“I am Adora, He-Man’s twin sister and defender of the Crystal Castle. This is Spirit, my beloved steed. Fabulous secrets were revealed to me the day I held off my magic sword and said ‘For the honor of Greyskull….'”
These lines open one of the most famous animated programs of the mid-1980s: “She-Ra: Princess of Power.” Growing up, I loved She-Ra; she was the first strong heroine I’d met since my pre-school days watching Lynda Carter’s “Wonder Woman.” My brother criticized me for watching She-Ra at the time, feeling that as an eighth-grader, I was much too old to watch the show. I disagreed then and now; “She-Ra” is perhaps most empowering to junior high/middle school girls with lessons of female independence, strength, integrity, and intelligence. We need more “She-Ra” programs to help girls and young women succeed as adults. The original mid-80s animated programs like “She-Ra and “He-Man” are some of the best programs young people can watch.
So imagine my surprise on Saturday June 9 when turning on “She-Ra” on a local station and seeing advertisements not for toys or cereal, but for PROSTATE CANCER drugs – complete with graphic illustrations of the male anatomy. That ad was followed by law firm ads talking about very adult topics like wrongful death in car accidents. Among all the adult advertising, I almost expected to see advertisements for erectile dysfunction and for the numerous options for birth control. They were really truly quite adult, enough to make me, at age 40, blush.
Since when are we showing young girls pictures of male reproductive anatomy? Granted, today’s girls aged 10 to 16 know more about sex than I did growing up in the 1980s. But is that REALLY appropriate? Do we need to keep pushing this sexual bar so that girls never get to be innocent?
The high rates of child molestation and domestic violence strip too many children of their right to be innocent. Too many children have sexual experiences when they should be learning language and math skills and even how to contribute to the necessary chores and handcrafts of the household.
When girls should be learning how to take care of themselves as adults, why are we teaching them about male reproductive dysfunctions during the hours of the week most classically allocated towards children’s programs?
In fairness, the station did show a handful of PSAs telling children to brush their teeth and to go outside to play. But these ads somehow lose their power when we are showing adult ads during children’s programming, a time when few adults watch television in favor of their (young) children. Must parents keep their children even from child-centric programs now?
It is time we restore children to childhood. Leave discussions of erectile dysfunction and contraception to the adults and high school adolescents. We need a space on broadcast television that is truly kid-safe and kid-friendly. No adult violence, no adult health programs, no sexually-charged advertisements, all of which can trigger memories of abuse suffered and undermine mental health. On the weekends, kids need to be able to watch television without mom and dad present, safe and secure that they can just be who and how old they really are.
