“In Hollywood I am not sure a 13-year-old is really a 13-year-old”

First published on FRC blog

by Jeanne Monahan
January 18, 2010

I have watched with horror over the last few months stories of the most heinous crimes committed against young girls. Two that come to mind include the story of Shaniya Davis, a five-year-old in North Carolina who was sex trafficked by her mother and then allegedly kidnapped and killed by a friend of the mother. America watched the grim video, taken from hotel security cameras, of the accused man carrying Shaniya into a room. A similar dark story involves the kidnapping and death of Sarah Haley Foxwell, an eleven year-old from Salisbury, Maryland, who was taken from her bedroom by a registered sex offender on December 22. Her body was found in nearby woods on Christmas Day.

As an aunt to two young girls, the horrific nature of these crimes haunts me. I wonder how and why these kinds of disgusting acts seem to be occurring with more regularity in our culture and assume that major components involve an increase in child pornography, an overall depiction of the ideal beautiful woman in popular media as being very young, and a general insensitivity to the seriousness of sexualizing young children.

Onto this backdrop I want to draw attention to the deeply offensive statement recently made by Washington Post TV Critic Tom Shales. Ironically, Shales was in the process of an online discussion about the cultural impact of TV when he made the following comment in defense of Roman Polanski’s rape of a 13-year-old, “There is, apparently, more to this crime than it would seem, and it may sound like a hollow defense, but in Hollywood I am not sure a 13-year-old is really a 13-year-old.”

Comments such as Tom Shales’ are not funny and are definitely not harmless. Quite to the contrary, attitudes such as this create a culture in which young women are objectified as sexual objects, not as human beings with inherent dignity.

Most Fascinating Catholics of 2009

Every year in January we find "Top 10" lists circulating in the news, on the radio, and on websites and blogs. Among the other Top 10 lists you'll read this month, we wanted to share Lisa Hendey's "Most Fascinating Catholics of 2009", a list she posted on her Faith and Family blog. ENDOW has known Lisa since September 2009 when she interviewed Terry Polakovic for a Catholic Moments podcast about ENDOW. On her list of the Most Fascinating Catholics, we find very dear to our ENDOW hearts the names of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM, Cap. and Sr. Prudence Allen, RSM! Click here to see the complete list.

Our Mother, Ourselves

Catchy title, Our Mother, Ourselves. This blog caught my eye because of the title. As I read on, I clicked to see the picture, which happened to be one of my favorites. But it is the last paragraph that says it all. By the way, this piece was written on January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. I can’t think of a better way for us to orient ourselves to a new year than by meditating on the place of our Blessed Mother in our lives and resolving to emulate her motherly example.
A blessed and happy New Year to one and all!
Terry

By Kathyrn Jean Lopez

The image is of a young woman in her bedroom. If you can tell from a portrait that a young woman is beautiful and pure, through and through, you can see it here. She looks like someone you’d want to know, at any time of your life. Young children would be drawn to her. If you’re college-age, she looks like someone you’d want to be friends with. This is the woman the guy who knows what’s good for him is going to want to ultimately settle down with. If you’re the parent of a college-age child, this is exactly who you want your child to hang around with – and would benefit yourself from having around. She’s unassuming, human in real and recognizable ways, complete with some rumpled bed sheets. She sits open and honest and listening and ready to begin the rest of her life in this moment, which could really be any moment.

Read the rest here