I recently watched a short film called Killing Us Softly 3: Advertisings Image of Women by Jean Kilbourne. This video was about how women are portrayed in advertisements. Kilbourne analyzed many commercials and advertisements featuring woman, and pointed out that women are often used as objects. She pointed out some good ideas about things that I have never thought about before.
Here’s the link for the video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1993368502337678412#
After watching this video I really realized the fact that women are objectified in many ways every single day. There are lyrics in many songs now days that objectify women. They call them all sorts of names and say a bunch of unnecessary and inappropriate things about them, with no regard to whom they may offend. Not to mention the way girls dress and dance in music videos. Seriously? It’s hard for people to respect women when a lot of them parade around half naked on tv.
Girls, have you ever been walking down the street or hallway, and a guy yells and whistles at you? Guys, have you ever see this happen? I take that as extremely disrespectful and violating. I am not a dog so do not whistle at me! Some men think they can do whatever they want when it comes to women. This behavior is learned, whether it be from television or seeing these actions from others they may look up to. Sadly for some reason, the society we live in thinks it’s ok to treat women with less respect than others.
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I agree with you that women are objectified, based on my own observations and recent experiences. It's like we are supposed to fit into a mold. I disagree with our culture's ways of women feeling that they need to wear mascara or eyeliner and makeup, or spend money on fashion to look beautiful. But they feel the need to, because so much emphasis is put on how a girl looks rather than simply on who she is as a person. I have had two negative experiences since school began which relate well with what you're saying. I had a guy look me up and down before even meeting eyes with me to say "Hi",which was proceeded by telling me that I was very pretty in spanish, and told that I should come out to the bar he works at sometime. Ummm..dare I respond with a resounding "NO" !!! ??? I am not merely a body meant to be simply a model of attraction/a an acceptable clone of cultural beauty. I have a personality, a soul, a MIND, that goes so much beyond mere appearances. Second, I am not just a "date" or a "girl-friend" object. I've had a guy try to go out with me without even really knowing me. He really wants to "have" a girlfriend....Ehem, we are not commodities that you can buy at Walmart, thankyou. :) He doesn't even know me enough to love me for who I am on the inside. He expresses wishing that he could "date" me..I think its not ME that he's really after, just the appearance of "having a girlfriend" (object) or viewing me as a body for his pleasure (again, an object)...That's just sad.
ReplyDeleteBut its great to know that there are enough guys out there who aren't like that, and who have the ability to see girls as people and not merely as objects. To them--You are the best kind! ;)
Are women being objectified or are they objectifying themselves? You mentioned the women in music videos being dressed and acting in a way that is demeaning. However, no one is making them dress and act that way; they are doing that of their own free will. Commercials may be objectifying women according to some people but, the women in the commercials are not being forced to be in the commercials; if they think it is that demeaning they should not be in the commercial. The commercials are not going to show something that is deemed completely inappropriate by society; so the way women dress in commercials is going to reflect, to some extent, how women dress usually. Every group of people is called names and has inappropriate and unnecessary things said about them, this is nothing unusual, nor are women victimized by this anymore than any other group. Women may have become objectified; however, it is not because they are being objectified but because they are objectifying themselves.
ReplyDeleteAs with everything I write this may not be my opinion it is only an argument.