What is your understanding of the term "sexual objectification"?

Question

Is this a conscious or unconscious process? Do men perceive women as s*x objects more than women perceive men as s*x objects? Why ?

What kinds of social problems can the sexual objectification of women in the pop-culture media lead to?

Answer 1

I believe it is both a conscious and unconscious process. When a guy goes to a strip club, he is consciously making a decision to go see naked women show off their stuff. He cares not about who that person is or whether he'll ever see her again.

Then there is the unconscious process where a guy with good intentions meets someone. Maybe there is drinking involved, maybe they just get caught up in the moment. Suddenly he is no longer thinking with the head that has a face. They have s*x and he rolls off her never to call or care whether he sees her again.

Sexual objectification is exploited in TV ads, radio, music etc. It's not just men objectifying women. Remember the old pepsi commercials with the construction worker and all the women who took their break to go watch him...prime example of objectification.

Victoria Secret's runway display is a less subtle example sexual objectification. It says, "This is what your woman should look like and this is what she should wear if you are any kind of man at all." To women it sends another message; "If you want to get a man and keep him, this is what you should look like and this is what you should wear."

Social problems that arrise from this are that men and women - and boys and girls learn to look at each other from a sexual standpoint rather than as an individual. An extreme example of one problem is the male who rapes a woman because what she was wearing (promoted by music videos, TV, ads) spoke to him that she was "asking for it".

Young teens today talk about "hooking up"...s*x without emotional connection. I think this comes somewhat from sexual objectification of both sexes.

Is this for homework?

Answer 2

This vexing question requires cognitive abilities to answer which I simply do not possess.*

**Apologies to those who may or may not find my opinion in defiance of CG/TOS. Furthermore, may I offer my apology for apologizing as it is my nature to do so under a regime of thought control in the hope that it will induce others to think twice before exercising their power to report my answers (baselessly) and feel a sense of great power and influence over my life.

I furthermore wish to apologize for my existence and my need to consume atmospheric oxygen to sustain critical metabolic processes and for the level of androgens in my serum. Moreover, I apologize for the hormonal milieu (e.g. DHT) which surrounded me during organogenesis, particularly during my first trimester of gestation. Deepest remorses to community members.

Moreover, may I express my deepest remorse for having male genitalia as I'm trying my best to have them removed to conform with the standards required to be a woman.  Deepest apologies, once again.

Answer 3

I know women who dont even qualify for sexual objectification.  Total worth-less peices of schit.  But they do have womanhood and so they are embowerd I think

Answer 4

I'm not sure, but I think you can get a cream for it!

Answer 5

Sexual objectification is a meaningless concept, because objectification is a meaningless concept.

By that standard every time we go to a store, for example, we are objectifying the person selling it and he is objectifying us. Do we really care about what a wonderful person that McDonald's worker is. Of course not, he (or she) is just an "object" that brings us our food. In turn, that worker sees us as nothing but an "object" to make money off of.

There are COUNTLESS of examples and situations where other people only superficially care about just one aspect of us or our personality and we in turn do the same thing. Why should it be negative or even controversial that sometimes men (and women!) think about some person only on a level of that person being a source of sexual arousal and sexual gratification. No one is DENYING the other aspects of that person simply by focusing on THIS aspect.

And sure, male sexuality may be "crude" or hard to undestand for women, but it certainly not one bit more shallow than female sexuality. The portrayal of men in romance novels and telle-novellas is not one bit more realistic or enlightened than the portrayal of women in p**n movies.

Answer 6

its like  when you blatently put s**y looking women often featured without men, in ads for beer, cars, toothpaste and just about anything when there are no reciprocal sexily clad men standing alone for say ads on sanitary napkins and the like

Answer 7

honestly, you are spending too much time on the computer, why don't you go out and enjoy yourself, (life is to short), wine, dine and 69 you know the deal!

Answer 8

Back when I gave a ****, sexual objectification meant the way that women are treated as sexual objects instead of real human beings with natural human feelings that mattered.  Objectification creates responses by women that are unnatural to them and disruptive to mental health.  Having to adhere yourself to attractiveness guidelines that don't include things like having cancer or growing old.

And sexual objectification makes you pretty much worthless in the eyes of the objectifier.

