Women Aren't Objects
In most advertising, you see women being used to advertise something, but in some ways, it is being turned sexual. Movies, ads, music, and even books display unhealthy relationships where women are mostly targeted.
Burger King released an ad that sexualized women by having the new BK Super Seven Incher in front of her face with the caption, saying, “It’ll blow your mind away.” This woman’s picture was used without her consent and is upset because the ad suggests oral sex. This is just one of the ways women are being sexualized in society.
With women being viewed like objects and sexualized in everyday media, it explains why the sexual assault rate for women is so much higher than men's. “1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime”, while “[a]bout 3% of American men- or 1 in 33- have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime”. These rates should not be this high and the media may be partly to blame. Some women don’t even feel comfortable going into large cities by themselves, especially at night. Women shouldn’t have to worry about being attacked just because they left their house.
Social media is also making things more difficult for women to feel safe. With boys asking for nudes and encouraging girls to post pictures that are “hot” and that sexualizes themselves it makes girls less respectful of their own bodies. Girls think that they need to be hot or sexy for boys to be interested in them now. If girls don’t feel like they are accepted or enough for the boy they like it might lead to depression, anxiety, cutting, and even eating disorders.
Not only in ads are women displayed as objects or shown in unhealthy relationships. They can be often objectified in music, television, and books such as 50 Shades of Grey. In 50 Shades of Grey, Christian stalks Anastasia by putting a GPS in her phone, buys out the business she works for so she can work as high in the company as she wants and tells her what to wear. This is an example of an unhealthy relationship and people don’t realize it’s in the trends they obsess about. In a relationship, there should be boundaries but not ones that make someone feel scared or like they are walking on a tightrope. Love is Respect discusses that a healthy relationship is when someone in the relationship can speak up in if something is bothering them, feel respected, come to an agreement after an argument, be supportive of each other, and respect each other’s privacy. Contact someone at loveisrespect.org, text “loveis” to 22522, or call 1-866-331-9474 if you or someone you know is in an unhealthy relationship and needs help or advice.
Overall, media, books, and ads all have a significant effect on how women are viewed in the world. Over the years, relationships have changed from lasting years into marriage and some now not even making it a few months. With everything out there making it seem normal or okay, people don’t think any different but it affects women a lot. Just because it’s popular on Facebook doesn’t mean it should be popular in people’s relationships.
