Young Female Sexualization in the Media

Scholarship on the depiction of female adolescents in the media largely says that they are objectified, hyper-sexualized, and utilized as spectacles for the public; but, scholars have yet to consider the sexualization that girls do to themselves in forms of “body-positivity” and “self-love” movements. This research addresses this gap in the literature by analyzing the social media posts of a 19-year-old Instagram Model utilizing the feminist media scholar method. This research project will be employing the following questions to explore this female adolescent dichotomy is: 1.) Does the media encourage promiscuity of female adolescents or the protection of female adolescents\u27 sexuality? and 2.) At which point does bodily acceptance become a form of self-sexualization rather than representation of self-confidence?” Despite the empowering nature of today’s culture, “body-positivity” becomes a form of self-objectification due to the misconstrued depictions of what should entail in body acceptance