Fun and Sexy, but Less Responsible

Abstract

Globalisation is transforming the lives, ideals and development of youth worldwide, including adolescents in Guatemala. We hypothesised that the attitudes of today’s Guatemalan adolescents as reflected in their views of the ideal man and woman would more closely converge with those of the global adolescent compared to their compatriots 25 years earlier. Urban adolescents’ ratings and drawings in 2014 (N = 397, Mage = 12.55, 63.13 per cent girls) were compared to those from 25 years earlier (1988–1990; N = 488, Mage = 12.82, 46.35 per cent girls). Core characteristics such as kindness and honesty were important in both time periods. Other qualities (the importance of being fun and the depiction of sexiness in the drawings) were more prominent among present-day adolescents. However, adolescents in 2014 were less likely to draw the ideal person with adult responsibilities. Adolescent values and beliefs are nuanced and depend both on globalisation and the specific cultural context.