...Since the early 1800’s women have struggled and strived to obtain equal rights of the average man. It was not up until 1920 when women were even granted the right to vote and it was not until 1981 when the United States finally appointed a woman Supreme Justice (Weinbaum). It has been a long and tedious process to acquire equal rights for women and fairness in politics. After over two centuries, women have almost completely overcome the gender barrier and established an equal dominant role in society as men. However, the recent provocative portrayals of women in the media have questioned the idea that, if in fact, the years spent overcoming this gender hardship was to ultimately come back to square one. With television programs such as “The Bachelor” presenting a dozen women competing for the attention of one man and television commercials highlighting a woman's thigh to sell sneakers, it is difficult for society and especially the youth to not to be influenced by the overpowering message to objectify women (Coleman). Television shows portraying woman in explicit dogmatic behaviors like “Flavor of Love” or “The Bachelor” make it difficult for the everyday women to process exactly why the media allows such depictions of women to be viewed and accepted around the world. According to author Breanna Coleman, “Television programs show slender, unrealistically curvaceous, and vulnerable young women, who are dependent on male figures for strength and survival, not their own sense...
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...The fact that female and male bodies are being portrayed in provocative ways, explain the nudity that are now becoming the norm on tv, magazine, and in our everyday fashion. It has become some kind of sexual objectification. If objectification is the procedure of speaking to or treating a man like an object, then sexual objectification is the procedure of speaking to or treating a man like a sex item, one that serves another's sexual delight. You see here, these picture are meant to stimulate one mind into sexual imagination. By definition, articles can be purchased and sold, and a few pictures depict ladies as ordinary items. Conflating ladies with nourishment is a typical sub-classification. For example, Pamela Anderson's sexualized body...
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...Imagine a world where a woman's body is portrayed as sacred. Imagine a world where it is morally wrong for a women to be seen as a sexual object. The phenomenon of sexual objectification is a well known form of pop culture and is the portraying of the female body to be used to serve as a person's sexual pleasure. It is seen everywhere from advertising to news and reality TV shows. Gender stereotypes play a huge role in how women are viewed today. To tell if something is showing a woman as a sexual object, you see if the overall ‘lesson’ is learned by using a females body parts. Gender roles plays a crucial role in today’s time. There are major differences in the Novel The Crucible and Colonial Puritans societies compared to today’s society....
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...Language, slang, and violent speech that are degrading towards women are portrayed very frequently in media and have always been used in our society. As a society, we often use degrading language towards women, most of the time this language is sexually demeaning. Music, and television shows often reinforce this language and this attitude of objectifying women through lyrics, music videos and scripts. The commonalty of sexually degrading words such as; slut, whore, and bitch, are not only used by men more women are using these words, surprisingly even as terms of endearment. Language such as this objectifies women which often lead to violence towards women. Words such as pimp and player are used to describe men in a positive way and add to gender inequality. Even when insulting a man we often use women’s genitals to insult men. Language plays a huge role in any society, and making degrading slang, towards women more acceptable whether coming from a man or a woman, often leads to society objectify and dehumanizing women. American women often use the word bitch and slut loosely when describing women whose sexuality they don’t agree with. Even when a case of rape is against women, sometimes even women and men will blame the victim saying she asked for it because she is a slut. Another popular idea using violent language against women is saying that oh I’m a strong woman to that makes me a bitch, the word bitch is not a word to describe a strong powerful women it has been used for...
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...The objectification of women can simply be defined as “seeing and/or treating a [women] as an object” instead of a human being (Papadaki). Women today are portrayed as objects because of the overexposure of erotic images and scenarios in society’s media, social networking and their expectations. Say you are buying something from your local grocery store. While you are in line you notice magazines near the cash register. You then proceed to look through the covers and pages. All there is, is beautiful women. Weather they are clothed or not, that is all you see. Back before the internet, magazines and newspapers were the primary source for entertainment. One of the more popular ones for young boys and some adults was Playboy Magazine. Buy Playboy...
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...six-minute clip, which depicts dead women hanging from ceilings and scantily clad in lingerie, was banned by MTV for its violence and explicit content toward women (Vassar). Undeniably, the misogynistic theme runs throughout the video, however, West has defended himself by stating that “the concept of models hanging or people being eaten alive or [other] type of visuals for a horrific video was purely artistic” and addressed the ignorance of misogynistic accusations by claiming that “they [women’s rights activists] couldn’t understand how a rapper can have a taste high enough to do something like that without being misogynistic” (Staff). This paper addresses elements of the “Monster” clip that depict elements of historical racism and sexual objectification through the animalistic and hyper-sexualized representation of women of colour in the video, while also drawing parallels between supernatural characters and thirst for consumerism. Undeniably “Monster” has sparked many discussions regarding misogyny...
