Betsy Taylor, founder of the Center for a New American Dream, understands that much of advertising is aimed at making people feel uncomfortable and "uncool." For a 12-year-old, that message may be that you won't fit in if you don't have the right jeans. For an 18-year-old, that message may be that women are to be viewed only as sex objects. She suggests that the best way to combat this is to begin talking with children about advertising images when they are very young.

However, as Roland Warren, president of The National Fatherhood Initiative and father of two boys, points out, it's never too late to talk to your kids about sexist messages in advertising. In fact, he suggests that the typical commercials during a sporting event are an excellent springboard for a discussion of gender roles with a teenage boy.

Taylor recommends teaching your child to become a savvy media consumer by sitting down with your child and taking a critical look at ads to examine what they're selling and how they're selling it. In fact, she says it's a good idea to do this fairly intensively for a few weeks or even a month, at least once a day. You can even turn it into a game to have children spot some of the advertisers' gimmicks. There's no bottom or top age limit to teaching a child common media sense.