...It was only a short one hundred years ago that the social norm for women was to wear dresses. Since then, fashion has evolved alongside technology, and media has influenced how both men and women perceive women. With this change, one of the major problems in the society we live in today is the sexual objectification of women. While it is widely believed that sexual objectification is caused by dress codes, sexual objectification actually occurs because of the media and previous objectification, where standards of dress in fact promote a more positive environment, and discourage from sexual objectification. Contrary to popular belief, it is the way that women are portrayed in media independent of a dress code which causes sexual objectification....
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...Women's Health Journal describes it best in their article, “The trafficking of women: a human rights issue” when they say “The sexual trade of women constitutes a human rights concern which reveals the gross inequality between the sexes and the subordination of women on a global scale.” (“The trafficking of women”). A common misconception is that there is not much we can do to stop this international issue, but by simply increasing awareness and decreasing everyday objectification and gender roles in our society we could lessen the number of victims. One reason that human trafficking has become just a global issue is “The gender inequalities which are at the root of this problem are directly related to the objectification of women in the sex industry; traffickers profit from this overall context of vulnerability in which many women and children live” (“The trafficking of women”). This proves again how dangerous the social stigmas our in our society, they are not small things; they are the seed of a problem that destroys the lives of thousands of people every...
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...Feminists have adopted the Kantian ethic of not treating a person as a mere means with their focus on objectification within sexual relations. Lina Papadaki's article, "What is Objectification?" gives a great overview of the origins of this premise. From Kant to the various feminist perspectives she investigates both the narrow and the broad views. The conclusion then in terms of identifying objectification is that the necessary and sufficient condition to treating a person as an object is to deny their humanity. But determining when this is happening to someone is what is what makes objectification difficult. Even within Martha Nussbaum's (22) list of 7 identifiable features: instrumentality, denial of autonomy, inertness, fungibility, violability, ownership and denial of subjectivity, we still come up short in how to determine if a persons humanity has been denied unless of course there is physical harm. And the reason for this is because in some cases objectification can be either unintentional or at times can be a positive aspect of a sexual...
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...The objectification of Native American figures, symbols, and culture is prevalent in many schools and professional sports teams across America today (Chaney, Burke and Burkley 43). Nearly 1,200 high schools and 90 colleges in the United States use Native Americans as their school mascot (Chaney, Burke and Burkley 43). Throughout football games, pep-rallies, and other school related events, fans chant Native American war chants and dress in stereotypical cartoon-like costumes (Pewewardy 181). Although some people would argue that these symbols are intended to honor Native Americans, they often portray them in an inauthentic and clichéd manner (Chaney, Burke and Burkley 43). Because of this, the barbaric, wild, and savage mascots have become a representation of the Native American...
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...Regarding the interactionist theory, these young girls are basing their identity, social relationships, and value as an athlete on how they believe society expects them to look and not based on the objective truth of what a healthy body image actually is (Birbeck & Drummond, 2006). While adolescent males experience struggles with body image and self-objectification as well, females experience these things on a much larger scale. For example, girls experience teasing from both genders, while boys usually only receive it from other boys. One of the most common responses from girls regarding barriers they felt kept them from wanting to participate in sport were negative reactions from peers that included weight criticism and criticism related to body changes as a result of puberty (Slater & Tiggeman, 2011). In a study by Deborah J. Rhea (1998), the conclusion was reached that lack of involvement in sport for girls age 10 to 15 years old was directly linked to body conscious issues. In this age range females begin developing breasts, broader hips, and experience an increase in body fat. These...
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...Sexy Too Soon: The Media’s Sexualization of Our Daughters English 101-B13 Abstract This paper explores the ways media productions have become the main culprit in the sexualization of children. The Bratz Doll itself is a device of the media and all the media images posted on her demonstrates the extent of influence that media hype has on children. Kids are inundated with marketing to sell sex products, including but not limited to provocative clothing which interferes with the healthy development of kids. Harmful images embedded with media misconceptions objectify girls and woman. Children are being transformed into miniature adults with the Media assuming the role of guidance counselor. With both parent’s working in the majority of households, the Media also serves as a substitute parent. A lost childhood is a formula for disaster and long-term issues on all levels of functioning in society. Education, communication, and setting boundaries are essential in creating a reality mindset regarding media ploys. Teaching girls and women that they are not mere vessels of sexual pleasure; rather daughters of God designed to project intelligence and virtue (Proverbs 31:10). Understanding technology, including social media is imperative; however, it is a matter of discernment and balance. Sexy Too Soon: The Medias’ Sexualization of Our Daughters One of the epidemics in the world is the Medias ’sexualization of children. Women and teenage girls are sexualized and objectified...
