Women, the Media and Sex.
Sexualising females in the media is not a foreign concept. It is something we understand and are forced to see every single day- the way we have been for years and years and years- only, recently it seems to be getting worse. In advertising, in artwork, in music, the sexualisation of females is everywhere. There's no denying that the feminists from 100 years ago achieved excellent results. At last, all females can vote. Females can work in all kinds of jobs, not just "feminine" ones. Females don't have to be married to be respected. Females are undoubtedly more independent than they were 100 years ago, and it progresses all the time in leaps and bounds. But one area we seem to be going backwards is in the representation of women in the media. Whilst women are feeling stronger and usually feeling more equal to men than ever before, the media are doing their best at trying to reverse over 100 years of hard work that has got women to the position they are in today.
Music.
Female artists often sing songs about falling in love, breaking up and everything that comes in between with a relationship. As females are known for feeling more emotions than robotic males, this is not out of the ordinary. However, in the last 15 years or so, sex has become an increasingly more recurrent theme to the lyrics of many songs, a lot of them being quite explicit. You only need to listen to a few of Rihanna's hits, such as 'Birthday', or worse 'S&M' (to which the music video was so explicit it could not be shown on TV!), or Wynter Gordon's 'Dirty Talk', or even Neon Hitch's 'F*ck you better'. Not only do these lyrics talk about chains and whips being exciting but they all seem to scream out the need for male dominance in the bedroom. The fact that it is coming from females that they need a man to dominate for them to feel good, only further enforces the idea that men are more powerful than women- as well as saying that women need men to feel good. These messages not only make men appear to be the dominant species but also provides men with an ego-boost, leading them to believe all women are the same and all women will be thrilled when a man chooses to force himself upon her. So, so wrong.
But if we thought female artists were bad, it is nothing on the male artists. I think the one song that springs to everyone's mind when talking about poor representation of women and the sexualisation of women in music is the infamous 'Blurred Lines' by Canadian singer Robin Thicke. His lyrics, including "I know you want it" and talking about tearing "your ass in two" as well as referring to the fictional woman as "b*tch" and "good girl" were not only patronizing and 'rapey' but served as proof alone as to how little respect men still have for women, despite how the position of women has progressed over the years. Alongside the appalling lyrics to the irritatingly catchy tune was the male-dominated music video, which features Robin himself and co artists Pharrell and T.I 'dancing' with scantily clad, gorgeous women who move across the screen in an overly provocative way. This is one of the worst representations from males in the music industry of women and how they should be treated, but many other men have performed similarly, including artists such as Chris Brown. Although many females do enjoy listening to his heart-melting voice whispering down your ear what he'd like to do to you, it, again, enforces male dominance over women and shows that men still think they have ultimate control.
Films and Television.
Feminist Laura Mulvey came up with the idea of the 'male gaze'- an idea that described the way males view females, mainly in cinema, and the idea that females were made to take on this 'male gaze' when watching other females. Although the idea was originally applied to cinema, it can now be applied to almost all forms of media. When watching a film or tv program, or when taking in an advert or poster displaying a gorgeous, usually sexually provocative woman, we can't help but want to act and look the way that she does, as we know she is pleasing males, and ultimately that is a woman's purpose. Of course, this is completely incorrect, but is the message that the mass media have driven into our minds.
Just look at the James Bond films. How many 'Bond girls' came and went in that series of films? Every movie featured another girl, dressed in tight, skimpy, sexy clothing and prancing around for the pleasure of James, who of course, had no respect for women. He would enjoy looking at them, enjoy sleeping with them once, maybe twice, and then enjoyed leaving them behind. Sometimes there would even be more than one girl in the space of one film. And don't even get me started on Miss Moneypenny, who James strings along throughout the duration of every single James Bond film there has been. Although it seems he was a 'ladies man', he was really just a...well, a word too inappropriate to use in my blog! There are several occasions were James is depicted slapping, pinning down and just plain abusing the girl. With the huge fan base these films and books have attracted, and with many men aspiring to be as 'smooth' as Bond, sending out such a misogynistic image to these males only helps to worsen the treatment of women, thanks to a few measly books and films.
