Explaining Rita's Sexual Objectification Theory

Rita, who is five years of age enjoys playing dress-up, which consists of wearing her mother’s high-heeled shoes, a long dress, her mother’s jewelry, as well as her lipstick. Also, Rita loves primping, making faces, strutting, dancing, and watching herself in the mirror. Not only does Rita find joy in playing dress up alone, but also she enjoys engaging in this activity with her friends. There are several different ways to go about explaining why Rita and her friends enjoy playing dress up, one-way is through the Sexual Objectification Theory, another way is through the Social Learning Theory.
For starters, as a female it is expected to dress and behave in a given manner. According to the Sexual Objectification Theory Rita’s behavior can be
For starters, it is unsure why the sexual objectification theory continues to exist in our culture today, and as an individual people are looked at, evaluated, and potentially objectified. The sexual objectification theory explains how sometimes society looks and treats girls and women both as objects for the human eye to look at and to be evaluated on. (pg 87) This may play a role in why women feel that they must look, act, and dress a given way. Also, this may be why women view themselves in such negative ways and are constantly making sure everything is up to perfection about them. Sometimes women will diet, exercise, have surgery, change their fashion, use beauty products, and even suffer from an eating disorder in hopes of achieving that ideal image of a woman that society emphasizes. (pg. 92) Women will go to great lengths to be accepted by society. If women feel that they are being objectified, some may begin to think of themselves as both objects and “sights” to the human eye, which can lead to self-consciousness as a result. According to the book research showed that how a woman’s body appears often times has an influence on how she will see her physical self. (pg.88) The sexual objectification theory can not only lead to a sense of self-consciousness, as well as, other psychological states such as shame and anxiety as well as depression, sexual dysfunctions, and eating disorders. Not only are individuals impacted by people that are thought to be analyzing them on a daily basis, but people are influenced by the media. As a society we are surrounded by images of the “perfect” woman, who is youthful, slim, and white. (pg 92) Overall, woman look take into consideration how they believe they are being viewed by those around them, as well as the media, which influences our behavior