The Commodification And Objectification Of Women In Mass Media

If you turn on the television or flip through a fashion magazine, it is very likely you will presented with many displays of hypersexualization of girls and women in advertising images and in media. There are many components to sexualization. It occurs, according to the American Psychological Association, when “a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics.” This person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy. “Sexualization” happens when a person is sexually objectified- that is, made into a thing for others’ sexual use, rather than being seen as a person with their own independent actions and abilities to make decisions. Oftentimes, sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person without their knowing it or consent. Sometimes, researchers use the word “hypersexualization” to describe roughly the same idea. In the article, “Media’s Growing Sexualization of Women”, hypersexualization is defined as, “The act of making something extremely sexual and erotic.”

Throughout time, the objectification of women within pop culture has become an increasing issue, that not only degrades women, but also portrays negative stereotypes for younger generations of girls to see. Many theorists and writers have given their opinions throughout different academic articles, and with these, have examined how this issue is intertwined within society today. More specifically, it is evident that women are hypersexualized throughout commercials, are portrayed as “weak” and “powerless” within television shows, and lastly, are objectified in sexual and negative ways throughout song lyrics. Focusing on several well-known witters and theorists, such as, Joanne Hollows and Stuart Hall, we are able to analyze their work in

Movies, magazines, advertisements, television, music videos and even music lyrics are just a handful of media sources where I have noticed an increased focus on women being viewed as sexual objects, instead of women proposing an empowering message. Many people in our society are not aware of the extent in which sexualisation of women in the media is occurring every day of our lives; this is because we live in a culture where sexuality is more accepted; this is is having negative effects on the social aspect of our society. So, has the media and society pushed sexualisation too far? It is believed that women are hyper-sexualised in the media and this is changing the way women are looked at; but what are we actively doing as a society to reduce this issue?

The misrepresentation of women in the media has been at its highest. Reality shows such as Love and Hip Hop, have degraded and exploited women where they are only seen as objects who compete over men. They are not able to have a identity that is positive. I wanted to create a platform where you can see the true side of women. Having them tell their stories and accomplishments. Where they are seen past their physical features and given a voice. The issues discussed through the interviews are also expressed through my poetry. As women they are taking their identities back and showing who they really are, regardless of how they are depicted through the media.

these games, men usually play aggressive roles (such as robbers and criminals) while women play sexualized ones (strippers and prostitutes) (Geneva, 5). Geneva explains that these video games present women purely as sexual objects and imply that a woman’s only purpose is to provide sexual pleasure to a man (5). These distorted views of women has various negative effects on the young boys and adolescents who normally play these games (Geneva, 5).

The “perfect image” construction not only can create an unattainable physical appearance that the American society then idolizes, but it also can overly sexualize a woman or a man’s appearance. The sexualization of girls and women has been on the rise for a while, and the media is partly to blame for this. In an article for U.S. Catholic, author Meg McSherry Breslin stated that through the media, young girls and women have learned to believe that their self-wroth and value comes from their sex appeal (Breslin). McSherry Breslin also stated in her article that sexualization is advertised for young girls through young girls figurines. The figurines McSherry Breslin describes consist of Bratz dolls and Barbies that are dressed with short skirts,

It is no surprise that in Mad Max, the wives are seen as objects, which are there to procreate so Joe can have more and more children. In today’s society women are seen through the eyes of men in television shows, movies, and even commercials for normal mundane objects. An example of this is the Hardee’s cheeseburger commercial where Paris Hilton is in this skimpy outfit washing a car, crawling all over the place while eating a burger. Why does Hardee’s think this will sell more cheeseburgers? They see it as a way to capture the male population.

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

Melt.” Kate Upton appears as sexy, thin, fit, and attractive. This common appearance of young women in the media encourages eating disorders among young girls to achieve this standard.

There has been a growing trend of hypersexualization of women over the span of all forms of media. The women within these images are made to look perfectly flawless. They are extremely thin without a trace of fat or cellulite to be found. The people who consume this media are exposed to the idea that the women they are observing are models for true physical beauty. These standards are accompanied by an alternate message from the media that pushes the idea that women’s value comes from their beauty. While some women may understand that the messages about the ideal woman are unrealistic and false, it is found that adolescent girls are vulnerable to the media’s strategies due to their lack of media literacy as well as the search for their own identity during this developmental stage in their lives. The exposure to these standards of beauty can have several negative effects on the girls such as lower self-esteem, higher body dissatisfaction, depression, and eating disorders. SPARK and 4 Every Girl are two of a growing number of campaigns that are working to fight against the sexualized images of women in the media and the negative effects it can have on the viewers.

Women throughout media are standing out as an object. As women we are attracting attention by dressing scandaless. In the book so sexy soon jean killbourne describes “when people are sexualized, their values comes primarily from their sexual appeal which is equated with physical attractiveness. Magazines become another electronic on how to view women as. For instance men are going through a magazine just to get their mind off few things but instead they come across a picture of a nice curvy woman who is laying on a new 2015 mustang being sexually attractive to men. The deep women dig for attention the more they are portrayed as an object. To change the media in today society will be improving a better way to investigate a better way on how

The myth I will be exploring in this paper, is if the sexualizing of men and women in the media is equal amongst both genders. This topic of media and the sexualizing of men and women is a relevant topic today because the media plays such a large role in almost

2010, the American Psychological Association (APA) released a report on the sexualization of girls in the media and found that massive exposure to media among youth creates the potential for massive exposure to portrayals that sexualize women and girls and teach girls that women are sexual objects. Examining various media, the findings proved girls are portrayed in a sexual manner more often than boys; dressed in revealing clothing, with bodily postures or facial expressions that imply sexual readiness. Women and girls are also more likely to be indicated portrayed in a sexual manner (dressed in revealing clothing, with bodily postures or facial expressions that imply sexual readiness) and are objectified (used as a decorative object, or as body parts rather than a whole person).

In the mass-market tabloids, women are overtly categorized as either victims or sexualised objects, which contributes to our understanding of gender representation in the media today, as this is a common reoccurring theme in tabloids. However, even in the elite press, female celebrities still make an appearance solely to attract a reader’s visual attention. Our national press use women as ‘news-candy’ to please the eye (Wykes & Gunter 2005). Page 3 is the main way of sexualising women in the news, and began being a regular feature in 1969 when Larry Lamb was editor. “The Sun was no longer feminised, but sexualised. Central to its appeal was the provocative image of a woman’s body. Breasts were added to the smile. Instantly this implied a readership

Language is a system of communication which consists of a set of sounds and written symbols which are used by the people of a particular country or region for talking or writing. It is considered as an art because when used it able to help a person develop or create a certain picture in the mind. Language being an artifact of culture means that it is an interesting thing that is created by the people. It is an aspect of their way of life of the people. It also helps in development of the people as writers and intellects. As a culture it is a people’s way of life and therefore the impact it has to human beings cannot be under looked.