Hetero-Romantic Love and Heterosexiness in Children's G-Rated Films

Abstract

In this article, the authors examine accounts of heterosexuality in media for children. The authors analyze all the G-rated films grossing $100 million dollars or more between 1990 and 2005 and find two main accounts of heterosexuality. First, heterosexuality is constructed through hetero-romantic love relationships as exceptional, powerful, magical, and transformative. Second, heterosexuality outside of relationships is constructed through portrayals of men gazing desirously at women's bodies. Both of these findings have implications for our understanding of heteronormativity. The first is seemingly at odds with theories that claim that heterosexuality's mundane, assumed, everyday ordinariness lends heteronormativity its power. In fact, the authors suggest heterosexual exceptionalism may extend the pervasiveness of heterosexuality and serve as a means of inviting investment in it. The second offers ways to begin to think about how heteronormativity is gendered and racialized.

Representation of Romantic Love in Children's Drawings: Age and Gender Differences

“…This developing representation of romantic love can be related to various sources of influence in children's socio‐cultural environment. Children can develop beliefs by observing their parents’ relationships or portrayals of romantic love, which are pervasive in the popular media (Martin & Kazyak, ; Ward, ). It is also possible that older children had already been involved in a romantic relationship (Buhrmester & Furman, ; Carlson & Rose, ; Hatfield et al., ), leading them to a more elaborate representation of romantic love.…”

“…Note that these normative expectations are also conveyed by children's popular media (Signorielli, ; Ward, ; Ward & Harrison, ). For instance, although gender roles portrayed in children's movies have changed over time and trend toward more egalitarian representations, feminine characters are still often depicted as domestic, sweet and concerned with appearances (England, Descartes, & Collier‐Meek, ; Martin & Kazyak, ).…”

Getting “Bi” in the Family: Bisexual People's Disclosure Experiences

“…By heteronormativity we mean the assumption and privileging of heterosexuality in everyday life (Jackson, 2006;Kitzinger, 2005;Martin & Kazyak, 2009). Heteronormativity may operate distinctly for bisexual people because their identity includes the possibility they may have a different-sex romantic partner (Ochs, 1996).…”

Gender Differences in the ABC’s of the Birds and the Bees: What Mothers Teach Young Children About Sexuality and Reproduction

“…It is likely that these connections are elaborated through many arenas of young girls' socialization, from media involvement to play with peers. For example, young girls' media includes much information about princesses, falling in love, and marriage (Martin and Kazyak 2009;Witt 2000), and girls' routinely play house, family, babies, dolls at home and in their early peer cultures (Martin 1998;Best 1983). These are venues for a gendered sexual socialization.…”