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...“Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt” Pg. 600, #2 A Man and Woman’s Objectification on Gender Jean Kilbourne, the author of “Two ways a Woman Can Get Hurt”, argues in her piece that advertising affects us in very profound and potentially damaging ways. She begins to explain to us about complex relationships between ads and human behavior that we may never have even realized. In her article, Jean Kilbourne addresses many ways in which a woman is hurt, both mentally and physically, through advertising and ads that could seem to be harmless to most. Kilbourn claims that ads and advertisements that sell a product are also encouraging negative behavior from men toward women. Also, ads with women who are dressed provocatively are only brainwashing girls to believe that the only way to get a mans attention is through dressing the same way or acting a certain way that in reality is not acceptable. These ads mentally hurt women to the point that they believe they aren't good enough or a certain way of living is okay. According to Kilbourne it is dangerous to depict women and men as sex objects because once a human is turned into an object it justifies violence against that person. She believes the objectification of women is more troubling than men because there is very little risk for men where as women are always at risk. "When men objectify women, they do so in a cultural context in which women are constantly objectified and in which there are consequences-from...
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...Cheyenne Jourdan English 102 Pyramid Final Draft A Distorted Image When the criticism drops away, what you will see then is just you, without judgment, and that is the first step toward transforming your experience of the world. --Oprah Winfrey American people are bombarded with our society’s ideals of beauty day in and out. The National Eating Disorders Association states that more than 80 percent of Americans watch television for more than three hours a day. Our media plays a pivotal role in the way that we structure our thinking as well as our idea of normality and beauty. As Jean Kilbourne explained in her documentary “Killing Us Softly”, advertising is a “powerful educational source” and the media sells not only products, but also the ideal of what one “should” consider standard to be, do, and look like. These societal standards of feminine beauty are nearly impossible to reach though, and as the media glorification of women with unhealthy body types, unnaturally flawless faces, and perfect hair remains, so do the consequences of the desire for these things. Corporate Profit Corporations profit massively from American media consumerism. Advertising in media is one of the most instrumental constructs of our society. We see advertising in our faces everywhere from bus stops, cars, billboards, magazines, websites, and television. According to Kilbourne the average US citizen sees over 3500 ads per day and advertisement is a $250 billion per year industry, just...
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...The Female Body in The House of Mirth The female body plays a very important role in The House of Mirth. Throughout the novel, Lily’s body is objectified by others, and by herself. This objectification of her body leads to various hardships for Lily. Some of these hardships are caused by confusion, indecision, and communication issues. Also, I believe that both men in the novel, and Lily, are responsible for these hardships. Throughout the novel, all Lily really owns that is of value is her body. I believe this to be true because there are various examples of men objectifying her for her body. Even Selden, who isn’t even a member of the high society, and who should be more rational based on his lower social standing, objectifies Lily for her body. Edith Wharton makes this fact very clear at the beginning of the book when she writes: “ Selden paused in surprise. In the afternoon rush of the Grand Central Station his eyes had been refreshed by the sight of Miss Lily Bart. Selden had never seen her more radiant. Her vivid head, relieved against the dull tints of the crowd, made her more conspicuous than in a ball-room, and under her dark hat and veil she regained the girlish smoothness, the purity of tint, that she was beginning to lose after eleven years of late hours and indefatigable dancing... ... He was aware that the qualities distinguishing her from the herd of her sex were chiefly external: as though a fine gaze of beauty and fastidiousness had been...
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...Brandyn Zea Writing 115 Chelsea Kachman May 27, 2013 Sex: in Fast Food Advertising? Sex especially sexual objectification of gender has turned into a big controversy across the advertising world and it has crossed over into fast food advertising. Sex in advertising is something that does not need to be put out there. There is too much bad and inappropriate attention that draws from it. In these advertisements that are brought upon sexually mainly objectify women’s bodies. I just do not understand why businesses use women like they do to get across their product, they can sell it without using women, it’s not hard to do but I guess they want to attract more by using an attractive women but by doing that they are judging and putting down the what they call “plus size” women because to them beauty is thin which it boggles my mind that they actually do that. Beauty is defined within not by the way someone looks. Also, by doing what they do they are dehumanizing the sexually objectified gender. Since we live in a man’s world, mostly heterosexual, that potentially objectifies the female body. This premise is the starting point of the objectification theory that states that when objectified, women are treated as bodies that exist for the use or consumption of others, stripped of their individuality and personality. (Vaes, paladino, puvia, 774) Which is understandable to why they mainly want to attract the male audience, but in reality they are coming across to the adolescents as...
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...Killing Us Softly Reflection One of the films that struck me the most was “Killing Us Softly”, the documentary on how advertising and the media as a whole, in general, can basically control this entire world. Sounds a bit drastic, but I really believe that this statement is true because of disgusting incidents that happen throughout the world from media portrayal today. The documentary effectively demonstrated how easy it is for advertising to send across various different hidden messages that can cause tremendous effects like bulimia, rapes, murders, disrespect towards women, and several other things that would lower a women’s self esteem level. The documentary portrays women in such a way that it is derogatory. It sets a medium for women on what the perfect figure should look like. For example, since decades, the media has been showing women who barely weigh 110 pounds as an ideal weight to be. Don’t you think every girl who weighs over 110 pounds is going to try to do the impossible and attempt to fit into what society thinks is the norm? All due to the fact that the media has embedded it into our subconscious minds that this is acceptable. The more exposure we get of something, the more acceptable it becomes in our society, whether it’s wrong or right. Personally, I’ve realized that the media brought about even my style of dressing. If you see a commercial on TV or in a magazine for a shirt you thought looked good, wouldn’t you buy it? I know I would. I guess that’s...
