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(Y Sexualization of women in the media

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Sexualization of women in the media

» Objectification versus empowerment

Aleeze Asif
Contributor

he sexual revolution

movement of the 1960s
was meant to break the social
norms that pressured women
to act, dress, and play certain
roles within society. It led
to the eradication of laws
against contraceptives and
abortion, and encouraged
women to “dress to express”
rather than “dress to impress.”
Over the past few decades, the
sexualization of women in the
media has become increasingly
prevalent. We're constantly
surrounded with images of the
female form on newsstands, in
advertisements, music videos,
movies, etc. But is this form of
representation objectification or
empowerment?

There are three crucial
factors to this argument:
the gendered nature of what
society considers to be “sexy,”
the difference between
objectification and self-
objectification, and finally,
the societal effects of the
hypersexualization of women
in the media regardless of the
intentions of the media and the
women involved.

Expanding on the first
point, the most evident example
can be found in fashion

: magazines. Generally men

: in these magazines are seen

: wearing layers upon layers of

: clothing while the majority

: of the women are posing

: suggestively, half-naked—

: in the same magazine! But

: Magazines are simply catering
: to what society deems to be

: entertaining.

One’s clothes are an

: imperative form of self-

: expression. A suit, for

: example, often exemplifies

: professionalism, power, and

: authority. So why is it that a

: man in a suit can be perceived

: to be powerful and sexy, while

: a woman in a pants suit is more
: likely to be perceived as uptight
: and conservative? It says a lot

: about a society when its people
: would rather see women half-

: naked ina state of vulnerability
: rather than dressed to exude

: authority and power.

The crucial factor

between objectification and

: empowerment in the media is
: who has power and control over
: the expression of a woman’s

: sexuality. For instance, most

: models find it hard to get a job
: without signing some sort of a
: nudity waiver. Women in this

: situation are left powerless,

: and have no choice but to

: comply with the demands

: of the modeling industry.

: Sexualization under these
: circumstances correlates to
: objectification.

However, suppose an

: artist chooses to make nudity,

: provocativeness, or vulnerability
: a part of her act in order to

: authentically express creativity.
: Since the woman in this case

: has complete control over what
: she does with her body, this

: is self-objectification. Making

: this distinction is absolutely

: imperative. Self-objectification
: allows women to take control of
: their bodies and express their

: sexuality however they please;
objectification leaves them no
choice but to do so.

It’s important to note here

: that nudity in all its forms does
: not necessarily correlate to

: objectification, regardless of

: who holds the power. Viewers

: can easily identify when media
: is trying to sell them sex and

: when nudity is trying to aid

: creativity or plot. But since it’s

: unlikely that the viewers are

: informed of the circumstances
: behind the content they are

: viewing, the significance

: of making the distinction

: between objectification

: and self-objectification

: deteriorates. So the effects of the !
: hypersexualization of women
: in the media are very similar
: regardless of the intensions,

: ideologies, and circumstances
: surrounding the content.

: of women degrades them to

: objects of sex rather than

: intellectual beings capable of

: leading, inventing, innovating,
: revolutionizing, and so much

: more. It has a significant impact :
: on the formation of a young

: girl’s aspirations, identity, and
: sense of self. The American

: Psychological Association linked :

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The hypersexualization

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Image via GQ

: sexualization of young women

: toa variety of mental problems.

: There are notes of empowerment
: in both modesty and sexual

: liberation even though they’re

: polar opposites. That said, there
: is nothing liberating about the

: way the media portrays women

across all its platforms. In fact,

: one could say that it’s pressuring
: women to act, dress, and play
: certain roles with society. Sound

familiar?

 

The gravel is always grayer

» Don’t be pressured to purchase by the snobby world around you

 
   
  

Elliot Chan

».. Opinions Editor
= opinions

, @theotherpress.ca

won't do it. I won’t spend eight :
: snobs at one point or another.
: Most of us don’t even notice it.
ora fancy-ass watch or anything : The reason is that we all have

: our own interests, and we live in
: a democracy where many around :
: us don’t share those same values.
: Someone who is interested in
much more than being frivolous. : beer and wine would know

: the lengthy details of how the

: drinks are produced, and which
: are “better.” Someone who is

: interested in cars would tell you
: that he or she would never go

: back to driving anything with a

: six-cylinder inline engine after

: leasing a vehicle equipped with

: a V6. Some who are interested in

hours a day, 251 days a year
working to buy an expensive car

that I don’t need. I won't do it to
impress an employer, I won't do

it to impress friends, and I won't
do it to impress family. Life is so

Even if lam wealthy, I will not
blow my paycheque on items
that are supposed to catapult
me to the next social class. Fuck
that!

Today everyone is a
connoisseur of some sort.
Fashion, food, drinks, and so
on. Everybody thinks they

: are experts at something and

: therefore are encouraged—nay,

: expected—to judge it. This type
: of snobbery extends from music,
: to food, to transportation, to

: neighbourhoods.

We have all behaved like

: luxury handbags would tell you
: that it is so much more than a

: container for make-up products;
: it’s a statement on the social

: climate. I get it. We all have our
: things.

Learn to tell the difference

: between good and bad of course,
: but stop yourself from trying to

: discover good from great. Great
: is not that great. Great does

not make you happy. Great is

meaningless luxury. Great can

: be sustenance, yes, but it is also
: wasteful. Great is a lie you tell

: yourself so that you don’t feel

: bad paying double for a bottle of
: wine or a pair of shoes or a meal.

Having a palette for good

: things and appreciating them is
: much healthier than constantly
: demanding the finest. You

: deserve to be happy, but if

: happiness is having the best

things in the world, you are just
: getting ripped off, my friend.

: doing something you don’t want
: to do.” I feel like an elementary
> teacher told me this, but it

: was probably some television

: PSA I saw. Nevertheless, that

: statement stuck with me. But I

: don’t live by it. Ido many things

i

ea

 

“Don’t be pressured into

Image via thinkstock

: that I don’t want to do. I don’t

: like cleaning, but I do it. I don’t

: like waiting in long line-ups, but
: I wait. | don’t like paying taxes,

: but I have to. That’s just life.

: However, what I can control is

: what I want to spend my money
: on and I don’t have to spend it

: on what you want me to spend

: iton,