There is
a new terminology for the people of tomorrow: the global citizen. The global citizen has emerged because of the
advancement of technology. Technology, as a virus, has spread through our
communities, societies; our nation's to bring about a diverse population of
people like never before. The convergence of this communal environment means
the global citizen has to learn how to interact effectively as well as
graciously and diplomatically (interpersonal communication) with one another. A promising way to assure this success is to
deal with and turn away from any type of biases or stereotypes there may be.
One prevailing prejudice our society faces is sexual objectification of women -
“the experience of being treated as a body (or collection of body parts)
valued predominantly for its use to (or consumption by) others" (Hill,
2010, p. 10). During the 1990’s, a content
analyses from the pass 20 years, showed “television and its advertising” had
not adequately represented women and depicted them in “stereotypical ways”
(Signorielli & McLeod, 1994).
In a more recent analyses, female music video
artists were found to sexual objectify themselves more so than their male
counterparts were “to objectify females characters in their music videos” (Aubrey,
Hopper, & Mbure, 2011). Although
some of these female artists have become popular and thriving
"brands" in the music business, content analyses submit sexualization
of women has not ceased (Frisby & Aubrey, 2012). And, another study by Nowatzki and Morry (2009), states, according to
Whelehan, “[The] increasingly sexualized representations of women in popular
culture are a regression to greater sexism” (p. 96). These studies suggest for the growth,
strength, health, and success of our future as a global public, women should
not promote or foster sexism (sexual objectification) in their attitudes, behaviors,
and appearances because it frames and reinforces the viewpoint men can have
towards women, it can develop mental and physical despair for the woman, and it
hinders the future growth of equality for all women.
As stated before, years ago,
television and its advertising did not adequately represent women and it exposed
them in stereotypical ways. Today, women are found in many roles and capacities
across the spectrum of media, business, education, and government throughout the
world; however, the undertones of prejudice and stereotype are still prevalent.
The old cliché "sex sells" (Bongiorno, Bain, and Haslam, 2013, p. 1)
is what advertisers use to entice men, by way of proactively dressed women
using verbal or nonverbal sexual cues and gestures, to purchase or partake of a
product or service. Research has shown this strategy of “sex sales” is an effective
and profitable marketing tool that has been used to sale “automobiles to
hamburgers” (Ullah & khan, 2014, p. 26) and everything in between.
With the rise and popularity of music
videos, satellite radio, YouTube, Facebook, and other viewing sites, women are
still viewed and displayed as objects of pleasure, by way of sexual clothing,
cues, and gestures. Music video messages have been assessed as conveying a message
of hatred, exploitation, degradation, along with displays of distorted images
and ideas of women's sexuality especially towards the African American woman (Frisby
& Aubrey, 2012). Frisby and Aubrey have
examined the use of sexual objectification amongst women in pop, hip hop, and
country music videos. The outcome showed,
probably “due to the socially conservative nature of the genre” (2012, p. 66),
female country music artists use less sexual objectification within their
videos. African American female artists virtually doubled the prospect of wearing
seductive attire in their videos, and pop music videos are just as sensual and laced
with sexual fixings as hip hop; just not as violent or intense.
In the area of beauty and cosmetics, women
advertise these products in a seductive and alluring way; reinforcing the
message of sex and objectification. According
to Ullah and Khan’s (2014) research, the sexual objectifying messages behind
this form of advertisement is: If women purchase this lotion, makeup, shampoo,
and so forth, they will possibly attract and become involved with the attractive
male partner. Also, their research
argues that television advertisement forms and channels the views, opinions, and
behaviors of society. In a study done by Aubrey, Hopper, and Mbure (2011), subliminal
messages (see, hear, or read) are developed in an individual’s mind pertaining
to a certain focus after receiving consistent stimuli of that focus. This repeated
stimulus can produce both positive and negative attitudes towards a
subject. This is called media priming. This concept is based on memory and the
attributes attached to those memories.
Once a person sees, hears, or reads something that triggers a memory,
than everything that, that person has associated with that memory will come to the
surface or conscious level; feelings, emotions, opinions, and so forth.
In the discipline of communication
studies, one of the proposed definitions of communication
by scholars is the "transformation of information, ideas, emotions,
skills, etc., by the use of symbols - words, pictures, figures, graphs, etc."
(Trenholm, 2011, p. 19). It is through
these symbols and a person’s mental set – attitudes, feelings, values,
beliefs, etc. – that one comes to decipher and try to understand a given
message (2011, p. 25). Taking this definition into consideration, the
consistent communication from the media, advertisement, music and entertainment
is priming a culture, especially the men, to see women as sexual objects or
body parts for pleasure and use; and not for their intelligence and moral
status as people – human beings. And one
further examination of these studies show, women, the very victims of this
stereotype, are consciously, eagerly or half-heartedly, involved in this sexual
objectification by objectify their own bodies or allowing another to do so.
This should not be done.
These acts of sexual objectification have
brought varied reaction for women. Some
view this as the new and popular culture of today; while others see it as a
dysfunction within society attributing to obsession with body image, anxiety, shame,
depression, and eating disorders (Hill, 2010, p. 208). On one side, young women
are eager to keep up with the new trendy clothing lines, shoes, make-up, and
accessories that emphasize body parts, skin exposure, and bodily shape to keep
in line with the perceived look of
beauty and fashion. They admire and
idolize the popular female video artist (that sexual objectify themselves) and link
their sexiness, style, fashion, and beauty with success (Nowatzki & Morry,
2009) that they so desire. They are flattered by the attention and gaze
received by the male gender. It is a
normal human need and desire to be wanted, loved, and cared for, but to be
viewed as an object and toyed with, is a humiliating experience. Also, there are women who deal with the humiliation,
degradation, and shame of being viewed as an “object of appetite” (Loughnan, et
al., 2010, p. 709). They feel they are
not respected as people of society with intelligence, feelings, goals, and
purpose (depersonalized). They are
measured by an unattainable beauty standard
that may not be realistic for the majority of the female population. The “thin
body ideal” (Swami, et. al., 2010) is equated to such standards; although good
eating habits and exercise is advisable for all individuals, a certain weight, height, and body shape
should not be held as the measurement that signifies beauty for the individual
women. Women trying to maintain this
“thinness” may develop eating disorders, experience shame, anxiety, and
depression because of the inability to achieve and/or maintain that thinness.
This prevailing prejudice of sexual objectification, a form of sexism,
towards women must end. However, to ensure this end, women must do everything
within their power to make sure they are not contributing to this prejudice. A
woman should conduct herself in a modest way at all times. The voice of the
popular culture would say that this is sexist or the lack of one's freedom;
however, according to a study by Hartman (2015), modesty “is the voluntary restraint of one's power, (or display of
power), undertaken for the sake of other's (or for the common good).” For the
sake of young men, women, and the health and strength of the global community,
women should seriously consider restraining their power and rights to consider their
character, conduct, and appearances for the common good of other’s. Everyone
has their part to play in this global community. Everyone is responsible for their behavior
regardless of another’s character, but when given the knowledge, skills, tools
to make a difference in the lives of others it has that one’s duty to make a
difference. Remember, future generations
are are built and shaped upon the current generation’s accomplishments and
failures. Women must fight against sexism and sexual objectification for the betterment
of our future men, women, and children for a strong and healthy global
community.
Reference
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