Sexual Objectification of Women in Media

Objectification of women is predominately what sells most products for advertising agencies. Slowly we are seeing objectification of men to sell things that cater to women, but if we know one thing it is that sex sells. We learned in class on Monday that advertising is not literally selling “sex” as in a healthy sexual relationship between a man and a women, but selling the idea that by using the product you might look like this, get this women etc. We also learned in class that there is a “shared meaning” in sexual messages between consumer and advertiser. Sexual images that were viewed as “too explicit” in the 1960’s are now everywhere within mainstream media. Images that we view as “too explicit” will continue to push the norm until there is nothing that is considered “too explicit” anymore. This matters to me because I am a woman and being objectified for profit does not sit well with me. I like to see successful woman on magazines that own businesses, or that have invented something useful. What I don’t like to see on magazines is naked women promoting useless products that I don’t even use. This idea is bizarre to me that naked women on magazines are okay to be put on stands for people to see. In this day and age I would never want my grandmother or my little brother to see Britney Spears naked on the cover of Rolling Stone. Frankly, I am embarrassed by the images, and I think these women are just asking to be objectified, and making our inclusion into media one that is about sex and the use of our bodies rather than the use of our brain.

This is an Advertisement for Chupa Chups, a lollipop company. This ad is objectifying women by using her breasts to sell their product. This company could have used a child with a lollipop in it's hands to sell, yet instead decided to go the route of using sex appeal. In no way would this ad get me to buy a lollipop. 

This ad is playing off the stereotype that women can't cook and are meant to stay at home and look good. This is a dangerous stereotype to play on because it is at the heart of what women are trying to change. The fact that we want to be seen as more than a housewife but we also want to be respected as well. This ad is trying to sell a wonder-bra by objectifying women in the process.

This ad actually disgusts me. Nikon is trying to sell a camera by using 2 underage girls in provocative stances. Not only is the objectification of 2 young women not okay, but why do you need these women to sell a camera? Why not use a beautiful picture of nature or something the camera would be good at, instead of playing on the notion of sex? In my opinion this ad did not accomplish anything. 

Sexual objection of women portrays women as an object not as a person. Sexual objectification further demonstrates that is type of behavior is okay, and that women are nothing but an object to look at. As as women trying to be successful in the world this type of advertising has a negative impact on me and other women around me. This is a very dangerous stereotype to play on because it deems women powerless in society. Feminists largely struggle with the concept of sexual objectification in advertising. 

This video discusses the dangers of the objectification of women in media: