The sexualization of preteen girls’ fashion is a concern in America. Girls are given the opportunity to wear clothing that accentuates and reveals their figures. They are encouraged to dress in styles shown by the media, most especially in popular fashion magazines. For this study, I looked at Teen magazine from 1960 to 2005 and performed a content analysis using advertisements and fashion spreads from the months of April and September. I measured provocative dress, as defined by Kennedy, identified specific characteristics that increased the image’s sexual nature, and ran descriptive statistics on the data pulled.
The history of the preteen dress, adolescent development, and the marketplace was explored. Research showed that an intense focus on appearance led to self-objectification and a lack of attention on other activities, including school and play. According to the APA Taskforce on the Sexualization of Girls, preteens became sexualized when their values came from their sex appeal. The increase in provocative preteen apparel could be indicative of more relaxed social attitudes.
The results of the study showed a subtle, but progressive increase in provocative fashion in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The majority of the provocative images reported were published after 1985. Fifteen characteristics were
analyzed, but only those with the highest numbers were discussed. The number of accentuating garments, exposed breasts, exposed legs, and low waistbands reported often reflected the era’s most popular fashion trends. Results also showed an increase in the number of characteristics reported over the time span of the study.