Objectification of women works with benevolent sexism to further oppress women in the media through its effects on self-esteem and well-being. Rollero’s (2013) article “Men and women facing objectification: The effects of media models on well-being, self-esteem and ambivalent sexism” examines media representations of men and women and how they are related to levels of sexism and psychological well-being. The literature on objectification has mostly indicated the connection between viewing objectified media representations and women’s body displeasure and motivation to achieve a slim body. The goal of the current study was to further past research by studying the effects of objectified media images –considering both male and female models– on psychological well-being, self-regard, and support of sexist states of mind. 166 undergraduates (51.8% males) participated in the study. Results indicated that objectification of men lessened men’s happiness, whereas objectification of women was more damaging because it lessens women’s happiness, appeal and social self-confidence. Furthermore, objectification of women affects men’s validation of sexist attitudes, increasing aggression toward women while decreasing aggression direct to men. Typically, only women are examined in studies of objectification. The inclusion of both male and female effects in the article makes it unique in comparison to other similar studies. Furthermore, the inclusion of both males and females allows for
The objectifications of a woman have been known to be centered around the actions of a man. Cat-calling, slut shaming, and men being in a superior position while women are inferior or counted as their ‘objects’ are all parts of the dehumanizing nature of objectification. This indicates that women are centered around their appearance and feminine demeanor, and nothing else needs to be accounted for. However, there are other influences that have contributed to the vicious cycle society has on degrading women. Women objectify other women over similar matters as men, but not similar relevance in sociocultural context. Another contributor to women objectification is women’s self-objectification, in which they internally reflect on their appearance and demeanor to seek the approval of the observer. The last and most dominant factor that has been deemed the main culprit of turning women into objects is the culture of advertisement. Advertising has sexually objectified women for years, and is the backbone of the degradation of women in the real world. It also depicts unrealistic images of the female body and attitude that no female human being can actually live up to. The media has introduced the actions of sexual discrimination and harassment, and has influenced the ideas of how women should be treated. The combination of these three components are continuing the cycle of the objectification of women.
Over time, the perfect body image has changed in many ways. This is very evident in the female sex, especially through media. “Americans spend about 68 hours per week exposed to various forms of media” (US Census Bureau 2009). This media exposure through outlets such as t.v., radio, music videos, movies, and the internet, all influence the way people think about gender. The media influence is very evident in the way people view women and think about women in different cultures. Media influence on women creates negative viewpoints with how women view themselves and even how men view themselves, in turn making it hard to break certain beliefs and stereotypes instilled on society.
But I can’t help but believe there is something deeper than that – an issue of desensitization. If females of her generation are desensitized to that kind of material now (as research suggests), what does it mean for their understanding of sexuality? Perhaps more importantly, what does their intrinsic (although, perhaps, involuntary) acceptance of sexual behavior mean for men?
“The media have taken many celebrity appearances into their own hands, many times without permission” (“The Objectification of Women” par.2). Because of the media photoshopping women 's beauty on TV, social media, and even advertisements, it began to create a high rate of accusations of teenage girls’ all over the world. “In a recent study, the University at Buffalo sociologists found that the portrayal of women in the popular media over the last several decades has become increasingly sexualized, even pornified"( Donovan par.1). Due to this, women have been treated as sexual objects everywhere. Objectification comes from the lack of confidence and media 's portrayal of beauty. Due to this, the portrayal of men is not the same as females. Objectification is when women are treated like sexual objects. ‘Objectification is often defined by physical appearance, rather than personality” (“The Objectification of Women” par.2). As a result, women struggle to keep up with these trends today. “In order to achieve a ‘perfect’ look, the media manipulates photos using unnecessary editing in Photoshop to completely contort the original, creating an unnatural image” (“The Objectification of Women” par.2). The media is the dominant cause of these actions of teenage girls insecurities, high rates of surgical treatment, and males creating these fictitious assumptions. Objectification in social media should end because it causes teenage insecurities, it
To be sociologically mindful is to look for patterns in the society, observe all sides of the social life, ask questions, and seek answers. Being sociologically mindful can lead us to looking into matters that are complex and allow us the opportunity to understand the mechanism behind the division of our society. Race and gender seems to be the most obvious divide lines for this society. While race can sometimes be overlooked in society, discrimination based on gender is hardly absent, whether consciously or unconsciously, on the behaviors of society. In such a society that values masculinity, being born a male is like a rain check to so many privileges in life. In return, this social
Being female has affected my life in many ways, both positive and negative. However, when I compare them the negatives outweigh the positives. Almost all the negatives on my list seem to lead to double standards. A double standard defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary is “a set of principles that applies differently and usually more rigorously to one group of people or circumstances than to another; especially a code of morals that applies more severe standards of sexual behaviour to women than to men.” I feel this is very fitting as even in the definition itself it refers to gender double standards that apply to women more than men. I have experienced double standards from sexual objectifications to social pressures and stereotypes.