In TV, the sexualisation of women is common in TV soaps. Popular TV soaps even have ' XYZ Babes' calendars, such as Hollyoaks. Whilst Hollyoaks has also been praised for its sensitive portrayal of serious issues such as drug abuse, bullying and death, it is not excluded from the soaps that sexualise women. Two characters in the episode are both young, single mums, who conceived their children from men in other relationships- they are, what would be called in today's society 'sluts'. However, like the more respectable, old mums in Hollyoaks such as Dianne, who is always pictured in jeans and a jumper or a flowing dress, these two young mums, Sinead and Theresa, are always dressed in skimpy, revealing clothes and Sinead in particular always has a racy story line- at the moment, she's having an affair with her mothers fiance. Scenarios such as these only tell men that older women are not appealing- the younger, the better. It also tells women that revealing everything is the way to attract a man- it will even lure a man out of his relationship to sleep with you. Which of course is an ultra positive message to send to the young adult and teenage audience that watched Hollyoaks.
Advertising.
Advertising...the worst, most in-your-face form of sexualisation of women. TV adverts, YouTube adverts, posters in shops, posters at bus stops and on the side of buses- adverts are everywhere. And more often than not, they're using a woman to advertise the product in a sexual way. A particular star used for this at the moment is ex-Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger. It started with the Herbal Essence adverts, where Nicole is depicted thrashing her hair around and screaming 'yes' in what can only be described as the voice of a woman who is climaxing. Obviously, the company felt that showing Nicole acting as though she was experiencing sexual pleasure when washing her hair with this kind of shampoo would cause it to sell better. Yes, while it may have raised attention to the brand and generated some extra profit, I did not see Gilette turning a mans shave into a sexual experience, or the men in the Lynx adverts pretending to have an orgasm as they spray themselves with deodorant.
Nicole's sexual acts being used in advertising only continue with Muller yogurts. Whilst closing her eyes and saying 'mmm' both slowly and sensually, the star then ends up with thick, white yogurt on her face through some scenario on the other, as Nicole sits with a cheeky expression on her face. There's no hiding what the yogurt is supposed to represent. The sexualisation of women in advertising is now at such a low point, we are using sex to sell yogurt.
And what about posters for clothes, or perfume? The female models are never shown just stood there casually and smiling, like a normal woman walking down the street. If there is more than one woman present, more often than not they are draped over each other- an image found to be pleasing to males, who just can't resist a bit of girl on girl action. If the girl is alone, she may be touching herself in a sensual or sexual way, with a saucy look on her face- and she probably won't be very well covered up. Why is this? The product is for females, so why the sexualisation that only males would enjoy? Again, it all boils down to Laura Mulvey's male gaze. We are made to look at these females who are selling us this particular product, as though we are a man, so that we find it more appealing and then buy it, but also so that women can understand that this is how men want women to look and behave.
Sexualisation of women in the media is toxic. It teaches women from a very young age that a woman's key role is to provide pleasure for men. That women must be dominated and controlled by men. And that women are not as powerful, or as equal in society, as men. This is not a message that applies to just the men you know, such as the boys at school. This message will then be taken into your profession, into your place of work, into the bedroom. Women all over the world will see these messages from the media and will learn their place- by the side of a man. Men all over the world will see these messages from the media and will only believe even more so that the way they think of women and the way they treat women is okay, and tolerable. It is not.
Feminists have worked so hard to get women to the position they are in in our society today, and they still continue to work hard to improve it. Half the opportunities that we have as women would not be available if we had not had so many strong women fighting for us before hand. It seem's incredulous that a seemingly patriarchal media is trying to reverse several years of hard work, and that in the 21st century people still aren't treated as equals. Women shouldn't have to use their body to get to where they want to be. They shouldn't be made to believe that they are born into the world just to please men. Boys, open your eyes. Women are strong, women are independent and women are not toys that you can play with and then drop when you're done. Don't use women to sell your product just because you're not creative enough to come up with a real marketing idea. And girls? Open your eyes too. See past the poor representation of women. See that you are here to try new things, to push your limits and achieve your goals- not to please a man, but to please yourself. Not to make a man happy with the way you dress, and your bedroom behavior, but to make you happy with the person you have shaped yourself to be.
