The Excessive Load Of Sexual Objectification

“Miss Representation” is a film released in January 2011, which shows the various ways the media represent women. In the short trailer it starts by showing quotes, various statistics, and input of various influential women, on how women are misrepresented in our society. Some statistics include on how women are vastly outnumbered by men in leading positions in the workplace and in government. It also claims that the media only uses women’s sexualized image for money, not because it is what consumers want to see in advertisements. For example, in a video explaining oversexualizing in young children Geena Davis comments, “…in G-rated animated films the female characters wear the same amount of sexually revealing

When it is 90 degrees outside a female student does not want to be in pants or a quarter length t-shirt, they want to be in shorts and tank top, just like boys, but this is a violation of dress code in many schools. Many schools have this as a rule because they do not want females provoking males to sexually harass them, but it is not the females fault. In an article about dress codes in public schools the author states, “proponents of these restrictions contend that such clothing leads to distractions in the classroom and encourages bullying, sexual harassment, and even sexual assault. Critics of these restrictions argue that they encourage the objectification of women and deny students the right to be comfortable” (Gale 2). A student should not feel uncomfortable or targeted in their learning environment. School is somewhere a student is supposed to feel safe and at home but this is not the case. Sexual harassment is also a concept that is mentioned when discussing school dress codes. Many people say that when breaking dress code females are provoking sexual harassment including this author who states in his article, “They contend that female students should not be held responsible for whether their classmates can pay attention, claiming that the uneven punishment perpetuates the idea that a woman harbors responsibility for any sexual harassment she experiences because of her fashion

Dress codes in middle and high schools are a form of discrimination against teenage girls in today’s society. Parents and students all over the country argue that dress codes are directed mainly at girls and are a blatant example of gender inequality. The idea behind the strict enforcement of a dress code is that it will teach self-respect and raise moral standards for the students. However, when the reason for many dress code violations is questioned the rationale is often to prevent distracting the male students. Young women across the country are being shamed and punished for wearing what schools consider immodest and being a distraction to their male peers. This discrimination against female students results in their clothes being strictly regulated and dress coded more often than male students’ clothes are. The enforcement of these discriminatory dress codes has become a form of public humiliation for female students. Theoretically, a dress code makes sense and should be effective. In reality, it does not affect how students dress but causes a distraction and interruption of a girl’s education.

Women are sexually exploited in the media. In today’s society if people watch television programs such as Chingy featuring Snoop & Ludacris – Holidae; Charlie's Angels; the Z100 commercial with Britney Spears; or Baywatch they will see that the feminine image is presented differently than the masculine. In these programs men are typically placed in sexual situations fully clothed, while women are presented in provocative clothing or less. The camera will frequently zoom in on body parts to focus on the woman’s buttocks, midriff, and legs. Society is still dominated by men who control what people see. As a result women are increasingly portrayed as sex symbols as a way for a media company to turn

The Miss Representation documentary film by Jennifer Newsom explores how media contributes to the under-representation of women in influential positions. This message is portrayed by delivering content through media and technology as well as advertising partial and/or often degrading interpretations of women. The consequences are becoming more and more dreadful. In today’s world, composed of a million stations, people will tend to do more and more shocking things to break through the crowds. They resort to violent, sexually offensive, or demeaning images. Jean Kilbourne, EdD, filmmaker, Killing Us Softly Author and Senior Scholar Wellesley Center’s for Women states, that “it creates a climate in which

Stephanie was sent home from school, on her first day, when she wore an outfit to school that showed her collarbones. This measure was taken because they don’t want the male student to be distracted from schoolwork. However, male students distract themselves, why should the female students have to change the way they dress because a male student will be distracted. Stop looking, stay focused; it is not difficult to do so. These extreme dress code rules should not becoming into place because male students will be distracted; they should still be able to learn if we show our collarbones.

The author penned, “there’s also the disruption and humiliation that enforcing the attire rules can pose during school. Frequently, students are openly called out in the middle of class, told to leave and change, and sometimes, to go home and find a more appropriate outfit. In some instances, girls must wear brightly colored shirts that can exacerbate the embarrassment, emblazoned with words like, ‘Dress Code Violator’,”(Zhou).

