Women’s Centre holding June 2 discussion on hyper-sexualization impact

Using parts of a documentary called Generation M (Misogyny), the Tri - County Women’s Centre (TCWC) will host a discussion on the devaluing of women and girls in mainstream media on Tuesday, June 2, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at 238 Main St.

Organizers at the centre believe the issue is reaching a critical mass.

Hyper-sexualization of commercial products aimed at girls, the explosion of violence in video games aimed at boys, and the sexist rants of hip-hop artists, are examples of the rising problem.

The TCWC wants parents and community to start talking about it. The term hyper-sexualization is used to describe the manic need in mainstream media to market products through distorted sexual messaging. “We want to encourage parents/guardians and community to develop their understanding and thinking about what is happening around this issue and ways to talk to their children about how these negative messages impact the daily lives of women and girls as well as men and boys” said Lynn Comeau, a board member at the centre. “How our femininity gets defined and how the hateful attitudes toward women get constructed through the media, impacts women and girls’ status and safety,” said project coordinator Kirsta Morris. “We need to confront the dangerous real-life consequences of this form of misogyny (women-hating). The devaluing of more than half the population based on gender is not acceptable and together we can do something about it,” she said.