More than Sex Objects and the Sum of Our Body Parts

1. The objectifcation of womens bodies has many efects on the cuture! and
from "ean #ibournes $resentation! it has ne%ati&e efects unfortunatey. '
'ma%e 1 'ma%e (
'ma%e )
*an +a
Socioo%y 1,,
Section - ./.)0
thin1 it has a $rofound ne%ati&e efect on our youn%er %enerations and
chidren. They are! after a! the $eo$e who are constanty ex$osin%
themse&es to media on their a$to$s! T2s! ce $hones! and other forms of
technoo%y 34ewsom! (,115. 'f ' was a chid and ' 1e$t seein% ima%es of
sexua objectifcation! ' be%in to thin1 that objectifcation woud be the %oa
for most women in ife. ' woud beie&e that it is acce$tabe for me and
$eo$e in society to objectify mysef and other women because it is the
norm. ' $ut some thou%ht into the matter after ' saw the documentary!
6#iin% 7s Softy /!8 and ' be%in to $ay more attention to my surroundin%s.
There are a ty$es of ima%es that objectify women! and it can be
o&erwhemin% if you oo1 too cosey. The three ima%es that ' $asted on the
tite $a%e are just a few exam$es that youn% %irs see e&ery day. ' chose
these three because each is sein% diferent $roducts! and these com$anies
use womens bodies to do so. 9onstant ex$osure to the theme of
objectifcation wi send the messa%e that this is what society &iews as
norma and acce$tabe and throu%h sociai:ation! many youn% %irs wi
as$ire to become these ty$es of women throu%h the theory of sef;fufin%
$ro$hecy 3#in%! (,1/5.
(. <hen "ean #ibourne says that objectifcation of humans is usuay the frst
ste$ in justifyin% &ioence a%ainst them! ' immediatey a%ree with her
statement 3#ibourne! (,1,5. <hen you turn a human into an object! you are
ta1in% away the &aues and attributes that ma1e that $erson a human bein%.
The $er$etrator is in contro! and that 6object8 is submissi&e and inferior.
That body is now inanimate. 't does not ha&e the abiity to res$ond! to thin1!
and to fee. Because of that mentaity! those $eo$e who do the
objectifcation fnd it easier to mistreat others.
). To me! there is a diference between de$ictin% a womans body for what it
is! a human body! for art and turnin% that womans body into an object for
the sa1e of art. ' do not ad&ocate and do not concur with the atter. =%ain! it
is because the objectifcation of womens bodies justifes mistreatment of
women and constricts the defnition of the feminine %ender roe. 'n addition!
rationai:in% that objectifcation and sayin% that it is an art form dis%usts me.
The three ima%es ' $asted abo&e reinforce my o$inions and thou%hts and
demonstrate how sexua objectifcation is not 3and shoud not be5 considered
a form of art. 'ma%e 1 is ad&ertisin% a famous board %ame caed Risk. '
sef;identify mysef as a feminist who re&es in 6%ee18 and 6nerdy8 cuture
and board %ames i1es this one $ay a hu%e roe in sha$in% my identity. Risk
re>uires strate%y and meticuous $annin% when a $ayer forms aies and
con>uers the word! and that ima%e of the %obe in the sha$e of a rather
feminine butt does a terribe job of $ortrayin% the true attributes of the
%ame. The ca$tion says! 6#ic1 %oba butt.8 ' roed my eyes. The ad
continues! 6*ou 1now you wanna do it. So heres your chance. Pan your
strate%y! wind u$! and 1ic1 your enemies where they i&e. 9on>uer the word
in Risk and buid a re$utation as a rea butt;1ic1in% %enera.8 To add insut to
injury! the ad concudes with the words! 6*ou ?ue8 underneath the messa%e.
4ot ony does the ad sha$e an object into the form of a womans body $art!
they incude a messa%e that ad&ocates and encoura%es the $ayers to be
&ioent! that the objecti&e of the %ame is to @1ic1 butt@. 'ma%e ( is the co&er
of Arench catao%! and a womanBs body is a $iece of a ca1e. Arance is 1nown
for their a&ant;%arde art! but this is not art. To car&e a $iece of a womanBs
body and $resent it as somethin% @deectabe@ has the o$$osite efect on me.
' cannot e&en fathom what the Arench were thin1in% when they ad&ertised
this to commemorate the 1,th anni&ersary of their ma%a:ine. 'ma%e ) is
tryin% to se jeans and if it werenBt for the brand name at the bottom! ' woud
ha&e a hard time beie&in% that it was an ad&ertisement for jeans. 'n
addition! the ca$tion is ironic and raises a >uestion in my feminist mindC is
the woman ayin% in the mud an anima or the $eo$e who $ut her there
animasD = these ima%es! to me! are not art. ' studied art history in hi%h
schoo! and there are at east some artwor1s durin% eras i1e the 9assica
$eriod or the ?enaissance that show the femae body for what it is. The
women can be coo1in%! dancin%! sin%in%! and doin% other feminine tas1s! but
at east they were $ortrayed as humans $erformin% and functionin% i1e
humans.
