Women as an Object of Sex - Essay Example

July 15, Women – An object of Sex The equality between men and women is near to non-existent. Generally, it is believed that this world is a man’s world. Even the English language does not support gender equality. According to transforming a rape culture, page 125, there are almost 220 words for sexual promiscuous women and around 20 such words for men. This language of rape culture has surrounded our daily lives and we have become ignorant to the inequality. We regularly ignore the degrading images and stereotypes of women created and reinforced by media. In the current world scenario, where males dominate, glamor is restricted to the people who are classified above middle class. Females are treated as sub-ordinates, emotional support seekers and a sex object. Media helps create and reinforce a gender duality based on traditional views of men and women. Often, females and males are shown in advertisements according to the roles they play in patriarchal structure i.e. males as dominating creatures and women as helpless ones. Media shows women as giving advices on how to please men, how to cook, and how to look attractive by loss of weight. These stereotypes, however, have become a part of our daily lives and are hardly escapable from the advertising industry. An average person is exposed to over 2000 ads a day. These ads sell a lot more than just the product. They promote values, images, love, success, popularity and worth. Unfortunately, these ads show images of female body to promote the product. Women sell everything from food to cars to deodorants. All leading models are shown as slim, tall, long-legged, white, and young. Now the question is why are all standards of beauty being imposed solely on females? B.Earl Puckett quoted in Stephen Donadio that the task of media is to make women feel dissatisfied and unhappy with their natural looks. A woman will, then, opt for beauty products, cosmetics, diet plans, and other such services. The messages from these advertisements indicate that a woman has only her body to offer. Women are considered as an object of sex and violence which can increase the sales of the products. It’s their body which can enable them to get whatever they want. They feel dissatisfied with their looks and body appearance and try to improve their appearance by using cosmetics, and going on diet. The images of young, thin, beautiful female models create a desire, a strong desire, in males to feel the body warmth. Such degrading images show women as just a sex object. Ads like those made for cigarettes and deodorants (AXE, etc.) show women half naked, craving for the sexual pleasure. If one believes in these images, then to some extent one actualizes them. These submissive, sex object roles have dehumanized women and give the power to men. These ads indicate that men are to rule, control females whereas females only seek to please males. The TV commercials for an age controlling cream, Pond’s age miracle by Lever Brothers (Unilever), depict men only love women who stay white, spotless, and young. These ads use women as an object of sex. Certain ads also portrayed that to gain one’s husband’s love and attention wife has to look young and fair. A TVC by pond’s – telecasted in 2009 on all media channels in South Asia – showed a wife using the pond’s age miracle cream. The husband expressed his love and feelings to the wife because she looked young and beautiful. The tag line for this ad was “see the change of your husband in just 7 days.” (Ponds, Ponds Age Miracle) Another ad telecasted in Thailand showed a girl who uses Pond’s age miracle. The concept of ad is that a girl will look beautiful and attractive only with fair color, spotless skin, and less wrinkles. The cream claims that within 7 days a girl can look beautiful and control the aging signs. Again the typical stereotype has been reinforced that a girl can only be attractive if she has fair complexion, spotless skin, and a younger looking skin. (Ponds, Ponds Age miracle) Third example for such ads where women are used as an object who can earn and impress men only through their fair color, young looking skin, and slim figure is Pond’s age miracle ad. The ad shows a woman using pond’s age miracle. One day, she finds a note with a red rose on her table saying “dinner at 8 pm”. The husband arranges a dinner with romantic arrangements. The couple exchanges a romantic conversation. The tag line says “revive the romance in your marriage as you revive the glow in your skin through Pond’s age miracle cream.” (Ponds, Ponds Age Miracle) These ads create the myth that a girl can only be successful, can only maintain the romance of their marriage life, and can only get love from men if they look young and beautiful. These ads create a need to look beautiful and then offer their product, Pond’s age miracle cream, as a solution to the need. Moreover, these ads show women as seeking ways to impress men and beauty, fair color, spotless skin as tools of success in today’s world. Women are considered as an object of sex in the Pond’s cream. By providing an unattainable ideal, advertisers ensure that the cosmetic industry continues growth and earning profits in billions. Staying young, beautiful and slim is being promoted leading to an increased demand for beauty products and cream like anti-aging, anti-wrinkles, etc. These stereotypes created by ads like the three ads by Pond’s are opposed by Jean Kilbourne in her thesis, “Two ways a woman can get hurt”, in following words: “All women, regardless of age, are really temptresses in disguise, nymphets, sexually instable and seductive” (Kilbourne, Two ways a woman can get hurt) Jean Kilbourne also said that treating any human being as an object is equivalent to presenting justifications for violence against that particular person. These ads proved that Jean Kilbourne was right in her thesis. The female models were used as an object of sex, beauty, and creatures which seek men pleasure. Jean Kilbourne was right when she pointed out the consequences of such stereotypes being created by media. Such stereotypes are harming the society and are spreading crimes like rapes and pornography. In the ads, commercials, movies, daily soaps, males are portrayed as strong, intelligent, aggressive, and sexually aggressive individuals whereas females are shown as weak, passive, emotional, beautiful and incompetent ones. Media has created a macho-man image as ideal for men. This image tells a man to disrespect females in order to prove his manliness. Rarely, any television show or movie portrays a man doing any housework. Females are portrayed as beings that always look young, beautiful and are white. Even the black women are shown with straight, long hair and light skin. Asian women are shown as creature craving for sexual relationship. Women are shown as being helpless and wanting guidance. Media has affected us, we accept it or not, but we all have been under its influence. We all do gender. Few norms have been made and are followed in our society. One won’t see boys playing with dolls and girls are never seen climbing trees. Girls are born to learn cooking, stitching, and music. The norm is that boys should not cry even if beaten up. Boys can quarrel and fight with each other. Second marriage or marrying again is a tradition allowed for a man only. The justification for not allowing a woman to re-marry is cannot leave her children. Men are powerful and girls are weak. The justification for this norm is that girls can be raped. Media has created an image of an ideal man. The ideal man is tall and broad shouldered. According to the stereotypes of media, a woman has to be fair, slim, and beautiful. Another stereotype says women are emotional therefore their decisions are never practical and rational. A man can live alone but a woman will always be in a need for a man. The impacts that these norms leave on us is bad. These norms, stereotypes affect our emotional life, health, our relationships, and every other aspect of life. Magazine content encourages women to be concerned about what others think of their appearances. Works Cited Kilbourne, Jean. Advertising, Deadly Persuasion: Why Women and Girls Must Fight the Addictive Power of Advertising. Touchstone, 1999. Kilbourne, Jean. "Two ways a woman can get hurt." Two ways a woman can get hurt. Electronic Library, n.d. Ponds. Ponds Age miracle. 2009. . Ponds. Ponds Age Miracle. 2009. . Ponds. Ponds Age Miracle. 2007. . Read More