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...through airbrushing, cosmetics, and computer retouching. What is really shocking about this is that in general, women all the time feel directly affected by beauty product advertising as it has different kind of techniques such as: women objectification, beauty stereotype and a false idea of happiness. After all this adverts, 91% of all cosmetic procedures are performed on women which means that in special women are the ones that are being affected. It is intended to explore the effects beauty advertising has in women including: Plastic surgeries increase, eating disorders, the concept of Madonna, sexualisation of minors and Racial preferences. Also, the main purpose of this essay is the one of stating and presenting how fashion adverts had state an stereotype of how a woman should look like in order to fit in...
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...Hannah Pelfresne Christine Garlough GWS-102 Section 306 17 December 2014 Final Exam Women face problems while working in terms of harassment, hostile reputations, and unequal pay. According to lecture, harassment is defined as the verbal and physical misconduct because of race, gender, etc. to intimidate and create hostile environments. Harassment in white male dominated work occurs most often with women especially women of minority (Berdahl and Moore). This discourages women from feeling comfortable and taking initiative in the workforce out of fear. It can also have long-lasting emotional and physical effects on women. Also, women who hold high positions often face hostility from their counterparts. For example, if a man holds a high position at a company he is seen as a strong, commanding leader. Women are often seen as bossy or unapproachable. Although women make up 46.7% of the workforce, they still aren’t receiving equal pay compared to their male coworkers (Patten and Parker). According to lecture, the Gender Wage Gap reports women currently earning 78 cents to a man’s dollar. So one can infer that about half of the workforce is earning twenty-two cents less the other half just because of their biological makeup. This leads to thousands of dollars in lost wages, or lost income that would help drive the economy (Garlough). There are negative effects to women’s role in work because of how society is socially constructed. For example, being a stay...
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...Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey is certainly not exempt from this list, and for good reason. Kesey's novel is on the American Library Associations' Top 100 Banned Books List for its copious explicit content ("Top 100..." 1). Yet, the book is still taught in schools around America today and it begs the question- is it proper to determine a book's feasible negative influence outweighs its potential merits? Although mature high school students may be able to handle the adult content, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest should be removed from school curriculum because of its explicit language. When prompted to...
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...Abdinasir hussein Soc 401 Professeor Roberts Mid-term paper Freud and Marx will never be forgotten as their legacies carry on through their respective theories. Each of their theories are extensive however, for the purposes of this essay I will compare and contrast their theory regarding freedom and the relationship between the individual and society. Freud and Marx, it can argued were both, as individuals, dissatisfied with their societies. In the process of discussing both Freud’s and Marx’s positions regarding these areas of focus their answers to the following question will be evident and their reasoning explained. Is it possible for human’s to create a society that would not cause so much suffering and, therefore maximize the happiness of all individuals in society? Or in other words, is the desire for freedom and pleasure of the individual irreconcilable with the needs and demands of society? Freud’s response is no. Marx’s answer is yes. In the following paragraphs I will provide a synopsis of Freud’s main argument in Civilization and It’s Discontent and in doing so explicate his support for his answer, then I will do the same for Carl Marx in the Marx / Engels Reader, and lastly I will discuss which theory I find more persuasive and why. Since it is necessary to discuss and define key concepts and terms in order to understand Freud’s support for his answer I will give a synopsis of the book titled Civilization and It’s Discontents. Freud begins this book by defining...
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...The Harmful Effects of Media on Teenage Girls’ Self Image Media is one of the most effective tools in the world. People learn more from the media than any other single source of information. No matter where people look, they are constantly assaulted with images and ads, whether it is online, watching television, or even walking down the street. Because of the media’s ease of accessibility, it is vital that America understands the subliminal messaging behind the entertainment and advertising, not necessarily for the adults’ sake, but for the sake of their children’s impressionable minds. With the average teenager spending 10 and a half hours a day absorbing the media’s messages, it is imperative that parents become aware of the negative effects it is having on their child, especially young teenage girls. The media has targeted this demographic and the results are tragic. The average teenage girl spends 31 hours a week watching TV, 10 hours a week online, and 17 hours a week listening to music. (Kaiser Family par. 13) With that much time spent doing these things it’s a safe assumption that the media has a huge influence on teens and takes up a majority of their free time. Drew Altman, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation said, “When children are spending this much time doing anything, we need to understand how it’s affecting them – for good and bad” (par. 7). With the media imposing so much influence over young America, it is crucial that action be taken...
