Contemporary girlhood: Maternal reports on sexualized behaviour and appearance concern in 4–10 year-old girls

•A large survey of over 800 mothers was conducted.•Many 4–10 year-old girls engage in ‘grown up’ or potentially sexualized behaviours.•Engagement with teen culture, use of beauty products, and attention to clothes emerged as unique predictors of appearance concern.

It is widely accepted that the sexualization of girls has increased markedly over time. The overall aim of the present study was to offer a description of the behaviours of young girls, with a particular focus on potentially sexualized behaviours and appearance concern. A sample of 815 mothers of 4–10 year-old girls completed a questionnaire about a range of behaviours exhibited by their daughters, in addition to measures of their own self-objectification and material concern. It was found that many girls engaged with teen culture and used a variety of beauty products, but few exhibited more overtly sexualized behaviours. Involvement with teen culture, using beauty products, attention to clothes, and personal grooming were all associated with the measure of appearance concern, as were maternal self-objectification and material concern. It was concluded that young girls do engage in ‘grown up’ behaviours and that such engagement is not benign for their development.