Kayci Jones
2.1 Module Summary
This week I learned about the experiences for youth when they see their first sexual image. A study revealed that most girls saw their first sexual image by accident. On average, these girls saw their first sexual image when they were 9 years old, but ranges between 2.5-20 years old. Typically, these girls were at home or at a friends house when they first saw these images. Young boys typically viewed their first sexual image at about age 8, usually in elementary school but can range from 3.5-17 years of age. Like most girls, the boy participants said they were also at home or at a friends house when they first viewed a sexually explicit image. I also learned how parents play a role in informal sex education. Often times children find their father's sexually explicit magazines or images on their computer, closet, or under the bed, or they saw images in their mother's lingerie catalog. Parents are sometimes not open to communication about sexuality and do not monitor what their child does all the time, and with sexually explicit images easily available, it parents become a resource of their child's informal sex education. I learned about parenting education programs available through schools, religious organizations, or social service agencies, that inform and prepare parents to communicate efficiently with their children about the positives to sexual development, possible consequences and dangers of sexual acts, and sexual exploitation.
References:
Allen, K. R., & Lavender-Scott, E. S. (2015). Family Contexts of Informal Sex Education: Young Men's
Perceptions of First Sexual Images. Family Relations, 64(3), 393-406. doi: 10.1111/fare.12128
Lavender-Scott, E. S., & Allen, K. R. (2017). Young Women's Reflections of Viewing a Sexual Image for
the First Time. Sex Roles, 77(9-10), 628-638. doi: 10.1007/s11199-017-0764-9
2.3 There's A Word For That
a woman who is ambitious, independent, unencumbered, autonomous, self-serving, in command, and unapologetic such as a businesswoman who owns her own company
views of an individuals based on the culture they live in, such as the view that women are sexually passive
a dislike for women based solely on their gender, such as secluding women from a meeting at work
material that shows unconcealed genitals and includes oral, vaginal, and anal penetration, found in adult, hardcore, or XXX pornographic productions
material featuring nudity and may involve intimate touching or sexual intercourse, such as kissing/touching while nude
the depiction of sexual matters in indirect ways, such as using non-explicit objects or images to represent genitals
sexualized content that is embedded within a larger context of nonsexual content, such as scenes in a movie where people reference sexual interactions without being in one
References:
​
Allen, K. R., & Lavender-Scott, E. S. (2015). Family Contexts
of Informal Sex Education: Young Men's Perceptions of
First Sexual Images. Family Relations, 64(3), 393-406.
doi: 10.1111/fare.12128
Lavender-Scott, E. S., & Allen, K. R. (2017). Young Women's
Reflections of Viewing a Sexual Image for the First Time. Sex
Roles, 77(9-10), 628-638. doi: 10.1007/s11199-017-0764-9
​
​
2.4 Sorting Things Out
How did study participants react to their first encounter with a sexual image?
References:
​
Allen, K. R., & Lavender-Scott, E. S. (2015). Family Contexts of Informal Sex Education: Young
Men's Perceptions of First Sexual Images. Family Relations, 64(3), 393-406. doi: 10.1111/fare.12128
Lavender-Scott, E. S., & Allen, K. R. (2017). Young Women's Reflections of Viewing a Sexual
Image for the First Time. Sex Roles, 77(9-10), 628-638. doi: 10.1007/s11199-017-0764-9
​
​
2.6 Considering the Options
One insight into the socialization of emerging male and female sexuality regarding informal sex education is when sexually explicit material is readily available in the context of the family. One example would fathers’ or brothers’ stash of magazines or images containing sexually explicit content. This material can be found in the nightstand, closet, bathroom, or on the computer which makes it easily accessible to young, curious children. Another example could be finding their mother's lingerie catalog. Flipping through the channels on television can yield the same results as magazines or catalogs, making it very simple for children to come across sexual images in everyday locations. Inadequate communication about sexuality and a lack of parental monitoring is another insight into the socialization of emerging male and female sexuality through informal sex education in the context of family. Many of the participants in this study were in their home environment unmonitored when they found their first sexual image. This suggests that many parents may assume that their children will find out about sex on their own and be able to comprehend the sexual images they see, which takes away the need for parents to communicate with their children about sexuality. When parents tell their child to look away during an inappropriate scene in a movie but don’t enforce it and they peak anyway, it is an apathetic attempt to intervene which stems from the same idea that their child will find out about sex eventually, so why bother. Children in turn grasp the concept that it is inappropriate but not a big deal to view sexual images. I give priority to the insight on the lack of monitoring and communication about sexuality. Communicating with children about their sexuality makes them more knowledgeable and responsible. Monitoring their phone, computer, and television ensures that they have fewer opportunities to access sexually explicit images. While parents cannot control billboards or signs displaying sexual images outside of the home, internet monitoring and communication about their child's sexuality inside the home is a start. This information can be useful to me when educating and helping parents prepare for their child's questions about their sexuality.
References:
Lavender-Scott, E. S., & Allen, K. R. (2017). Young Women's Reflections of Viewing a Sexual
Image for the First Time. Sex Roles, 77(9-10), 628-638. doi: 10.1007/s11199-017-0764-9
Allen, K. R., & Lavender-Scott, E. S. (2015). Family Contexts of Informal Sex Education: Young
Men's Perceptions of First Sexual Images. Family Relations, 64(3), 393-406.
doi: 10.1111/fare.12128