Going back 10 years to the 12 year old girl, there’s a good chance she didn’t have more than 50p pocket money – so advertisers weren’t that interested in her. But now she’s bombarded with all sorts marketing. In recent years consumer industries have rocketed as a result of targeting a younger consumer with more cash and freedom. As the saying goes, ‘money makes the world go round’ and as globally aware journalist Eric Schlosser says in his bestseller, ‘Chew on this’, the market place agenda is: ‘Consumer now, consumer forever’. Hey and the younger the better right?
We are not supposed to be happy with ourselves. Satisfaction doesn’t spin cash. Because if we love ourselves as we are, why would we want to buy Max Factor’s Volume Couture Mascara? Why would we need a wonder bra, or expensive pink GHD’s? We’re all subject to the same kind of brainwashing; alienated into thinking that in order to be happy, we have to look, act and dress a certain way. As Lily Allen points out in ‘Everything’s just wonderful’, “All the magazines, they talk about weight loss, if I buy those jeans, I can look like Kate Moss.”Maybe then we’ll get what we want. And the media is always giving us ways to do this, to mimic adults while we’re still young. With the accessibility of adult freedoms such as booze, cigarettes and drugs we can start mimicking early. Most high street retailers, such as Topshop and Primark, aim their clothing lines at teenagers, and have you seen the clothes they sell? ‘Kate Moss’ hot-pants and heels!
We can easily grab a copy of Sugar or Sneak – which is essentially a ‘women’s magazine’ aimed at young girls. Headlines such as “How to pull that boy” “I sleep with celebs to make money” and “How to bitch” shout at you from magazine stands. With makeup tips and free posters of air-brushed rich and famous ‘fitties’, joining ads for sexy underwear and high heels.
Is it it’s not hard to see why most of us are so self-obsessed with adult behaviour and looks?. This sexual imagery makes us ladies believe that our power should lies in our material beauty and ability to seduce.
When I was ten, I came home from school with a copy of Sneak. After explaining to my mum that I had seen it on TV, she took it from me and threw it in the bin. At the time, I was upset and didn’t understand why she wouldn’t let me read it. I was little and I thought I knew it all. It’s only when we‘re older do we know that sometimes (only sometimes!) our folks were right or that actually the saying “the more you know, the more you realise you don’t know” is true. But while we’re young, it’s all, in the words of Eminem “Preacher, preacher, 5th grade teacher; You can’t reach me, my mom can’t neither; You can’t teach me a goddamn thing; ‘cause I watch TV on Comcast cable.”
And speaking of cable, it’s access-all-areas for our generation. It’s no surprise to see film and TV, with more adult themes, being beamed into our homes regularly. We’ve become so used to it that it’s now customary to see seduction, titillation and thrill seeking around every corner. The internet is full of it too – one wrong turn and you could end up on the receiving end of obscene pop-ups. Then there are the communication possibilities with chat rooms, MSN and social networking sites that allow young people to showcase themselves to anyone.
The most damaging thing about being exposed to all this toxic trash is the concept of sex. Never before has sex been so openly publicised to children. The message is clear… if you wanna be liked, treated like an adult, feel like an adult, be admired and respected, then loose your virginity and fast! Going back to the unnamed girl who was ‘raped’, we can see that the story is not so black and white. Both the man and the girl were victim and criminal. The man was lied to, but perhaps he didn’t want to know the reality when it was so easy to believe otherwise. He must now live with a criminal record and the guilt of what he did.
The girl lost her innocence for freedoms she wouldn’t have 10 years ago and will probably regret where society has taken her so young. I remember trying on my mums shoes when I was little. I liked the sound of walking in high heels. It was good fun, play acting. But losing our innocence is one act we can never go back on. Most of us are in that awkward little slot of life where we’re are neither children nor adults. Naturally that makes us feel confused and vulnerable. Essentially, no one can tell you what to do. People can influence, control,brainwash and manipulate you – but at the end of the day, you’re your own person. You make your own decisions. That’s the real key to becoming an adult.
By Sarah Kabar