Teachers hit out over rising influence of "raunch culture" It comes just weeks after the Coalition ruled that schools would be given complete freedom to write their own sex education curriculum - with no central guidance from the Government. On Monday, the NUT will condemn the "rise of what has become commonly known as "raunch culture," where the old sexism of the past has been rebranded by big business." The resolution will claim that the "gains of the last 40 years in terms of women's sexual liberation are being turned back on women and girls in commodified form," in the shape of explicit clothing, magazines, exercises and nightclub events. They will level specific criticism at pole dancing as an "empowering form of exercise" and the "beauty pagenets of old" that are becoming a staple of student union life. "Far from being "ironic" or "empowering," the rise of the new sexism is damaging," teachers will say. Growing up in a world where it is normal for women's bodies to be seen as sex objects affects the way that girls in our schools grow to view themselves and their place in society. The claims come after the Association of Teachers and Lecturers heard warnings last week of pupils being increasingly exposed to pornography. Teachers said they feared pupils could be "desensitised" by such images and called for more guidance on how schools should tackle such an over-sexualised youth culture. Even very young children were inadvertently exposed to such images, either by watching video games with older children or watching late night television, it was claimed. Speaking ahead of the NUT conference debate, Christine Blower, the union's general secretary, said: "It is important for all children and young people to learn, in an age appropriate manner, about respect for their own and other people's bodies and emotions. This is all the more important given the rising levels of pornography which is very much in the public domain. There also continues to be a high rate of sexual harassment and homophobic bullying in society at large, despite efforts in schools to address and reduce it.