Tweens

tweengirls_11.jpgAt Abercrombie & Fitch, little girls were sold thong underwear tagged with the phrases “eye candy” and “wink wink.” In Britain, preschoolers could learn to strip with their very own Peekaboo Pole-Dancing Kits — complete with kiddie garter belts and play money. And ‘tween readers of the magazine Seventeen discovered “405 ways to look hot” like Paris Hilton.

This kind of sexualization of ‘tween girls – those between the ages of 8 and 12 — in pop culture and advertising is a growing problem fueled by marketers’ efforts to create cradle-to-grave consumers, a University of Iowa journalism professor argues in her new book. [continue reading…]