Milkshakes, lady lumps and growing up to want boobies: how the sexualisation of popular culture limits girls' horizons

This article explores research evidence on the harmful impact of sexualised popular culture on girls and young women, and draws implications for the Every Child Matters (ECM) framework (Department for Education and Skills, 2004). The key theme is how sexualisation narrows girls' ‘space for action’, their aspirations and achievements by re‐defining femininity and beauty as of most importance, but also the negative impact on sexual relationships and interactions, with a specific focus on portrayal of black girls and young women in terms of the intersection of race and gender. Recommendations are made for a gendered analysis of sexualisation to be incorporated into ECM indicators and relevant policy measures.