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The Media Influence
 Jean Kilbourne, author of Can't Buy My Love, says that sexual violence against women and girls is "encouraged and normalized" in our culture. Even worse, she adds, these images eroticize violence.
Through television, advertising and music videos, teenagers are being hyper-sexualized. Girls get the message that men who dominate them are sexy, and boys get the message that it's cool to treat women disrespectfully. Teenagers are conditioned to falsely believe that advertising reflects the real world.
Kilbourne suggests looking at media images with critical eyes. If you have a teenager, ask her how she interprets what she sees. Are women presented as strong, smart and in control? Or are they sexualized, silenced and dominated? Talking to your teenager will help her become "media literate" and less susceptible to dangerous media stereotypes.
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