A female is a human being, not a sexual object that can be used and abused.
Love from,
Florence Grace.
Music.
Female artists often sing songs about falling in love, breaking up and everything that comes in between with a relationship. As females are known for feeling more emotions than robotic males, this is not out of the ordinary. However, in the last 15 years or so, sex has become an increasingly more recurrent theme to the lyrics of many songs, a lot of them being quite explicit. You only need to listen to a few of Rihanna's hits, such as 'Birthday', or worse 'S&M' (to which the music video was so explicit it could not be shown on TV!), or Wynter Gordon's 'Dirty Talk', or even Neon Hitch's 'F*ck you better'. Not only do these lyrics talk about chains and whips being exciting but they all seem to scream out the need for male dominance in the bedroom. The fact that it is coming from females that they need a man to dominate for them to feel good, only further enforces the idea that men are more powerful than women- as well as saying that women need men to feel good. These messages not only make men appear to be the dominant species but also provides men with an ego-boost, leading them to believe all women are the same and all women will be thrilled when a man chooses to force himself upon her. So, so wrong.
But if we thought female artists were bad, it is nothing on the male artists. I think the one song that springs to everyone's mind when talking about poor representation of women and the sexualisation of women in music is the infamous 'Blurred Lines' by Canadian singer Robin Thicke. His lyrics, including "I know you want it" and talking about tearing "your ass in two" as well as referring to the fictional woman as "b*tch" and "good girl" were not only patronizing and 'rapey' but served as proof alone as to how little respect men still have for women, despite how the position of women has progressed over the years. Alongside the appalling lyrics to the irritatingly catchy tune was the male-dominated music video, which features Robin himself and co artists Pharrell and T.I 'dancing' with scantily clad, gorgeous women who move across the screen in an overly provocative way. This is one of the worst representations from males in the music industry of women and how they should be treated, but many other men have performed similarly, including artists such as Chris Brown. Although many females do enjoy listening to his heart-melting voice whispering down your ear what he'd like to do to you, it, again, enforces male dominance over women and shows that men still think they have ultimate control.
Films and Television.
Feminist Laura Mulvey came up with the idea of the 'male gaze'- an idea that described the way males view females, mainly in cinema, and the idea that females were made to take on this 'male gaze' when watching other females. Although the idea was originally applied to cinema, it can now be applied to almost all forms of media. When watching a film or tv program, or when taking in an advert or poster displaying a gorgeous, usually sexually provocative woman, we can't help but want to act and look the way that she does, as we know she is pleasing males, and ultimately that is a woman's purpose. Of course, this is completely incorrect, but is the message that the mass media have driven into our minds.
Just look at the James Bond films. How many 'Bond girls' came and went in that series of films? Every movie featured another girl, dressed in tight, skimpy, sexy clothing and prancing around for the pleasure of James, who of course, had no respect for women. He would enjoy looking at them, enjoy sleeping with them once, maybe twice, and then enjoyed leaving them behind. Sometimes there would even be more than one girl in the space of one film. And don't even get me started on Miss Moneypenny, who James strings along throughout the duration of every single James Bond film there has been. Although it seems he was a 'ladies man', he was really just a...well, a word too inappropriate to use in my blog! There are several occasions were James is depicted slapping, pinning down and just plain abusing the girl. With the huge fan base these films and books have attracted, and with many men aspiring to be as 'smooth' as Bond, sending out such a misogynistic image to these males only helps to worsen the treatment of women, thanks to a few measly books and films.
