Gordon Clay here. This is part II of a three part series on the Sexualization of Girls.

According to the American Psychological Association 's report, sexualization may negatively affect girls by:

• Making it difficult for them to concentrate on schoolwork and other tasks because they're distracted by how they look
• Causing emotional problems, such as shame, anxiety and self-disgust. Sexualization is linked with the three most common mental health problems in girls and women: eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression.
• Creating unrealistic and/or negative expectations about sexuality and interfering with normal, healthy sexual development as girls grow into women.
• Encouraging girls think of themselves purely as sexual objects.

The sexualization of girls can have an impact on society in general. It encourages sexism, discourages girls from pursuing careers in science, math, and technology, and it increases sexual harassment, sexual violence and the demand for child pornography.

So what can parents do?

• We need to work with the media to encourage them to show more positive, healthy images of women and girls. If they won't do it voluntarily, then we need our government to step in.
• We need to create alternative images of girls that they can look up to and that speak to who they are rather than how they look. Images of girls participating in sports or school clubs, or doing community service, help them understand that they're more than sexual objects.
• Schools need to teach "media literacy" skills to families and students so girls can learn to look more critically at what they see — and realize that they don't have to believe or buy into the images they see.

Tune in two weeks from today for Part III - More suggestions for parents.