(Elliot.2014) The school board stated to CTV NEWS that “we’re trying to teach them how to be ready for life when they graduate high school, be it university or perhaps a job.” I oppose this statement as a dress code now should not have anything to do with an individual’s future. Also, some people may argue that it puts others at stake unintentionally such as young males, and male teachers. It is said that provocative clothing attracts the opposite sex, but what we should be putting forward is the saying that humans should learn to control rather than restrict. There is a bias in schools and educational institutions due to the impression that without a dress code there will be breakdown of discipline, lack in academic success, and approach of sexuality. There is excess attention attracted towards the negativities of not having a dress code, but we do not see that dress codes restrict freedom of expression, or “form of art.” Being able to express your feelings and thoughts through appearance in your own way had the ability to boost self confidence, which is psychologically shown to improve and maintain good health, as well as promote any form of success especially at an age where individuals are yet to learn of themselves. A female could be bare appearance (naked) but have extensive amounts of knowledge and intelligence; therefore females should not be singled out over dress codes which should be banned as it does not define a

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?

Currently, the student dress code in the 2015-2016 Payette High School (PHS) Handbook is completely vague. It mentions in depth dressing issues regarding hats and graphics on clothing. Now the exact wording regarding how much the body needs to be covered is, “Dress shall not disrupt or distract from the educational process.” As I discussed this issue with students that currently attended PHS, I noticed a correspondence among different stories. Due to the fact that there is not a specific dress code, different teachers have diverse interpretations of what disturbs the educational process. Another aspect of the dress policy includes, “Violations of dress code may result in removal from school until dress is appropriate.” Students, particularly female students, express

Girls shouldn't be punished just because a simple bra strap is showing or for wearing a pair of leggings to school. These sort of acts are deemed “distracting” to the boys in class just because a boy may so happen cast a glance in their direction. Now first and foremost, a boy is in class to learn and he should be worried about his education NOT what the girl beside him is wearing. Personally, leggings are comfortable and easy to just throw on when I’m running late or just want to be lazy for the day. In most schools, girls get in trouble for wearing leggings, even if her shirt covers her bottom. “I’ve never seen a boy called out for his attire, even though they also break the rules” (The Atlantic). If a school's dress code is going to be in effect, it needs to apply to ALL students, not just

Our parents are inconvenienced to leave work, go home, and get clothes because a girls shoulders were making them ‘uncomfortable’. It is a shoulder, and you shouldn’t have a say in what anybody wears. I want to address the three most messed up factors of dress code; It being unfair, inconvenient, and gender biased.

There are reasons to this,and most of all the teachers agree to these reasons for the rules. Teachers may think it is a distraction while teaching their class. For example, a teacher may be talking in class about something. The teacher may walk by where you sit, and think you are showing too much skin, they might question you, and want you to cover it up. That teacher may think of why a student would want to show shoulders, when it is not necessary. Some teachers, staff, and parents might not like the idea of changing the rule because of the fact that some kids might go overboard and wear to thin of a strapped top. Some people have also said that people would touch their shoulders, and say they were soft, whenever they would wear a tank top somewhere. It is most likely that teachers would send a student to the office to call for new clothing, and change before continuing classes. Teachers/ staff would mostly like to keep the rule as it is, to not allow students to show shoulders, and stay covered up to not show

The film Miss Representation (2011) directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom explores an alarming and downplayed problem that is reoccurring in media that overlaps into the life of many girls and women. The media drills sexualized images along with “ideal” characteristics of how women should be; youthful, skinny, and beautiful with a strong sex appeal. Women are under constant scrutiny whether they are in powerful positions such as Hillary Clinton or playing a sexualized character in a movie like Jessica Simpson. Clinton and Simpson receive different types of sexist comments but nonetheless offensive and degrading.

The documentary “Miss Representation” deals with and discusses the sexualization of women within the media. It showcases everyone from movie stars to political leaders, and broadcasters to fifth graders. With such a wide range of women being showcased in the documentary, it goes on to prove that all women (and men), are affected in some way by this major problem within our media. The documentary showcases the sexualization of women in the media, the lack of powerful and independent women role models in the media, and the constant advertisements of sexual women throughout the world.