Introduction
McKee (2005) reflects on the issue of objectification of women arguing that women are more less objectified in the manner in which they are represented through mainstream media. That is an issue that can be supported by a wide array of studies that seek to build on the understanding of how women are projected in different forms of media. The issue of objectification of women can be seen from the fact that a majority of the women, portrayed through the media, are presented in a manner that seeks to create some form of stereotype. The ultimate impact that this has had on the society is that it has paved the way for the issue of body dissatisfaction attributed to a clear lack of connection between the type of body that is presented through the media and the body presented as part of the society. The position taken in this position paper reflects more on the fact that objectification of women can be considered as having a wide array of negative impacts on women within the social environment.
Major Findings
From an analysis of the discussion by McKee (2005), it is clear that the objectification of women tends to have a wide array of negative impacts on women in the society. The impacts are presented in a manner that represents the expected outcomes touching on the underlying challenges that women have with regard to building on their sense of acceptance. Harper & Tiggemann (2008) argue that the objectification of women is often seen as being normal taking into account that a majority of the people in the society fail to consider the underlying impacts that it is having on the way women view themselves.
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The following are some of the major findings that have been discussed as part of the research study by McKee:
Oversexualization of Women
In most of the television commercials that incorporate women, one of the most notable aspect is that a majority of the women are, in some sense, oversexualized considering that they are often presented in a manner that describes them sexually (Berberick, 2010). Television commercials often incorporate the idea of using women as part of the advertisements with the sole intention being towards creating a platform through which to attract customers. However, it is clear that a majority of the commercials fail in their bid to presenting women in a manner that would be considered as being appropriate. Instead, the commercials often focus on the presentation of women as sexual objects that only seek to serve the intended purpose of pleasuring the men in the society.
Oversexualization of the women through television commercials can be seen from the perspective that a majority of the commercials that are used as part of mainstream media often project women in a specific manner. Moradi & Huang (2008) argue that commercials seek to suggest that women should have a specific type of body for them to be considered as being attractive for the men within the same social environment. Most often, the women are shown wearing lingerie with the sole focus being towards showing the women as being ‘sexy,’ which is perceived in a manner that remains reflective of their sexualization. The continued use of such images as part of the television commercials can be considered as the sole factor contributing to increased cases of women finding themselves experiencing oversexualization as part of their engagements within the same social environment.
Body Dissatisfaction
McKee (2005) argues that one of the key challenges arising from the way women are portrayed within different aspects of the media is that it acts as a contributor to the issue of body dissatisfaction among women in the society. As has been pointed out, a majority of television commercials, which are often used as part of mainstream media, tend to present women in a specific body type that they often considered as being ‘acceptable.’ The issue is that most of the women often work hard towards ensuring that they achieve this body type with the mistaken notion that this would help build on their acceptance as part of the society. The long term effect that this is having it that most of the women find themselves experiencing majority challenges in trying to accept themselves.
Body dissatisfaction is often characterized by instances where women would focus much of their attention towards taking actions, some of which may be seen as being negative, to achieve the stereotypic body type that has been presented (Andrist, 2003). The challenge is that a majority of the people in the society fail to recognize the negative impacts that this may have on the long term considering that this is creating a situation where more and more women are taking harmful approaches to improve on their ‘acceptance.’ Continued objectification of women as part of the society creates a huge demand for women to take such actions as a way of ensuring that they achieve the ‘perfect’ body type. However, most of these women fail to recognize the fact that the actions that they take only expose them to increased risks.
Depression
McKee (2005) also takes note of the fact that the issue associated with objectification of women as part of the media acts as one of the key contributors to the rising number of depression cases among women in the society. Depression is one of the leading mental health issues affecting millions of women around the world with the main contributor being the way in which the women are viewed in the society. From this discussion, what is clear is that women are often considered as being objects, which affects their ability to think for themselves or even work towards their empowerment. Instead, the objectification of women in the media often seeks to show women as being inferior when compared to the men while suggesting that they cannot be in a position to achieve anything without the help of a man.