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...Girl Power: Patriarchy in Sheep’s Clothing Welcome to Harvard Law School Graduation: a pert, slender blonde wearing bright pink lipstick and a mortarboard is giving the graduation address; her classmates leap up to applaud her as the camera focuses on her darkly handsome boyfriend. Beautiful! Fabulous! What, you wonder, is this girl’s story? Her story lies in the plot of the 2001 movie Legally Blonde, a pink and fluffy spectacular starring Reese Witherspoon. Reese plays Elle Woods, who decides to follow her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law after their breakup. A fashion design major, Elle hits the books pretty hard to get decent scores on her LSATS, even missing parties – and then hires a professional to film her in a soft-core porn admissions video, focusing on Elle floating in a cool blue pool wearing a tiny pink bikini. Lo and behold, it wows the white, middle-aged male admissions board, and Elle goes on to take campus by storm. And there’s good reason Elle makes such a splash: she turns out to be he only beautiful girl at Harvard. All the rest of the girls there spend their time studying and doing nothing else; they are dull, boring, and above all, unpretty. These smart women do anything but have fun. Most of them blur into one bespectacled, intellectual image, but there’s one young woman among them who is even worse than dull – our token Feminist. She has dreadlocks and a defensive attitude, talks about nothing but political rallies and is, of course, a...
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...Gordon, Maya K. “Media Contributions to African American Girls Focus on Beauty and Appearance: Exploring the Consequences of Sexual Objectification.” Psychology of Women Quarterly, vol. 32, no. 3, 1 Sept. 2008, pp. 245–256. Sage Journals, doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.00433.x. Accessed 15 Sept. 2017. In this article, Maya Gordon explores how sexual objectification can hinder and influence girls’ beliefs about their appearance. She specifically focuses on young African American girls whose ideals have been affected by the media’s distortion of beauty. To study this, Gordon took a survey of 176 young African American girls to understand the correlations between media and their need to focus on their appearance. The measures used within this study...
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...and Larry (2007), two men try for a life insurance deal, but to do this, they must pretend to be gay. The film is weighted with numerous homophobic quotes such as, “But really, this is a great thing, even if straight guys might think it’s gross,” and “Having people think you’re gay is gross.” The sexual preferences of, in this particular instance, actual gay men are portrayed in a humiliating and demeaning manner. This film makes it seem as if one can get special treatment by proclaiming they are gay and abusing what is a struggle for this community. Contrasting to the constant objectification of women, members of the LGBTQ+ community have this struggle themselves. One of the newest additions to this film conundrum is G.B.F. (Gay Best Friend) (2013). This film objectifies a gay high school boy who was outed in his school and was then sought after to be the ‘gay best friend’ of many high school girls. The movie, although maybe not completely homophobic in ways, objectifies gay...
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...Feminism refers to political, cultural, and economic movements aimed at establishing greater rights, legal protection for women, and or women's liberation. It includes some of the sociological theories and philosophies concerned with issues of gender difference. Nancy Cott defines feminism as the belief in the importance of gender equality, invalidating the idea of gender hierarchy as a socially constructed concept. Feminism has earned itself a bad reputation, but it never undermined gender differences that exist between males and females. A man can never be as good a mother as a female can. Similarly, a woman can never be as good a father as a male can. While accepting these anatomical and physiological differences between the two genders, feminism seeks for both genders to be equally respected. They are both human and as a species, humans cannot progress without either one of them. Maggie Humm and Rebecca Walker divide the history of feminism into three waves. The first wave transpired in the nineteenth and early twentieth century’s, the second occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, and the third extends from the 1990s to the present. In each wave of the movement, though men have taken part in significant responses to feminism, the relationship between men and feminism has been complex. Historically, a number of men have engaged with feminism. Philosopher Jeremy Bentham demanded equal rights for women in the eighteenth century. In 1866, philosopher John Stuart Mill presented a women's...
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