Getting Beyond Lolita

Images of sexy young girls permeate contemporary popular culture, from children's cartoon shows such as Winx Club, with characters dressed in tube tops and hot pants, to the Bratz line of dolls marketed to young girls with the tagline "Girls with a passion for fashion." Durham (journalism, Univ. of Iowa) examines how girls' sexuality is portrayed in various media and argues that it is our ethical responsibility to challenge popular representations to create a more balanced, healthy, and emancipated view of girls' sexuality. She goes on to identify five core myths that make up the "spectacle" of girls' sexuality: exhibitionism attracts male interest, only unrealistic and unhealthy body shapes and sizes are sexy, the younger the girl the sexier she is, sexual violence is exciting and appealing, and girls need to fulfill male fantasies and desires. The discussion of each myth includes recommendations for interventions, e.g., to counter sexual violence she suggests using group discussions, inviting an expert to speak, using visual and Internet tools, and involving boys in the issue. Specific resources are recommended in the text and also listed at the end of the book. Offering strategies for action that will be of interest to parents, teachers, and other professionals working with girls, this book is a good addition for both public and academic libraries.—Judy Solberg, Seattle Univ. Lib.

Levin (education, Wheelock Coll.; Remote Control Childhood? Combating the Hazards of Media Culture) and coauthor Kilbourne (Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel) have cultivated their credentials as experts on media influence and children's development. As the title promises, this book delineates formative social influences promoting premature sexual knowledge and behavior in young children. Among examples of the "new sexualized childhood," the authors emphasize the well-established fact that manufacturers take advantage of children by pushing sexually suggestive products such as Barbie and Bratz dolls, eliciting child sexual behavior. A more useful feature is the sage advice to parents. By emphasizing ongoing discussion and communication between parents and children, this work provides strategies for helping children, particularly adolescents, thread their way through the minefields of societal and peer-reinforced sexuality. Comparable to Susan Linn's Consuming Kids: Protecting Our Children from the Onslaught of Marketing and Advertising, this book is recommended for all public libraries.—Lynne Maxwell, Villanova Univ. Sch. of Law Lib., PA