Erotic objectification
- This article is part of the SM-201 Macropedia
Sexual objectification is objectification of a sexual partner, that is, seeing them as a sexual object, and their sexual attributes, without recognition of their existence as a living person with emotions and/or feelings of their own. Typically it involves disregarding personal abilities and capabilities such as intelligence and problem solving skills, and viewing them in terms solely of attributes relevant to a role as sexual plaything, such as physical attractiveness, submissiveness and gullibility.
Mass media, advertisement and lately reality TV are accused by some cultural critics of promoting these values while in the process of promoting goods and services.
Main article: Celebrity objectification
Many actors and famous people are considered sex objects or "sex symbols" (such as Pamela Anderson, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Jessica Simpson). This new reality does not conform to either the values of traditional conservative gender roles or historical feminist analysis.
Marilyn Monroe might be considered an archetype of popular culture figures, although some analysts consider Clara Bow, the true first "It" girl ("It" being either "sex" or "objectifed.")
Some feminists have long argued that traditional attitudes to women in many societies constitute sexual objectification of women, while some critics of feminism contest these claims. In the years since the feminist movement, female sexual objectification of men has greatly increased. Some critics of feminism regard the equality of sexual objectification as being amongst the most prominent legacies of feminism.
- Main article: Objectification of women
Historically, many women have been treated as objects valued mostly for their physical attributes. Some argue that the internalization of objectification by women can lead to negative psychological effects. The precise degree to how successful objectification has been is a topic of academic debate.
- Girls' understanding of the importance of appearance in society may contribute to feelings of fear, shame, and disgust that some experience during the transition from girlhood to womanhood because they sense that they are becoming more visible to society as sexual objects (Lee, 1994).
- Young women are especially susceptible to objectification, as they are often taught that power, respect, and wealth can be derived from one's outwardly appearance (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).
- According to Anne Koedt, women have been defined sexually in terms of what pleases men (McCann and Kim).
- Main article: Objectificaton of men
One side effect of feminism has been the increasing sexual objectification of men by women. Dissident feminists Christina Hoff Sommers, Camille Paglia and Naomi Wolf point out that women's sexual liberation has led women to make men into sex objects. Just as with women, the sexual objectification of men can lead to psychological disorders including depression, and can give men negative self-images due to the belief that their bodies are not adequately attractive. Nevertheless, modern Western society continues to expand its sexual objectification of men. For example:
- On Passions, Desperate Housewives, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Smallville, and other television programs, men are often shirtless or appear in other states of undress while the women remain fully clothed.
- Print advertisements for Abercrombie and Fitch, Calvin Klein, Armani, and many other expensive fashion designers often feature sexually provocative men wearing little clothing.
- Cosmopolitan, Glamour and other magazines geared towards women and teenage girls frequently display photographs of very attractive young men in various states of undress. Playgirl is perhaps the best known female-oriented pornographic magazine, although it is also read by many homosexual men.
- Chippendales, Manpower Australia and other male striptease nightclubs are very popular with women.
- Penis size has become an increasingly popular issue on which to focus, with the emphasis on the created idea that average male penis size is inadequate. The popular television shows Sex and the City and Ally McBeal helped to perpetrate the view that a male partner would be virtually worthless if his penis was not unusually large.
- Main article: Fetishism
In some circumstances, sexual objectification is also the fetishistic act of regarding a person as an object for erotic purposes. Allen Jones' sculptures Hat Stand and Table Sculpture, made in 1969, which show semi-naked women in the roles of furniture, are clear examples of the depiction of the fantasy of sexual objectification, or perhaps a social commentary on the disparities women face in public discourse. (This particular interest, a form of sexual bondage that involves making furniture designed to incorporate a bound person, is also known as "fornophilia.)
A desire to be objectified occurs in many men and women's sexual fantasies. Objectification for fetishistic purposes may for example provide erotic humiliation for the person so regarded, whether male or female. As with most sexual activities, it is generally viewed as abusive if it is not part of a consensual arrangement, such as in BDSM play.
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