1. family and parenting
2. children

Hypersexuality in Children’s TV
When Barbie seems to be too fat
Dr. Maya Götz
www.izi.de,
www.prixjeunesse.de
International Central Institute
for Youth and Educational Television (IZI)
PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL
Strong girls in children’s TV
Children’s TV is diverse and there are strong interesting girl
characters.
© NICK
© Junior.TV GmbH
© Disney
© ZDF- Kiddinx
© Disney
Children’s Television Worldwide
Nevertheless, looking at them with a broader perspective, as we have
done in the “Children’s TV Worldwide Study” in 2007, some clear
inequalities in the depiction of girls and boys become visible.
Analysis in:
24 countries
2.367 hours of explicit children’s television
9.207 shows
26.332 characters (fiction)
15.503 human characters
Source: Götz et al 2008, 2012
Children’s Television Worldwide 1:
Gender Representation (n=shows)
Canada
N=168
Norway
N=84
UK Netherlands
N=522 N=457
Hungary
N=312
Belgium
Slovenia
Germany
N=586
N=589
N=580 Austria
N=631
Israel Syria
N=534 N=57
Egypt
N=271
USA
N=737
Cuba
N=364
Brazil
N=168
Argentina
N=47
Kenya
N=207
South Africa
N=982
Central China
N=452
India
N=243
Hong Kong
N=269
Malaysia
N=49
Australia
N=475
Source: Götz et al 2008, 2012
New Zealand
N=423
Sex of the main characters
32% females / 68% males
Canada
35/65
Norw.
42/58
Netherl.
32/68
USA
33/67
UK
37/63
Cuba
20/80
Hung.
Germ. 33/67 Sloven.
29/71
31/69
Austria
Belgium 31/69
34/66
Syria
39/61
China
31/69
Egypt Israel
29/71 37/63
Brazil
32/68
Kenya
33/67
India
36/64
Hong Kong
35/65
Malaysia
23/77
Argentina
19/81
females
males
Source: Götz et al 2008, 2012
South Africa
30/70
Australia
31/69
New Zealand
35/65
Body
Waist/Hip:
0,81
Among other things, we analyzed the body shape of the animated main characters.
We used typical measurements of attraction research, like the wait-to-hip-ratio. A
slim and healthy body is around 0.8 – like the body of the model on the left. The
“ideal” 90-60-90 body dimensions – which nearly no woman has – would have a
ratio of 0.7.
The „global girls’“ body
waist-to-hip ratio (n= 102)
Naturally possible
Naturally not possible
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,6
0,7
0,8
0,9
1,0
1,1
1,2
1,3
1,4
Waist-Hip-Ratio
Result:
Source: Götz/Herche 2012
• 3/4 of all global girls in animation have a
wasp-to-hip-ratio that children can never
ever reach.
• 2/3 are even thinner than Barbie
(who has 0.6)
And what about the boys and their
waist-to-shoulder ratio?
The „global boys’“ body
waist-to-shoulder ratio (n= 102)
Naturally not
possible
0,2
0,3
Naturally possible
Result: A few are hypersexualized,
but most body shapes are naturally
reachable.
0,4
0,5
Source: Götz/Herche 2012
0,6
0,7
0,8
0,9
1,0
1,1
1,2
1,3
1,4
1,5
1,6
>1,6
Waist-Shoulder Ratio
Comparison of
the „global boys’“ body (waist-to-shoulder; n=102) and
the “global girls’” body (waist-to-hip ratio; n=102)
Naturally not possible
0,2
0,3
0,4
0,5
0,2
Source: Götz/Herche 2012
0,6
0,3 0,4
Naturally possible
0,7
0,8
0,5 0,6
0,9
1,0
0,7 0,8 0,9
1,1
1,2
1,0 1,1
1,3
1,4 Waist-Hip-Ratio
1,2 1,3 1,4
1,5
1,6
>1,6 Waist-Shoulder Ratio
Do children want a sexualized body?
© ZDF- Kiddinx
Source: Götz 2008, 2012
© Kiddinx
Presenting these findings in 2008
together with Geena Davis in
Hollywood, the first reaction of the
producers and channel managers was:
“But this is what children want! Look
at the sales figures of Barbie.”
But is that really true? We tested it!
We took the character “Bibi
Blocksberg” where you normally can’t
see the body - only in one picture from a
picture book. We “slimmed”
(narrowed) and “fattened” (broadened)
her body dimensions.
Do children want a sexualized body?
© Kiddinx
WHR 0,57
WHR 0,8
WHR 0,87
We asked n= 1.055 3- to 12-year olds (representative sample):
How should Bibi look like?
Source: Götz 2008, 2012
Do children want a sexualized body?
© Kiddinx
100%
80%
70,1%
70,6%
60%
40%
20%
16,1%
10,3%
9,6%
13,5%
0%
WHR 0,57
Source: Götz 2008, 2012
WHR 0,8
WHR 0,87
girls
boys
Do children want a sexualized body?
© ZDF- Kiddinx
Source: Götz 2008, 2012
© Kiddinx
The results had an effect!
The day after the presentation of the
results already, the first characters (of
public broadcasters) were designed in
a more naturally way, another
commercial channel stopped ordering
a series with hypersexualized
characters and more examples of this
type followed.
This experience as best practice or: what can you learn from this?
We need research in order to break up stereotypes by means
of daily experience in TV. Therefore we need:
• global monitoring on children´s TV and gender roles. So
far, there is only one study of 2007 – which is outdated
meanwhile
• research in order to offer opposition to the
presuppositions of producers
• ways to bring those insights into practice for example by
means of workshops
• research to qualify the public discourse and political
positions with respect to gender equality
© Junior.TV GmbH
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© International Central Institute for Youth and Educational Television (IZI)
July 2013