/. 'n order to understand why women are objectifed more often than men
are! we ha&e to use our socioo%ica ima%ination! to anay:e the interaction
between womenBs bio%ra$hy and history. ' was sur$rised to earn that
women were one of the frst to be ensa&ed 3#in%! (,1/5. =ready the history
of women is not of to a %ood start. Our foundin% fathers wanted to create
e>uaity for a and unfortunatey that does not a$$y to women and $eo$e
of coor. Since the buidin% of =merica as a nation! men did not see women
on an e>ua e&e. <omen had to f%ht for e>ua ri%hts! and they had their
frst major brea1throu%h in =merica durin% the sufra%e mo&ement in the
1E(,s. Fes$ite those eforts! women sti ha&e to endure %ender ine>uaity in
the (1
st
century 3#in%! (,1/5. 't is the $eo$e in $ower 3mosty com$rised of
white rich men5 who mistreat the women and constrict the defnition of the
femae roe in society. ThatBs why ' thin1 women are objectifed more often
than men are.
0. ' beie&e that the conse>uences of bein% objectifed are diferent for
women com$ared to men! but ' aso thin1 that those conse>uences are
e>uay serious for both %enders. <hen women are bein% objectifed! those
ad&ertisements turn them into inferior and submissi&e $aythin%s. *ou can
see that in other ads where women act i1e dos or dress u$ as youn%er %irs.
'f you com$are those ads to ads objectifyin% men! men are $ortrayed in a
more $ositi&e i%ht. 'f they are nude! they $ositioned themse&es in a
$owerfu stance! and their %enita area usuay is the $otent foca $oint. They
usuay are the ones who do the actionG they are acti&e! whie women are
$assi&e and are recei&in% the actions 3#ibourne! (,1,5. Fes$ite these
diferences! ' thin1 the conse>uences are e>uay serious for both sides. On
one hand! objectifcation of women $ays a roe in justifyin% &ioence a%ainst
them and creates a narrow defnition of femininity. On the other hand! ' thin1
objectifyin% men ma1es society aso narrowy defne on what it is to be
6mascuine!8 that men shoud be tou%h and it is acce$tabe for them to be
a%%ressi&e towards others to $ro&e that theyre men. The 1EEE
documentary 6Tou%h Huise!8 does a %reat job in anay:in% that other side of
media re$resentation 3"hay! 1EEE5. Because of these re$resentations! the
word is seen diferenty throu%h womens eyes com$ared to mens eyes.
<omen ha&e to be cautious in this dan%erous word. They need to ma1e
sure they are not bein% foowed at ni%ht when they wa1 aone. They are
constanty jud%ed by how they oo1 and how they are dressed. <as she
wearin% $ro&ocati&e cothin% when that man harassed herD Shes too
s1innyG she must be anorexic. Shes too fatG she must be a:y. She se$t with
many menG shes a sut. These thou%hts run throu%h the minds of ordinary
$eo$e because of the media and our cuture. This chaos started since
women were youn% %irs! and its no wonder our femaes sufer from these
$ressures. On the contrary! men see their word as their oyster. They are in
contro. They ha&e the $ower to ta1e ife by the hands and ta1e ad&anta%e of
anythin% that is at their dis$osa. On the surface! it sounds %ood to be a
man! but this re&eas somethin% about our cuture. Our cuture has created
restrictions on the %ender cate%ory because we i1e norms. 4orms 1ee$
thin%s sim$e. *ou are either a man or a woman. Men are su$$osed to ha&e
the mascuine roe and women are su$$osed to beha&e in a feminine way.
This mindset is e&ident in our media! es$eciay in our ad&ertisements! and
that is why it is im$ortant to oo1 at ima%es in the context of cuture. Peo$e
need to reai:e that we are unifed under one human race! and that bein%
human is not restricted to one or a $articuar set of defnitions. ' thin1
earnin% how to be toerant is one of the frst major ste$s to achie&in%
e>uaity for a.
<or1s 9ited
"hay! S.! Iricsson! S.! Tareja! S.! #at:! ".! Iar$! ".! J Media Iducation
Aoundation. 31EEE5. Tough guise: Violence, media, and the crisis in
masculinity. 4ortham$ton! M=C Media Iducation Aoundation.
"hay! S.! 'n #ibourne! ".! ?abino&it:! F.! J Media Iducation Aoundation.
3(,1,5. Killing us softly 4: Advertising's image of women. 4ortham$ton!
M=C Media Iducation Aoundation.
#in%! *. 3(,1/5. Chater !: The "ociological #magination KPower$oint sidesL.
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#in%! *. 3(,1/5. Chater $: "ocial "trati%cation, #ne&uality, and 'overty
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4ewsom! ". S.! Scuy! ?. #.! Freyfous! H. <.! ?edich! S. ".! 9on%don! ".!
+oand! I.! 9&et1o! S.! ... ?oR9o Aims Iducationa 3Airm5. 3(,115. (iss
reresentation. Sausaito! 9aif.C ?oRco Aims Iducationa.