In TV, the sexualisation of women is common in TV soaps. Popular TV soaps even have ' XYZ Babes' calendars, such as Hollyoaks. Whilst Hollyoaks has also been praised for its sensitive portrayal of serious issues such as drug abuse, bullying and death, it is not excluded from the soaps that sexualise women. Two characters in the episode are both young, single mums, who conceived their children from men in other relationships- they are, what would be called in today's society 'sluts'. However, like the more respectable, old mums in Hollyoaks such as Dianne, who is always pictured in jeans and a jumper or a flowing dress, these two young mums, Sinead and Theresa, are always dressed in skimpy, revealing clothes and Sinead in particular always has a racy story line- at the moment, she's having an affair with her mothers fiance. Scenarios such as these only tell men that older women are not appealing- the younger, the better. It also tells women that revealing everything is the way to attract a man- it will even lure a man out of his relationship to sleep with you. Which of course is an ultra positive message to send to the young adult and teenage audience that watched Hollyoaks.
Advertising.
Advertising...the worst, most in-your-face form of sexualisation of women. TV adverts, YouTube adverts, posters in shops, posters at bus stops and on the side of buses- adverts are everywhere. And more often than not, they're using a woman to advertise the product in a sexual way. A particular star used for this at the moment is ex-Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger. It started with the Herbal Essence adverts, where Nicole is depicted thrashing her hair around and screaming 'yes' in what can only be described as the voice of a woman who is climaxing. Obviously, the company felt that showing Nicole acting as though she was experiencing sexual pleasure when washing her hair with this kind of shampoo would cause it to sell better. Yes, while it may have raised attention to the brand and generated some extra profit, I did not see Gilette turning a mans shave into a sexual experience, or the men in the Lynx adverts pretending to have an orgasm as they spray themselves with deodorant.
Nicole's sexual acts being used in advertising only continue with Muller yogurts. Whilst closing her eyes and saying 'mmm' both slowly and sensually, the star then ends up with thick, white yogurt on her face through some scenario on the other, as Nicole sits with a cheeky expression on her face. There's no hiding what the yogurt is supposed to represent. The sexualisation of women in advertising is now at such a low point, we are using sex to sell yogurt.
And what about posters for clothes, or perfume? The female models are never shown just stood there casually and smiling, like a normal woman walking down the street. If there is more than one woman present, more often than not they are draped over each other- an image found to be pleasing to males, who just can't resist a bit of girl on girl action. If the girl is alone, she may be touching herself in a sensual or sexual way, with a saucy look on her face- and she probably won't be very well covered up. Why is this? The product is for females, so why the sexualisation that only males would enjoy? Again, it all boils down to Laura Mulvey's male gaze. We are made to look at these females who are selling us this particular product, as though we are a man, so that we find it more appealing and then buy it, but also so that women can understand that this is how men want women to look and behave.
Sexualisation of women in the media is toxic. It teaches women from a very young age that a woman's key role is to provide pleasure for men. That women must be dominated and controlled by men. And that women are not as powerful, or as equal in society, as men. This is not a message that applies to just the men you know, such as the boys at school. This message will then be taken into your profession, into your place of work, into the bedroom. Women all over the world will see these messages from the media and will learn their place- by the side of a man. Men all over the world will see these messages from the media and will only believe even more so that the way they think of women and the way they treat women is okay, and tolerable. It is not.
Feminists have worked so hard to get women to the position they are in in our society today, and they still continue to work hard to improve it. Half the opportunities that we have as women would not be available if we had not had so many strong women fighting for us before hand. It seem's incredulous that a seemingly patriarchal media is trying to reverse several years of hard work, and that in the 21st century people still aren't treated as equals. Women shouldn't have to use their body to get to where they want to be. They shouldn't be made to believe that they are born into the world just to please men. Boys, open your eyes. Women are strong, women are independent and women are not toys that you can play with and then drop when you're done. Don't use women to sell your product just because you're not creative enough to come up with a real marketing idea. And girls? Open your eyes too. See past the poor representation of women. See that you are here to try new things, to push your limits and achieve your goals- not to please a man, but to please yourself. Not to make a man happy with the way you dress, and your bedroom behavior, but to make you happy with the person you have shaped yourself to be.
A female is a human being, not a sexual object that can be used and abused.
Love from,
Florence Grace.
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