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...that the media has an issue sexualizing women and she does it through tone and the words she chooses. In the introduction of the essay she discusses the typical body figures people see in advertisements; they are “impossibly slim (and digitally airbrushed).” The words impossible and digitally suggest this sense of fabrication and falseness, a perception that cannot be reciprocated by a typical woman. She continues by suggesting that the depictions of women in the media is poisonous and highlights just how bad the impact of the media is, that it is comparable to poison and is harming not only women but young girls who view these advertisements as well. Heldman also demonstrates the direct effects the “poison” has, she mentions that self-objectification leads to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. These disorders stand out from the essay because they discuss a serious disease that could affect young girls and women. Heldman then focuses on the young girl aspect of the problem when she mentions the American Psychologists Association investigative report. The report found that girls as young as seven years old were learning to objectify themselves after watching advertisements and across other medium. Heldman states, “Teaching them to think of themselves as sex objects before their own sexual maturity.” The statement brings in another issue of some form of pedophilia; a form that can objectify little girls and make them out to be sexual objects...
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...Psychoanalytic Objectification of Women – When Women Literally Become Objects (Revised) The story “The Babysitter” is fraught with sexual language, addressing sexual behavior directly and nonchalantly in discussing characters’ interactions with non-sexual objects. Psychoanalysis relies on the Oedipus Complex; the assumption that male behavior is a result of a deep-seeded unconscious “castration anxiety,” whereupon a young boy loves his mother and wants to have sex with her and competes with the father, resulting in an unconscious fear that his father will castrate him. In adulthood, a male “fetishizes female beauty as a way of defending against the anxiety brought about by the spectacle of woman as representing ‘lack’ or castration” (Gabbard, 161). This fetishizing female beauty, or in other words, objectifying women, is a defense mechanism against castration anxiety. Psychoanalysis offers multiple explanations for the objectification of women. Objectification is also considered to be a result of the disturbance of the relationship between mother and baby. Objectification is a compensation for the loss of “the blissful relationship with a mother who has no autonomy or otherness but exists only to serve the baby’s needs” (Gabbard 166). Objectification, then, is a result of the male trying to recreate this perfect maternal symbiosis in which the mother serves the baby’s needs, and is essentially used as an object of need-fulfillment in this way. Thus, the characters’ objectification of...
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...Standpoint Theory A standpoint is a place from which we view the world that determines what we focus on as well as what we don’t know. The standpoint is a specific location in time and space that determines how one sees the world. The social groups like sexuality, socio economic status, gender, etc. we belong to shape how we see the world and how we communicate. Not that everyone in that social group will have the exact same view point but they’ll be closer to each other. Now, the problem is that these social groups influence the way we see the world, but all the groups were not treated as equals. For example, poor people might be oppressed by the rich community; historically, women were not considered as important as men; blacks and whites were not treated equally, etc. Therefore, it was observed that some groups were treated better than others and some group oppressed others. Societal inequalities generate distinctive accounts of nature and social relationships. The standpoint theory argues that the perspective from the lives of the less powerful provide a more objective perspective than lives of the powerful. So, poor people have a better and comprehensive way of seeing the world compared to the rich people. The standpoint theorist idea suggests that dominant people have a less objective view of the world. Privileged groups are not forced to observe the realities of inferior groups; therefore their standpoints are more narrow and biased. In Indian context as we see, there...
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...Objectification of women Vs. "Sex Sells": Where is the Line drawn Why is it that we have become impervious to the objectification of women today? Why do a large group of men and women allow and condone this type of behavior? A perfect example of this is my friend Chad. He is your stereotypical play-boy. In his mind he is God's gift to women. One day we were at the bar. He was doing his usually "surveillance" as he called it. Looking around trying to find out which girl would be most likely to go home with him just by their physical appearance. I thought of it more as his predatorily stalking like a hyena looking for a wounded calf in a herd of buffalo. (No objectification meant) His eyes fixated on a women in her mid twenties with red hair and a super model body. It wasn't an hour later that he left the bar with her, leaving me in the company of a sweating Heineken and a $53 tab. Two days later we met up and lounged on his porch in the late afternoon enjoying the cool weather. He began to brag about the red haired woman he took home. He nicknamed her "Lips" for reasons I prefer not to get into but spoke of her actions during their little sexual escapade. He spoke in graphic detail about things I just didn't care to hear. After a few minutes of this assault Chad asked me what I had done after he left. I don't know if it was anger that compelled me but something motivated me to do something I have avoided doing in a long time. I began to speak of an explicit encounter...
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