Ultimately, this exposes them to a high risk of depression considering that it becomes hard for a majority of the women to work towards this acceptance as part of their social engagements. On the other hand, the body image issues also create a situation where it becomes mentally challenging for the women, who view themselves as being ‘unacceptable’ to work towards becoming somewhat social. Consequently, this acts as a key factor exposing the women to a high risk of being diagnosed with depression. That can be supported from the fact that the number of women suffering from depression is almost double the number of men suffering from the same. The issue is that women often have to fight twice as hard for their acceptance and position in the society while recognizing the fact that they have been objectified as part of their roles in the society.
Neglect of Inner Beauty
One of the most notable findings that can be seen from the research study is that the continued exposure to media that shows some form of bias often results in a situation where the women tend to neglect the concept of inner beauty. Inner beauty can be seen from actions that include kindness and intelligence, which are essential elements towards building a connection between two individuals in a relationship. Instead, most of the women focus their attention towards ensuring that they project the outer beauty while ignoring the fact that it is essential for them to also work on their inner beauty.
Aubrey (2006) takes note of the fact that exposure to physical appearance as one of the key aspects of consideration towards defining acceptance has led to a situation where a majority of the women are turning their attention towards building their physical appearance. Ultimately, this has exposed them to a situation where they fail to consider the importance and value associated with inner beauty. Most of the women waste a lot of time in trying to perfect their outward beauty while failing to recognize the fact that inner beauty is an element that would allow them to build on their connections with others. The media has been on the forefront towards contributing to this occurrence considering that most of the women, portrayed as being successful, are seen in a manner that represents their outward beauty. In overall, it can be argued that this has created some sort of negative craze towards physical appearance while ignoring the value of the inner beauty.
Relationship Problems
McKee (2005) also points to the fact that the continued exposure to media that seeks to objectify the women creates a situation where it becomes harder for the women to actually learn how they would be able to deal with some of the underlying problems that they face. The issue is driven by the fact that most of the men, exposed to objectification of women, tend to view the men as objects rather than individuals. The impact that this tends to have is that it creates a significant problem in trying to build on the connection between men and women. The long-term impact this this tends to have is that it creates a major challenge for persons intending to form long-lasting relationships. The fact that the women do not accept themselves creates a challenge for them to open up to others, with whom they form notable relationships.
Conclusion
The issue of objectification of women can be seen from the fact that a majority of the women, portrayed through the media, are presented in a manner that seeks to create some form of stereotype. The impacts are presented in a manner that represents the expected outcomes touching on the underlying challenges that women have with regard to building on their sense of acceptance. Television commercials often incorporate the idea of using women as part of the advertisements with the sole intention being towards creating a platform through which to attract customers. The challenge is that a majority of the people in the society fail to recognize the negative impacts that this may have on the long term considering that this is creating a situation where more and more women are taking harmful approaches to improve on their ‘acceptance.’
References
Andrist, L. C. (2003). Media images, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating in adolescent women. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing , 28 (2), 119-123.
Aubrey, J. S. (2006). Effects of sexually objectifying media on self-objectification and body surveillance in undergraduates: Results of a 2-year panel study. Journal of Communication , 56 (2), 366-386.
Berberick, S. N. (2010). The objectification of women in mass media: Female self-image in misogynist culture. The New York Sociologist , 5 (1), 1-15.
Harper, B., & Tiggemann, M. (2008). The effect of thin ideal media images on women’s self-objectification, mood, and body image. Sex roles , 58 (9-10), 649-657.
McKee, A. (2005). The objectification of women in mainstream pornographic videos in Australia. Journal of Sex Research , 42 (4), 277-290.
Moradi, B., & Huang, Y. P. (2008). Objectification theory and psychology of women: A decade of advances and future directions. Psychology of women quarterly , 32 (4), 377-398.
