OK... first let me point that that this image is from a book that exists on Amazon that TEACHES PEOPLE HOW TO MARKET TO KIDS. That's totally horrific to me.... especially given this new information that's out:
Today, Media Life magazine reports on a new British study that asserts marketing messages are contributing to children's feelings of being unable to keep up, as well as to stress and anxiety. Among boys, the report cites record levels of mental health problems, along with bullying and fighting.
Among girls, it contends the slim, leggy, clear-complexioned women portrayed favorably by marketers are leading to lower self-esteem.
A few interesting quotes:
“I think for us the thing that came out of the research that we did was the vast scope and intensity of marketing to children,” says Zoe Williams, campaigns officer at Compass [the org that led the study].
“Our concern is the effect it is having on children’s physical and mental health and how it is affecting their aspirations,” she says. “Children are more interested in having the right gear than in wanting to do something a bit more productive.”
***** Hmmm... sounds a LOT like the arguments I've made against celebrity hype... that it's not fame and glamour and modeling and stardom that are inherently bad. It's that our cultural focus on them is too intense, and as a result it's really easy to get derailed from one's own interests and ideas etc.....
Recent Comments