Women have made a significant impact in the past by demanding to not be ignored. Although there have been changes, we are still not done. American culture continues to emphasize how women look. Having main stream media around, the advertisements now may come in variation. In addition, as the media industries advance the model prospective of what a woman should appear as becomes more common in society noting that anything other then what is being idolized would be inadequate. Therefore, “these beauty standards, largely proliferated through the media, have drastic impacts on young women and their body images.” There must be restrictions on what mass media can publicize in order to protect women from sexual objectification.
line they notice magazines near the cash register. They then proceed to look through the
How has sexual objectification of women helped sustain the social control of women and their sexualities?
The objectification of women is well documented in this article. The men in the high-risk fraternities are treating the girls like an object. The men do not care about these girls’ feelings. The quote in the article “Did you know that this week is Women’s Awareness Week? I guess that means we get to abuse them more this week.” (137) This just shows that the men are not looking out for the well being of these females.
Self- objectification is causing women to feel horrible about them because of women’s bodies, that they are seeing being used in advertisement and it is teaching young girls that to be sex. Self objectification is the “viewing one’s body as a sex object to be consumed by the male gaze.”(Heldman,323) Self-objectification causes anxiety, depression, low self- esteem, and it can also cause women to receive lower grades. But according to Caroline Heldman’s , a PhD and is an assistant professor of politics at Occidental College in Los Angeles, article “Out-Of-Body Image” women have self-objectification when they view the media and see models that are impossibly skinny and have their bodies digitally altered and women want to be more like the
The female body image is highly influenced by the mass media and the media’s portrayal of women, ‘70% of college women say they feel worse about their own looks after reading women’s magazines’ (University of Massachusetts & Stanford University, 2006), the portrayal of women in the media has an unrealistic approach and brings out body dissatisfactions and this results in eating problems and disorders.
Objectification is a word that has many negative connotations. Nussbaum identifies objectification “as a pejorative term, connoting a way of speaking, thinking, and acting that the speaker finds morally or socially objectionable, usually, though not always, in the sexual realm.” Nussbaum’s definition is vague, like many of her other works, and places the connotation of the word itself into the “speaker’s” own hands. While it is good to allow wiggle room for concepts, an act which allows them to be more universal for the general public as a whole, because of the long-standing connotations associated with objectification, I believe that the word itself already implies something “morally or socially objectionable,” and the speaker’s own
In 2014 there was an online survey that questioned many women about sexual harassment. In a survey of 811 women, “Over 99 percent of the female respondents said they had experienced some form of street harassment (only three women said they had not). Examples of these gestures would be hip thrusting, hand motions that simulate sex acts, or gestures with mouth or tongue. Over 80% of women have been targets for sexually explicit comments” (Statistics – Stop Street Harassment Studies). Over the last 30 years objectification and sexualization in advertising, media, music videos, video games, and many other platforms. What is sexual objectification? What does sexualizing mean? Sexual objectification is the act of treating a human being as a an
The harmful implications of ongoing exposure to these unattainable ideals, such as low self-esteem, eating disorders, unhealthy body image, and increased acceptance of violence, make urgent the need for change. How does a society go about changing such long-standing norms? In light of its pervasiveness and highly influential nature, the media may be the proper place to begin changing gender stereotypes.