A huge place we see gender socialization is in the media. I am focusing more on younger kids, but it can be seen throughout all types of media. In the first link below there is a little video that shows pieces of Disney movies. When kids are younger Disney movies are a very popular form of entertainment. As the video shows, the characters in the movies show kids how they should act based on their sex.

The girls are usually in need of a man to come save them. There are almost no cartoon movies based on succesful women. The idea of women staying home and cleaning the house is seen in a lot of the films. For the boys watching the movies, they get the idea that they need to be strong and not afraid. The heros in the movies are always men, and they always have big muscles. Usually the end of the movies comes down to two men fighting for the women. Whoever is the stronger of the two, will win the girl. Women are seen more as objects for men.

Almost all disney princesses wear pretty dresses, and are poliet. They are seen as innocent. The men have fit bodies and usually have their muscles showing. The men are seen as more powerful than the women.  It gives young girls the idea that they should be pretty, thin, and dress in girly clothes. Boys get the impression that they need to be able to fight, and also be fit. Disney movies is just a small example of media socializing gender. It is seen through tv shows, commercials, advertisments etc. I also included a link to a page on gender socialization through toys since we have recently been discusing that in the forum.

http://www.feministfatale.com/2008/10/gender-socialization-in-the-media-from-childhood-to-adulthood/

http://www.inforefuge.com/gender-roles-media

http://www.unc.edu/~dcderosa/STUDENTPAPERS/childrenbattles/toysrusdenise.htm

In the past 30 thirty years childhood obesity has more than tripled. As of 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight. Childhood obesity has a lot of health risks, and can be very dangerous.  Over the past few years people have been speaking about the issue more and more.

Between 2003 and 2005 in California, a policy was placed that sodas and other high sugar drinks were to be eliminated from schools. The policy also included that schools were no longer allowed to sell junk foods. To monitor if taking away junk foods from schools had an effect on childrens’ weight, researchers used eight years of BMI (body mass index) from students in fifth to seventh grade. The study showed the BMI rates from the years before the policy was in place, and years after the policy was in.

The research showed that before junk food was banned from the schools, the BMI of all the students was increasing. The number of overweight students was significantly reduced within the three years after the policy came into effect. The study was also compared to similar research done in Lost Angles. The results they had also showed a decrease in overweight students after monitoring what was available for students at school. Changing how kids eat at school saves them a couple hundred calories a day, which is enough to make a difference in the long run.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/bans-on-school-junk-food-pay-off-in-california/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100302083500.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm