Objectification of Women
Objectify- to treat as an object or cause to have objective reality. In communities it is evident that men have a natural lust for women, and vice versa. Yet, the objectification that now takes place has gone beyond that of a natural state. It seems that society has come to only see women as objects to obtain satisfaction from, a means to an end.
This can be seen in Beloved as the Sweet Home men drooled over Sethe when she came to their place of residence. On page 13 (11 in some), it states “ And so they were: Paul D Garner….All in their twenties, minus women, fucking cows, dreaming of rape, thrashing on pallets, rubbing their thighs and waiting for the new girl…. And the Sweet Home men abused cows while they waited with her.” This quotation shows how the men of Sweet Home felt about Sethe. To them she was just an object to lust after, never speaking of wanting an emotional connection with her.
The issue with this objectification is men’s lack of satisfaction with only the imagination. After a while, the fantasies become so elaborate that they defy the possibilities of reality. Thus when the women are obtained and men are given the chance to have what they want, it does not live up to their fantasies. Paul D expresses this lack of dissatisfaction in Beloved. On page 21 (25 in some), Paul begins describing what he sees. “Paul D saw the float of her breasts and disliked it, the spread-away, flat round of them that he could definitely live without, never mind that downstairs he had held them as though they were the most expensive part of himself. And the wrought-iron maze he had explored in the kitchen like a gold miner pawning through pay dirt was in fact a revolting clump of scars.” This is a prime example of male fantasies becoming so fairytale that they defy reality.
This carries over into our society and can be seen in relationships within our community, particularly the Black community. For instance, the miscommunication between men and women; in today’s society women are seen as wanting more of an emotional connection with their male counterpart and males are seen as wanting more of a physical/ sexual connection with their female counterpart. This miscommunication usually leads to the destruction of the relationship. What is seen in the relationship is that women put their “all” into it. For instance, they will go out of their way to show their significant other that they care for them. This takes time and effort. From the male side, what is seen is that since men want more of a physical connection, time and effort is lacking from their end. (Of course this cannot be said for all relationships, just this example). Even when in a relationship men are still lusting after many other women. This fantasizing of other women can lead to the act of infidelity.
From reading this, what are your thoughts about the portrayal of men getting the physically aspect of what they want from a women but then becoming “bored” or dissatisfied with them? Then leaving them to go on to the next one? Vice versa for women as well. Do you think objectification of women lead to infidelity in relationship? Do you think women allow themselves to be objectified? Do you think they enjoy this objectification?
La’Kendra Curry
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do feel as though the objectification of women leads to infedility, but I don’t think that it should be used as an excuse. Saying that you only cheated because she was attractive is like saying you only robbed a bank because you knew that there was money inside but you had no intentions on spending any of it. Ridiculous and petty.
Do I think that women enjoy being objectified? Yes, I know we do. If we didn’t then we would shop as much as we do or spend hours in salons, spas, etc. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we do it for the opposite sex. Sometimes we just genuinely do those types of things to uplift our own spirits.
Honestly speaking, I don’t think that women being objectified is the problem. The problem is within people who make excuses for cheating and then blaming it on females because that’s the easiest thing to do at the time.
Hannah Bryan
ReplyDeleteObjectification can lead to infidelity, among other things. When one person refuses to respect or acknowledge the humanity of his or her significant other, of course problems will arise. However, I agree with Curry—objectification is bad, but should not be used as an excuse for infidelity.
I have mixed feelings about men who use women for their own pleasure and move on to the next once they’re finished with one. I mostly have a lot of anger and disgust for them. I also have a trace of sympathy for these guys, because they will never find true happiness and will always face disappointment in that lifestyle.
I cannot speak for all of the women out there. With well over 6 billion people in the world, there is bound to be someone who likes to be objectified. They might enjoy it to a degree. The only reason that I can think of as to why this would appeal to them is this: perhaps these women want to have the pleasure of sex in general, without the guilt or pain that may come along with sleeping with a bunch of guys. Being objectified could be a way of dulling the potential emotional distress just to make the physical pleasure more enjoyable or satisfying. I don’t think it brings total satisfaction—but some women might see it as a means to that end.
Yay, I made a short comment!
Alexa MacKenzie
ReplyDeleteIt’s true that a lot of people cheat and unfaithful partners are not that uncommon. These days it’s so easy to cheat because there are so many outlets to see and interact with other people. Of course I would never want to be cheated on but honestly if you’re not married or don’t have children, sure it sucks, but you can get over it. Obviously if someone cheats on you or you cheat on someone you probably shouldn’t be together anyway. The objectification of women is sure to be a big part in why men cheat because it causes them to always desire something other then what they have, but these days I’m sure it goes both ways. Men can be objectified just as much as women. As for enjoying be objectified, obviously some people do, otherwise it wouldn’t be as prominent. I think the way in which the objectification is being conducted is important too, I mean everyone likes being noticed for good qualities, but not everyone wants it to be noticed publicly.
Abigail Remillard
ReplyDeleteAs a women speaking, I can say that being "checked out" or looked over feels good, and gives oneself a personal boost towards the self esteem. A prime example is when girls go to the club; with their bras showing, shorts or dresses that are too short, and the high heals that look like they would break one's ankels if she were to fall. Objectification does not persay have an appropriate place and time for it, but in class is not the time to be checking out other men and women.
I think our values in America have generally sunken to a new low when is comes to integrity. Objectification has no excuse, but some of the reasons that have been made excuses are from the following reasons; to show dominance over other males and impose a "threat." Somehow the view has come to how much "pussy" you get, and other males then follow and strive to either keep up or super exceed. The problem is that some girls like the more confident guys which then feeds into the idea that what the guys are doing is ok. Some girls just want dick...The problem is that they play up the onjectification themselves.
Althea Daley
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to infidelity, a cheater will name any excuse in the book and more often than not put the blame on someone other than themselves. The fact does remain that men tend to get bored easily and women tend to get too comfortable. When this happens and the individual is weak, of course there is going to be infidelity.
I wouldn't say that women "allow themselves" to be objectified but it does happen on a daily basis whether it is solicited or not. In this day and age most women do dress in a manner that may seem raunchy and provocative but it is not only done to attract men but also in competition with other females. Women are not only being judged by men but women as well, especially in the Black community, so image is everything. Everyone wants to be attractive/appealing to the opposite sex (or same, whatever floats your boat) so while a woman may enjoy being objectified to a certain extent it is still unacceptable.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAdrianne Carter
ReplyDeleteI think that some women are just boring so being bored with them is inevitable. In a relationship and in physical interactions it takes more than just being physically present and that is all some people have to offer. Also some men aren't creative enough to be in a relationship so their becoming bored is inevitable. Treating someone as an object will most definately lead to infidelity because if the person is less than a person then they are obviously not worth the treatment that the usual partner in a relationship is entitled to. I do believe that some women enjoy and allow themselves to be objectified, however there are others who do not enjoy it and it breaks them. When a woman thinks and treats herself as an object then is she not inviting others to do the same?
Laquita Powell
ReplyDeleteThe subject of someone objectify or being objectified is complicated to me because I feel like for woman they may dress provocative in hopes of catching the eye of the opposite sex which is normal because woman want to be admired and thought of a nice looking but on the other hand you have the male who sees her and this mini dress and may get the impression that she is a whore or wants more than just attention he may have so much lust in his eyes that he is itching for a touch and that’s when the woman feels disrespected and upset because she simply wanted to be looked at not disrespected. Its hard to say you shouldn’t dress sexy if you don’t want a man saying or trying to touch you and anyway but then again if you dress like a ho men will assume you are a ho or try you like one
Jasmin Faust
ReplyDeleteI do believe objectification leads to infidelity because if your someone like me certain things get very boring easily. That doesn't make cheating excusable. I think there so much infidelity in relationships because of how men objectify women, if they are only looking at "outside" appearance sooner or later that rush or thrill they had for that women is only going to last someone. Its a never ending cycle. When something "better" comes along they forget about the "object" they already have and scuffle along to the next. If a man gets into a relationship with someone and he already sees her as an object her worth to him isn't much to begin with so the level of respect she deserves and is entitled to wont be much. I also believe that we as women do put ourselves in objectifying positions. But that doesn't mean we want to be mistreated and cheated on. It all boils down to just having a certain level of respect.
