Sexualisation can negatively affect the mental and physical well-being of a person, especially the most vulnerable among us. Health psychologist Priscilla Muscat tells Stephanie Fsadni how the media are delivering the wrong messages to teens and are influencing their sexual behaviour.

Selfies of teenagers striking sexy poses have inundated platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

A poster for singer Rihanna’s new perfume was last year banned from places where children were likely to see it in the UK, because of the sexually suggestive image of the pop star. It was only one of a string of adverts that raised controversy for overtly sexual content. Critics and experts from different fields say such images are inculcating the perception that we need to be attractive to make it in life and fuelling the so-called ‘sexualisation’ of teens.

Sexualisation occurs when a person’s value comes from his or her sexual appeal and excludes other characteristics. This phenomenon can have a severely negative effect on the mental and physical well-being of a young person, besides affecting their sexual behaviour, says health psychologist Priscilla Muscat.

“Over the last few years, the media has become replete with sexualised images in advertorials, magazines, reality TV shows and across social media platforms,” claims Muscat.

Some messages are explicitly sexual, while others may be implicitly so, such as a slogan with sexual overtones or a car advert featuring a seductive woman in a sexy outfit.

“Research shows that such images deeply affect teens and, particularly, young women. These are helping push forward the concept that a woman has to be sexy all the time and ‘sell’ herself as an attractive person. So there’s this focus on aesthetic attributes rather than other, more important qualities, such as intelligence.”

As a result, individuals may be missing out on an important phase of their life – childhood.

“Between the ages of 12 and 13, a girl is expected to be sexy rather than play and be carefree. This has severe implications in the their development, and the repercussions may be felt later on in life.”

Girls, especially, have become more vulnerable to ‘self-objectification’ – which happens when they internalise an observer’s perspective to their physical selves and learn to treat themselves as objects to be looked at and evaluated for their appearance.

“This can start in the early teens and continues until the mid-20s or even further,” says Muscat. “They may believe they have to be appealing everywhere they go. This can have a massive impact on self-esteem and self-worth and may lead to mental health problems, especially eating disorders and depression.”

This is not a completely new phenomenon. The idea of the perfect physique has lingered since the invention of Barbie, adverts and glossy magazines, but social media have pushed self-objectification to new heights.

They may believe they have to be appealing everywhere they go. This can have a massive impact on self-esteem and self-worth

Selfies have inundated platforms such as Facebook, with images of young girls wearing skimpy outfits and striking sexy poses becoming widespread.

“Social media have created high levels of expectation on how teens should look, causing undue pressure on them,” says Muscat.

Cyber-bullying is on the increase, and youths may openly tease to harshly criticise a peer for his or her physical aspect.

“A girl may pose in a bikini and peers would comment on how fat she looks. This may lead to feelings of shame and low self-esteem.

“Overweight youths – and this health issue is of major concern locally – may believe it is more difficult to find a boyfriend and are not worth loving. In extreme cases, low self-esteem can lead to self-harm.”

Besides, sexualisation can also have a profound effect on sexual behaviour. Research shows it has been linked to promiscuity and the urge to ‘experiment’. This has been exacerbated by chatting and sexting, where youngsters can easily engage in sexually charged conversations or send sexually explicit photos through mobile apps like WhatsApp or Snapchat.

Sexualisation has also affected young men’s perception on their partners and the role of sex in a relationship.

“Some magazines have increased males’ expectations of how their partner should be: she should not be just pretty but also sexually appealing. There’s also this added need for intimacy, even from a young age. And if one does not manage to get what he wants, he can be derided.”

On the other hand, there’s the increased perception among women that intimacy is a must in a relationship and that they have to adhere to or comply with a man’s desires.

“Thus they may find it difficult to say ‘no’ to sexual advances. Studies in fact show that very few people are actually capable of doing so, especially when threatened that the relationship could end if they do not comply. Very often, they are not mentally prepared for sexual activity but simply let go,” says Muscat.

“Due to this attitude to sex, a person may also take time to realise that she’s in an abusive relationship, and that the relationship is based on just the physical aspect and thus has no solid foundation.”

These problems should be tackled through sound sex education, asserts Muscat.

“Locally, sexual health is still a bit taboo. Despite it being promoted, I think we’re still a bit in denial. We’ve started tackling contraception, but sex education is also about teaching kids to stand up for themselves and learn how to say ‘no’ when necessary. Apart from unwanted pregnancies, they also need to learn about sexually transmitted diseases.”

She says that sex education may be more complicated in co-ed schools.“It has to be handled with care. It may be particularly problematic because boys and girls develop at different ages.”

However, responsibility falls, first and foremost, on parents.

“Parents who realise that their children are sexually active or are willing to be, should teach them to be cautious and take the necessary precautions. One cannot be in denial. Open communication with your children is very important.”

Muscat also urges more balance in the media, whereby the different platforms should promote intelligence, the value of education and self-actualisation, rather than push forward sexualisation.

“Media campaigns should, for example, focus on the need to be and look healthy rather than sexy,” she says. “A number of such programmes have been implemented in the US, where intelligence, career and sports were highlighted.”

A public policy on sexualisation would also help, Muscat adds.

People working closely with youths, such as teachers, doctors and youth workers, should refer troubled youngsters to professionals such as counsellors and therapists.

“Often, youths with mental health problems seek help when it is too late. More lives could possibly be saved if there would be more open communication between youths and their guardians.”

• Priscilla Muscat is a health psychologist specialising in the role of psychological interventions in the treatment of chronic illness.