Answer 9

Umm, well I think it's just something women made up to control us men. We are BUILT to look for s*x. It's in our genes. Yeah, there are enough people in the world now that we don't have to reproduce all the time(in fact there are a lot of kids who need homes) but that doesn't change the fact that we are always gonna want it, with a lot of different women. But that's why there is self-control and birth-control. When a guy loves a woman, he still WANTS to sleep with other women that he sees walking down the street on a hot day wearing barely anything...But there are a LOT of things that ppl WANT but they have to control their desires. But I really truely believe that women have taken this thing too far! Demanding to be taken out and have all kinds of money spent on them in order for you to be able to take care of your needs. Its prostitution is what it is and a lot of the women on the planet have participated in prostitution and they deny it on a daily basis. Heck, I don't have a problem with prostitutes. THEY are honest (no I've neve slept with one cause I've never had the need, but if I was an older, and not attractive, then you bet your bottom dollar I would be paying for it, women don't understand what we go through when our reproductive organs are FULL and ready to explode) and they get a bad rap. Especially since the ones who LIE and pretend that they are not prostituting themselves look down their nose along with the rest of mainstream society and act like they are so much better... Now don't get me wrong, if you are talking about guys who just have a complete lack of respect for the woman they are "objectifying" then that is wrong. I have a great amount of respect for the female body and I appreciate all of the rewards that it has in store for us guys. And I like nothing more than to make a woman happy. So it really is a 2 way street. Ya, I do see a hot woman walking down the street and imagine what it would be like to be "with" her. And I have a girlfriend, and I explained to her that I see a womans body as a work of art. And there is a clear understanding that I can look but not touch. I have some kind of animal instinct that is in my genes that I cannot do anything about that tells me that I WANT to touch, but I do not give in to these desires. A person who gives in to all of there desires is not in control of their own body or their own life. It's just a simple matter of self control AND common sense. I really enjoy the relationship I am in right now and I would never want to do anything to hurt my woman, so therefore I will not cross that boundary. It's not that hard. Really. It's just like an "alcoholic"(i do not believe there is such thing, people who drink too much do it because of other problems in their life and because its easy to fall in the habit of doing ANYTHING) who just does not have the strength or the self control to "just have a few". So then he has to just completely quit doing something that he enjoys because he is too weak to be able to control themselves. There are other, hidden "reasons" as to why they drink too much. And until these other issues are resolved, not only will they not be a "whole" person, but they will keep on drinking to temporarily solve that problem. Just like some people might choose to punch a wall or cut themselves to relieve stress, and some other people might choose to watch "Meerkat Manor" to calm themselves down when the world gets too heavy on their shoulders, and others choose to get really drunk. So its the same thing with women. All of us guys want them. But are you going to give in to that desire every time it takes hold of you? You will probably catch a disease, not be able to hold a relationship for long, and you will not lead a fruitful life... I'm probably not right about everything I said, I am still learning alot about women and I'm only 27. But I just have my opinion and I think women are really using this to have more control. Perhaps they feel us men are running the world and they needed to take a stand so they just start withholding themselves from us unless we have enough money. And I know not all women are like this(my girlfriend is a great example, but she came from a small town and was not as exposed to popular culture, so I got a pure hearted woman! I know that women can't help the way they are raised. Being exposed to all this stuff on TV and the radio and now the net has a definite effect on you. Every time on tv, you see the women going after the rich guys and they just think it is the right thing to do. And if you have ever heard the way women talk when they think you are not listening, then, no, they objectify us just as much we do them. It's just that they are sneaky about it. (dishonesty again, guys are probably the same, well some are good and some are bad just like everything else in the world. I know guys who lie about how much money they make and all kinds of stuff to get a woman in bed, but isnt' that just beating them at their own game, since they choose to lay in bed with a guy who they THOUGHT was rich?) I'm not trying to beat up on women, here. But in order to address your question about objectifying, yeah, it DOES happen but it's not always necessarilly such a bad thing. And the BAD, disrespectful type of objectifying is not as common as they make is sound... Women should feel LUCKY that they are holding all the cards!!! And I personally kind of enjoyed the adventure of trying to win over a woman. And after a few meetings, when something special happens, its like finding the gold at the end of the rainbow after a long hard journey! And I have NEVER lied about how much I make (I didn't ever want to attract THOSE kinds of women), or anything like that. And I am NOT rich, by any means. I make less than 15,000 per year Im pretty sure after taxes...I live a very spartan life, well at least in a material point of view. Other aspect of my life might be considered very fruitful! When a natural (instinctual) connection forms and a man and woman come together and do something beautiful, it is a very good thing. God gave us eachother to enjoy. Not to tiptoe around and constantly wonder if we are paying eachother enough respect or if we are making enough money to be worthy of making love to this woman. I don't know WHO'S fault it is, MEN or WOMEN (probably both) but the state of things these days is rediculous! Perhaps women are punishing us for not letting them have voting rights and other rights in the past. Or maybe women are just not attracted to men anymore, so the only motivation to sleep with one is if they are going to get something else out of it. If that is the case, then the world is slowly going completely g*y and the human race will continue in labratories... Sad. As for problems in the popculture media... I think that pop culture media IS the root of the problem. SO... You have a male's opinion. One male out of 3 billion or so... I'm sure that there are MANY other opinions out there that differ greatly from mine. Se la vie!!