UCLA Center for the Study of Women

Directing and co-producing "Commodifying Lolita: The Hypersexualization of Tweens in America" gave my group the opportunity to combine media literacy discourse, feminist theory, personal artistic expression and activism. I also learned how to use the media as a catalyst for discussion, education and social change. Examining the hypersexualization of "tweens" (girls between the ages of 8 and 12), our film reveals a connection between the hypersexualization of young girls and the prevalence of pedophilia in the U.S. Why, our film asks, does a society that claims to oppose pedophilia and child pornography market images that promote the sexual exploitation of young girls?