The sexual objectification of women’s bodies creates the impression that women are instruments meant for the sexual gratification of men and nothing more than that. An example of sexual objectification in women is in an advert by Carls Jnr found on youtube (Carl's Jr., 2019) . In fact, it begs the question regarding the position of women in society because it makes it seem as if we live in a patriarchal society in which men are the overall supreme being, and hence women are only there to attend to the sexual whims and advances of men. According to Moffitt & Carr (2011), females are sexually represented and made to look like objects. Her body parts are treated like other parts on their own.
I agree with Jean Kilbourne that the first step towards legalizing abuse is turning a human being into an object. Davidson & Gervais (2015) find that both sexual violence and intimate partner violence relates to the shaming of women’s bodies. This is illustrated in the image found at the bottom of this essay. Additionally, the association between intimate partner violence and body shame seems to be explained through the processes of objectification of women.
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I agree that depicting the body of a woman in a sexually provocative way could be viewed as a form of art. However, I disagree that this could be the case in every context. As a form of art, the female body has the power to ignite sexual desires regardless of the society or the culture in which it is depicted (The Artifice, 2019). However, in the context of using them as the primary objects in marketing commercials, the creators of any such advertisements have more in mind than the depiction of their bodies as artistic objects. Were it the case then the female nudity would be reserved for the museum or other art exhibitions.
Women are objectified more compared to how men are because society has been conditioned to break their bodies into parts even when men continue to be viewed as a whole. According to Pappas (2012), females can be considered to be in parts but not men. On the other hand, men are seen as a whole and not as sum totals of their peripherals. Therefore, women viewed through the lens of their sexuality, and this makes them more vulnerable to objectification.
I agree that the consequences of being objectified are different for men than they are for women and this is because whereas women will be viewed as weaklings and or lose morals, men will be extolled as the epitome of masculinity. They will be praised for “embracing” masculinity.
Men and women operate in paradigms of the same world. The general view the world holds about the same constant on two genders goes to say we live in a patriarchal society controlled by men for the sake of men. Therefore, everything that happens in the community must be approved by men for women to do it.
Whereas images of women are represented as vulgar and promiscuous by society, those of men are generally presented as triumphant and a restatement of the man's place in society.
Culture is the way that shapes human societies in various ways at times without the knowledge or the consent of the people living within these very societies. Therefore considering culture ensures that the place of the men is checked as well as that of women with regards to one another.
References
Carl's Jr. (2019). Carl's Jr. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc7QELKj28I
Davidson, M., & Gervais, S. (2015). Violence against Women through the Lens of Objectification Theory. Educational Psychology Papers and Publications, 2015 (1), 330-354.
Moffitt, D. S., & Carr, E. (2011). Sexual Objectification of Women; Advances to Theory and Research. The Counseling Psychologist, 39 (1), 6-38.
Pappas, S. (2012). Brain Sees Men as Whole, Women as Parts . Retrieved from Live Science: https://www.livescience.com/21806-brain-male-female-objectification.html
The Artifice. (2019). The Female Body in Art as a Non-Sexualised Being . Retrieved from The Female Body in Art as a Non-Sexualised Being: https://the-artifice.com/female-body-art-non-sexualised-being/
