Human Dignity

There’s a big difference between seeing yourself as a human being instilled with dignity, and seeing yourself as an object. Sadly, the world of advertising is pounding our kids with a non-stop deluge of images that support a self-understanding that’s more like the latter than the former. Our kids are being taught to objectify others, and to be objectified themselves. For a long time, females have been portrayed as “eye candy” and “boy toys.” They’ve learned that their value and worth has been based on what they look like and how they serve the needs of others as sexual things. Now, the pressure’s being felt by our boys as well. When you get hammered with these messages from birth, they’re bound to stick. You should be committed to helping your teen not only identify marketing’s stereotypes, but to consciously and thoughtfully process them out loud in a way that leads them to realize how far these images stray from God’s order and design. Teach your kids about who they are in Jesus Christ.