, not just my own body, but the bodies of others as well. Kids aren't these robotic beings... they know and understand sexuality quite more than what the media and these people give them credit for. They just need to look back into their own childhood and see that they weren't little saints when they were growing up.
After watching the show and reading all the comments I found the comments to be more interesting because they were more balanced and informative, but I found it difficult to formulate an opinion on the matter. It bothers me to see children watching TV in America because I watch how it effects them in the way they talk and play, as well as in the questions they ask and the choices they make. Of course I would prefer they watch something educational, but what passes for education these days is just as frightening. I want our kids to fit in well with society but ignorance should not be the price to pay for that. They sent the fourth graders home with a consent form to teach them sex edudcation, or the alternative to sit in another class for the day if the parents didn't want their children to be aware of sex just yet. I appreciate that, but I wish they also would have given us the chance to decide whether they get taught the real history of the USA, or just the officially sanctioned version of it. I detest most of the music videos the kids are watching these days but I pretend to be casually not interested, and I have to admit that they are often more realistic than the news. Personally, I don't enjoy consuming sexually suggestive market hyped products, and I would never become a sex ed teacher in todays climate, but I will answer their questions regardless of what inspires them, and I will encourage them to show respect for one another regardless of the degree of sexuality they decide is appropriate as they navigate the modern world. It's not for me to decide if they find nudity and sex to be beautiful or horrifying. Perhaps hiding it from them may make them want it more and understand it less. I don't know. What is natural, normal or necessary today? I can't tell how it is in Canada, but in the USA it is now considered somewhat obscene for a man to remove his shirt in public, even on a hot day. Would the people who made this "documentary" attribute that to a widespread problem with obesity? Would they suggest that it is evidence of double standards? Media money knows us better than we know ourselves. There are reasons they don't use images of sexy women to promote war, but I will need more than my whimpy little double digit IQ to figure that one out. However, I find it most interesting that the last scene of this video showed how they exploited young children by making them put clothes on an advertisement to try to influence the opinion of those who would exploit adults by undressing them to influence the opinion of children. It suggests that the entire film may be exploiting children to advance the moral opinions of the producers. Who is exploiting who? Think about this the next time you tell your kids they can watch TV after they finish their homework.
As a 16 year-old currently and being exposed to this on a daily basis, this plight which adults seem so worried about just... Isn't. At least not in the proportions they were speaking of. By looking at the media and women half-naked parading around piss drunk hooking up with enough guys to assure them herpes. It's something to laugh at. Because we are aware that what they are doing is beyond stupid. It's amusing to dress like that for Halloween but most girls with a triple digit IQ realize it's not reality. Nor will it be.
On the topic of Bratz... Come on guys! I liked them because they had sparkles. Jeez. I'm not going to become an anorexic pole-dancer. It's like saying that Barbie is trying to make girls want breast implants because she has big boobs, uh, no.
And finally, I agree with some of it, or I would have not watched the whole thing. It's true expectations for relationships have changed. But... It isn't as cut and dry as they make it appear.
This documentary is not an effective one at all. Whether people choose to acknowledge it or not, a major part of human sexuality has been and always will be looks. I think the most beautiful girls are those who are confident with themselves! Teenagers, because of hormones, are at their lowest when it comes to self-esteem. What we all should do is teach girls to love themselves and cherish their sexuality! Sex should not equate with fear, rather sex should be looked at with common sense and then embraced as something completely and totally natural.
I can see why ex-feminists are so upset: they fought really hard for women's emancipation and now their slogans are being usurped by marketing pimps.
But they shouldn't worry too much. No girls with an iq above 80 (that is forrest gump standard) would agree that pussycat dolls are about girl power!
I think south park did a much better job than madame bissonnette on the subject matter - the episode on paris hilton (stupid spoilt whore) expresses everything I want to say, just better!
Don't forget all the hormones and chemicals in our food that cause young girls to get there cycle at age 11 now- instead of 14 or 15 like it was 70 years ago.
Everything promotes growing up fast.
At the appropriate age girls should be taught to cherish there sexuality and not give it out on to the first boy that they kiss.
The problem is we shelter girls to much in one way and not enough in the other...
That is not to say that women should neglect their sexuality and hide it away like some shameful secret; it just shouldn't be what makes up their identity.
Western Society has managed to progress in making sex a problem. The problem is not Sex itself, but the repression of it, the same creative force that links us to the mysteries life and Death. The Westernization of Sex has equally made men and women psychologically fragmented, depriving them of their innate, natural expressions, that of being rooted in Nature. What we have here is a Sibling Society that has eased to mature beyond the stage of Adolescence, unconsciously grappling with dark forces of Maya beyond their control.
What a patronising documentary. I am a 19 year old female, I am not image obsessed, having sex like a porn star, suffering from an eating disorder or suffering with depression!!
This is sensationalist, none of the teenagers i socialise with are affected by hypersexualised images to an extent that it impacts their day to day lives...
What a patronising documentary. I am a 19 year old female, I am not image obsessed, having sex like a porn star, suffering from an eating disorder or suffering with depression!!
This is sensationalist, none of the teenagers i socialise with are affected by hypersexualised images to an extent that it impacts their day to day lives...
I am 25 year old woman. I have several problems with this doc. As someone pointed out in comments below this feels like anti-sex propaganda. I thought we've gotten past that long time ago, like in the 60's.
There is also lots of little things that annoyme too like why are all the women speaking of this "problem" middle aged, unattractive, slightly overweight? Do they feel threatend or what? Most of the commercial pics in this doc shows women in their 20's not children or teens. Music has always been about sex one way or another, I don't really listen to any music that isn't about having good time. Seeing people dancing with no clothes on makes me feel happy for them havin good time not my self feeling ugly. Although I hate bratz dolls the reason why they are so popular is because they're cute, has lots of things and clothes to collect and are glittering, colorful etc that kids are instantly attracted to. I wish someone would have bought me a bratz bra so I would felt good about getting breasts and not ashamed.
I could probably go on like this with every scence in the whole doc but I'll spare you. English isn't my first language so please forgive the spelling mistakes etc.
We have so covered up the female and male body, that an ideological documentary such as this can make sense, if one is uncritical. Hypersexuality is not the problem, but the dominant anti-sexuality trend of post-modern, politically correct society. It's not the children, nor the adults, but a certain ideology, that makes this video wrong: humans, from day one, are sexual beings, as is all life. It's called reproduction/self-replication. This video strikes me as a "Born Again Christian" free-message-video, aka "Born Again Sexual-Puritanism 60's Feminism Outdated" type of documentary. LOL