Discrimination of Women through Sexualization and it’s affects on society Reflection: The sexualization of women has brought about an immoral expectation to all members of society in the matter of how women are, how they should act, and how they should be seen. Not as an individual or person, but as an object that is meant to be possessed, controlled, and won by men. This expectation and view is absolutely disgusting, as it dehumanizes women, putting their own being and person to the equivalent of an object, an object that can be used and mistreated for nefarious, inappropriate, and iniquitous means.
This expectation has been brought about by the dissolute material we see everyday, through media, text, and the overwhelming information around us. In fact, the expectation that women are to be mistreated and used like objects can truly be found in the music we listen to, the commercials and ads we see on tv, the tweets and posts we see on social media, as well as the articles and magazines we read; this conformity must be brought to the attention of others and be immediately discarded.
To further elaborate on this subject, our music, having become the astronomical figure in our culture, has subtly evolved into a orrupted and demoralized existence. With singers becoming hyper-sexualized, lyrics containing sexual imagery, and the male chauvinist mentality it leads, all done to give incentive to their audience; young males. “And man I ain never seen an a** like hers, and that p**** in my mouth had me loss for words, Told her back it up like erp erp, and I made that a** jump like jerk jerk” (Carter, 2008) A verse from the song Lollipop that perfectly projects the unscrupulous idea that has invaded our music.
By using sexual imagery of a women through its profound language long with the assistance of profanity, this verse clearly shows that the woman in question is not being illustrated as a person, but rather an object that can be used for sexual reasons. An object that can be used for her sexual assets, and not as a human being. And this is the outlook that our music has developed, the outlook that our society accepts, no matter how horrendous it is.
This corruption has extended to all persons who listen to music, by perverting them with this new mindset, the mindset that they have been indoctrinated to have, that women are to be used as sexual objects for men, which is nquestionably wrong. This pornographic view of women doesn’t just stop at music, it has spread to the already invasive well-known intruder; advertisements. Everyday of our lives, we are constantly invaded and attacked with the merciless onslaught of TV commercials and advertisements packed with sexual images and erotic ideals everywhere we go.
We have grown accustomed to these stimuli, growing numb to it, and have accepted it as a norm in our day and age. A norm that in society’s standards is totally acceptable, and in fact, is encouraged rather than discourage. (Figure 3) This isual portrays the way advertisements have been using sexual imagery, specifically by the depiction of women and their bodies. Women are being displayed in sexual mannerism in hopes to influence the intended audience, young males, to purchase their product.
This advertisement exploits the sensual nature of women, as well as their sexual appeal, to entice the audience. This form of advertisement is extremely degrading towards women, as it puts them on the same level as bait. This, as a civil society, is absolutely shameful, and should be looked down upon for the animal-like nature that it has adopted. Of course, plenty of individuals have become seized by this new wave of ideologies and have taken out their opinion of it on social media. Social media has allowed for a place where people can voice their opinions freely.
And on social media, given the aspect where there is a lack of actual contact between individuals, these voiced opinions are expressed without filter, as there is no one to directly oppose them. “I don’t mind Joan Walsh getting low, but if she’s going to open her mouth, wish she’d do something l’d actually enjoy for once! ” (@DanRiehl) This man eemingly holds disdain for the woman, Joan Walsh, a well- known editor of Salon. com, and begins to attack her due to his apparent vexation. However, instead of having a logical retort or an argument that discusses his contempt, he instead decides to humiliate her with the misogynist view he holds.
The view that she is nothing more than a woman, and as a woman, shouldn’t be using her mouth to speak on various issues, but instead should be using it to commit oral sex with him. “I think I may have discovered the most polite way to tell Joan Walsh to suck on this. Lol” He continues “&, please, no indignant rotestations of any alleged sexist attack. The woman is a pox, not a woman as ive ever considered sum1 2 B 1” This judgement he holds for this woman is extremely close minded, and has most surely been inspired by the constant exposure of our crooked modern day philosophy.
The philosophy that women shouldn’t have positions of authority, or be in positions with power, but instead should be subservient to men. This kind of sexualization of women is a recurring problem in all areas of society, and even has been drafted in magazines and articles. The systematic world we live in today, as well as the infected ulture we willingly accept, has brought an unshakeable insecurity in the hearts of all individuals. The insecurity that affects how we see ourselves, our body image, our weight, our height, our skin color, etc.
This self-doubt for our appearance has broken us down as we are constantly trying to compare ourselves to people who, by majority’s standard of beauty, are considered attractive. We try to change ourselves in order to conform to everyone’s preconceived notions of beauty. “Everyone suffers from this constant emphasis on appearance as it encourages people to separate the body from the ndividual as a person… In any case, the body becomes an object that exists for sexual pleasure, leading to self- objectification.
Self-objectification, in turn, is connected to eating disorders, depression and sexual dysfunction. ” (Shadia Duske) This article written on the sexualization of women shows how sexual content and the sexualization of their gender has caused them to be severely afflicted. Women have been forced to integrate themselves into our more contemporary structure, lest they face judgement by their peers. Judgement for not being “Attractive” and for being “Ugly. All persons alike should not be set in a situation where they must perform in a precise manner just to please the people around us.
The misconception on how everyone must meet a certain standard, follow a certain ideal, reach a certain expectation, all in order to be accepted by our peers is without a doubt fallacious. The sexualization of women in society has brought about a new paradigm in our culture. A time where the objectification of women and control over their bodies is an accepted reality. A time where women can be seen not as a person, but as a sexual object used for pleasure and sex.
An example of this would be in the article “Going for the Look,” where the Abercrombie hiring practice is based off appearance, sexual features, and most importantly of all; body proportions. This corruption of our social system and culture has spread through the vast collection of data in our world. Through songs, advertisements, social media, and even magazines. This newfound perspective on women and how they should function in our modern world is appalling and should be brought to an immediate end before it begins to further defile and ruin the minds of our people, children, and future civilization as a whole.