In an interesting article published in the Charlotte Observer recently, a mother of three bemoaned the fact that sexually suggestive material was everywhere she went—and it both embarrassed her and "made her sick." Her young boys were exposed to provocative pictures on TV, in the mall, and on the Internet. This woman raised the question of why society doesn't seem to care about the rampant hard sell of sexuality to our young people.

It's hard to argue with her when she points out how widespread the problem truly is. In a land where sex is used to sell everything from cars to toothpaste, one can't avoid getting through a day without being barraged by sexual images.

Remember the ad a few years back for shoes with a well-known television personality sitting on a toilet, panties down to her ankles? A new low was reached with that one. A more recent commercial for a famous yogurt had two young women speaking about how eating the product was better than being in pain—the presumption was that they were referring to some sort of painful sexual experience. Seeing that negative commercial prompted me to write to the yogurt company, requesting that they rethink the value of airing that type of ad. I haven't seen the commercial on television since, so maybe the company saw the light and pulled it off the air.

This brings me to the underlying question: As a society, don't we care that sex is shoved in our faces in a ubiquitous fashion? If we do care about it, why don't we speak up and attempt to change it?

One can argue that, as adults, we are entitled to view just about whatever we choose. But for a modest adult like the mother in Charlotte, it can be quite offensive to see a steady diet of scantily clad people on television shows and commercials, magazine ads, and posters in the local mall.

For our preteens and young teenagers, viewing sexually suggestive material is too much, too soon. In a recent clothing ad for a local major department store, the preteen girls were wearing low-slung pants with plenty of midriff exposed. The current style? You bet—but what does that say about fashion designers' thoughts about young girls? And consider the thong underwear made for preteen girls by the famous upscale catalog company. Yes, it's for real—but why? Is the purpose of these manufacturers to exploit young children?

If you are uncomfortable with the prevalence of sexually provocative materials in our society, you can take steps to speak up about it. You can contact companies that air, publish, or post sexually explicit ads and messages. Your wallet can speak volumes as well. By choosing not to spend your money on products from companies using over-the-top sexual content, you can make a difference.

© Kathy Sanborn
Life Channels Staff Writer
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