Sexual objectification is the act of treating a
person as an instrument of sexual pleasure. Objectification more broadly means treating a person
as a commodity or an object, without regard to their
personality or dignity.
Objectification is most commonly examined at the level of a society, but can
also refer to the behavior of individuals.
The concept of sexual
objectification and, in particular, the objectification of women, is an important
idea in feminist theory and psychological theories
derived from feminism. Many
feminists regard sexual objectification as deplorable and as playing an
important role in gender
inequality. However,
some social commentators argue that some modern women objectify themselves as
an expression of their empowerment over men, while others argue that
increased sexual freedom for women and for gay and bisexual men has led to an increase of the
objectification of men
Sexual objectification involves a
woman being viewed primarily as an object of male sexual desire, rather than as
a whole person. Although opinions differ as to which
situations are objectionable, some feminists see objectification of
women taking place in the sexually oriented depictions of women in advertising
and media, women being portrayed as weak or submissive through pornography,
images in more mainstream media such
as advertising and art, stripping and prostitution,
men brazenly evaluating or judging women sexually or aesthetically in public
spaces and events, such as beauty contests, and the presumed need for cosmetic
surgery, particularly breast enlargement and labiaplasty.
Some feminists and psychologists
argue that sexual objectification can lead to negative psychological
effects including eating disorders, depression and
sexual dysfunction, and can give women negative self-images because
of the belief that their intelligence and competence are currently not being,
nor will ever be, acknowledged by society Some have argued that the feminist
movement itself has contributed to the problem of the sexual objectification of
women by pushing for an end to the so-called oppressive patriarchal marriage
and promoting "free" love (i.e. women choosing to have
non-reproductive sex outside of marriage and for their own pleasure) Such
promotion has increased the average number of lifetime sexual partners for men,
which in turn has caused some men to devalue sex, which in turn has caused men
who objectify women to devalue women. How objectification has affected women
and society in general is a topic of academic debate, with some saying girls'
understanding of the importance of appearance in society may contribute to
feelings of fear, shame, and disgust during the transition to womanhood, and
others saying that young women are especially susceptible to objectification,
as they are often taught that power, respect,
and wealth can
be derived from one's outward appearance.
Pro-feminist cultural critics
such as Robert Jensen and Sut Jhally accuse mass media and
advertising of promoting the objectification of women to help promote goods and
services.
The objection to the
objectification of women is not a recent phenomenon. In the French Enlightenment, for example, there was a
debate as to whether a woman's breasts were merely a sensual enticement or
rather a natural gift. In Alexandre Guillaume Mouslier de
Moissy's 1771 play The True Mother (La Vraie
Mère), the title character rebukes her husband for treating her as merely
an object for his sexual gratification: "Are your senses so gross as to
look on these breasts – the respectable treasures of nature – as merely an
embellishment, destined to ornament the chest of women?"
KUW/U14/SLG/2029
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