The Sexualization and Objectification of Women (Who According to Mass Media Are Really Only Here for Man’s Amusement) Essay Example
The Sexualization and Objectification of Women (Who According to Mass Media Are Really Only Here for Man’s Amusement)
It’s hard to refute the fact that it’s a “man’s world”. For example, of all the Fortune 500 companies only 12 of them are run by a female CEO. Even “Victoria’s Secret” advertisements are geared towards men. I’m hard pressed to find a female out there who sees a woman striking a sexy pose in lingerie as speaking to her, enticing her to buy their product. That alone tells us the consumer industry is a male driven industry, where the buying power lies with the man. The sexualization of women is prominent in everything from beer and fast food commercials, under garment advertisements to video games, movies and literature. Sexualization of women has gotten so bad that it is even trickling down towards children as seen with the push up bras for 7 and 8 year olds for sale at stores like “Abercrombie”.
Objectifying women for men’s own pleasure, increased sales of a specific product or for shock value can not only influence a woman’s level of self-esteem but it can potentially lead to increased violence towards women.
Throughout history and in various cultures around the world gender has been the key factor in determining our role within society. These prescribed roles - or rather, “gender roles” - have been influenced by many aspects of society. The way in which we learn these gender roles comes from gender socialization. This is described as how individuals learn gender roles from socializing agents such as the family and the media. In the film “Dreamworlds 3”, we see media’s role in the process of gender socialization. Each gender is shown in various scenarios, but the script is always the same in regards to male and female gender roles. Through the use of countless music videos and other imagery, it shows males portrayed as being in control (powerful) and domineering over women while women are shown as sexual beings (nymphomaniacs) who are
It’s hard to refute the fact that it’s a “man’s world”. For example, of all the Fortune 500 companies only 12 of them are run by a female CEO. Even “Victoria’s Secret” advertisements are geared towards men. I’m hard pressed to find a female out there who sees a woman striking a sexy pose in lingerie as speaking to her, enticing her to buy their product. That alone tells us the consumer industry is a male driven industry, where the buying power lies with the man. The sexualization of women is prominent in everything from beer and fast food commercials, under garment advertisements to video games, movies and literature. Sexualization of women has gotten so bad that it is even trickling down towards children as seen with the push up bras for 7 and 8 year olds for sale at stores like “Abercrombie”.
Objectifying women for men’s own pleasure, increased sales of a specific product or for shock value can not only influence a woman’s level of self-esteem but it can potentially lead to increased violence towards women.
Throughout history and in various cultures around the world gender has been the key factor in determining our role within society. These prescribed roles - or rather, “gender roles” - have been influenced by many aspects of society. The way in which we learn these gender roles comes from gender socialization. This is described as how individuals learn gender roles from socializing agents such as the family and the media. In the film “Dreamworlds 3”, we see media’s role in the process of gender socialization. Each gender is shown in various scenarios, but the script is always the same in regards to male and female gender roles. Through the use of countless music videos and other imagery, it shows males portrayed as being in control (powerful) and domineering over women while women are shown as sexual beings (nymphomaniacs) who are