NON-FICTION GUEST REVIEW: M G Durham: The Lolita Effect

ON paper, a book about the media sexualisation of young women written by a mother of two little girls, who also specialises in Feminist Studies at the University of Iowa, sounds fairly predictable.

You can guess at the acidic criticism of demon magazine editors and satanic marketing executives before even reading the preface.

M G Durham, however, defies expectations in her debut book, The Lolita Effect.

She goes far beyond simply criticising manipulative media industries - instead, evaluating their inevitable effects and developing strategies to create positive outcomes from their influence.

Structured around the five media constructed myths she believes perpetuate the sexualisation of young girls in global society, Durham's in-depth analysis offers a deconstruction of how female sexuality is portrayed within the media and our reticence to deal with its prevalence and power.

Tackling many forms of press and popular culture, she discusses the pitfalls of teenage sexuality in an increasingly adult world and exposes the true horror of what it can mean to be young, female and sexual today.

With tales of mini pole dancing kits sold by Tesco, thongs for ten year olds on offer at Abercrombie and Fitch and the terrifying extent of child sex trafficking of East Asia, Durham exposes the dangerous link between apparently harmless commercial ploys and the very real threat of child abuse and sexual exploitation.

However, Durham's stance on sexual activity amongst young people is progressive; she is keen to express her embracing attitudes towards healthy sexual relationships whilst maintaining that young girls, and boys, should not fall prey to media coercion into having them.

Nonetheless, she does recognise the importance of media in terms of education and entertainment for younger generations and rather than adopt a utopian ideal of a world free from media influence, she promotes the importance of critical media analysis instead.

By enabling our teens to evaluate media for what it is, a lucrative industry based on persuasion and image, she hopes to help teens and pre-teen children make informed decisions about sex; separating sexual fact from fiction.

Durham interestingly also tackles subordinate themes of the Lolita issue, such as the roles of homosexuality and violence in the depiction of today's sexual society - brave terrain that the author discusses with confidence.

A very balanced text overall, Durham's only fault is occasionally going to extremes in her accusations of sexualistion; while Barbie and Bratz Dolls are clear examples of the unrealistic demands placed on female physicality in order to be sexually desirable, accusing Ariel the Little Mermaid of encouraging promiscuity by wearing a bikini seems a step too far.

She does after all have a tail, and a sturdy one-piece wouldn't quite accomodate it.

The author does occasionally also twist fact to suit her argument, such as her claim: 'Male bodies are never on display for women.'

Even the most feminist of women would struggle to deny glancing at the very scantily clad models in Calvin Klein adverts from time to time.

This aside, Durham offers a comprehensive and interesting text that will prove useful for parents, teachers and girls alike in the struggle against an increasingly explicit world of media that bombards us with sex, as if it were sugar.