Stephen Yanes
ReplyDeleteBoth men and women objectify the opposite sex to some extent. Some do so more than others, and they mainly do so in order to get what they want from the other person in the relationship. Sometimes the relationship may grow into something meaningful to both of the people involved. Often times relationships do grow stale and do lead to some kind of friction between lovers, but the relationships that truly matter to people are those that people are willing to overlook the times when they are "bored" and focus more on the moments that made them be in a relationship with the person in the first place. If a person says I have never objectified a member of the opposite sex, I feel that that person is a liar. Everyone has at some point made a person an object of their fantasies. It's just human nature to do so. Some people even like being the object of another persons fantasies. If a person acts on impulse and disrespects the other then that line has been crossed and I feel that should never happen. Only when a person crosses that line between fantasy and reality is when there is truly a problem.
Laura Turner
ReplyDeleteI feel like the issue of women being objectified runs much deeper than infidelity in a relationship or dissatisfaction in sex. It is an excellent point that objectification can cause problems in a relationship or any relationships thereafter, but the issue as I see it is why the woman was looked at as a sex object in the first place. And this is where the area turns to grey because some women do, in fact, bring it upon themselves. This is because of the way society is centered on material gain and sex. It is the socially acceptable thing to do to dress in ways that enhance their femininity. It gives some women a feeling of empowerment over the males in our patriarchal system to know that they can make the males want them. Women have this power over men, the power of their sexuality and the knowledge that men will desire them. Is it ok to dress in ways that will make men intentionally lust over a woman’s body and distract from her humanity? According to our social norms, it is in certain situations. If a woman chooses to go to a club or a party or a bar, it is almost expected that she dresses scantily. The woman that chooses to put herself in this situation, I feel, is pretty much asking to be objectified for her sexuality. And if she tries to call out a male for looking at her physical aspects and ignoring her personality or intelligence, well then she brought that on herself and is a hypocrite if she says otherwise.
Cameron Leonard
ReplyDeleteI do believe women do like to be objected in a way. If women are comfortable on the way they look the shape they are, then I'm pretty sure a woman is going to show her self off. If im at the club and I see a nicke look lady its not because she has on layers of robes. Her shape, smell or the way her clothes have caught my attention. With that said its not going to make me go off and disrespect her space or her as a woman. The same for guys, if a woman sees a guy she likes its first the way he looks and that said doesn't make it right for a woman to disrespect a male. Our minds controls everything we do so its pretty much how we think is what we will say to classify a woman objecting her self positive or negitive.
Jerold Blount
ReplyDeleteYes, objectification definitely leads to infidelity. It is the uncontrollable nature of lust that drives both of them. women are objectified more now than they have ever been, but it is a result of what is deemed acceptable by society having become looser and looser by the second for decades, and women themselves taking advantage of the high demand for their God and mother given goods. Sex sells right...we've all heard that, yeah...but it also does a lot of other stuff...and you have to be willing to take the good with the bad. If a woman with a beautiful body likes to show it off and wear clothes that reveal her nice skin and voluptuous curves, she knows before she puts it on that men will be powerless against looking at her objectively. Ladies be forreal....if there was an athletic man with washboard abs standing in front of you with his shirt off trying to hold a conversation, how easy would it be for you to talk to him and NOT look at his stomach and chest. I know...most of yall would probably be lookin everywhere but at him trying not to seem impressed, but you know you would get you a good eyefull.
Gerald Law
ReplyDeleteI think that the idea of lust leads to infidelity. Being lustful for a person does not mean that you become attracted to them past the point of physical attraction. Because of this, once men, or women, get what they were lusting after, the excitement and driving force that was so strong quickly dwindles away and the thought of being around that person is almost repulsive. Now that you've gotten what you wanted, there's really no need to even speak anymore.
As far as the objectification of women, I feel that that image is painted mainly by music videos and the artists that send that message. You can hear in the music that the benefits of being rich and famous are obtaining money, houses, cars, and women. The fact that women are in this list trains young minds that women are objects as opposed to being people and because of this, many guys treat them that way.
Kurtis Nelson
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I believe every person strives to be objectified. To be objectified basically just means to be wanted in an exclusively physical way, no emotions involved. I believe girls who dress in revealing clothes have such a problem because rarely the guy they have their eye on approaches them. Instead they get the loudest most overconfident creeps that right off the bat take things too fast. People witnessing such scenarios fail to realize the guy never had a chance, but they say he blew it by grabbing her ass. However, I have seen plenty of girls getting down on the dance floor with guys who they don't even know their name (some of this knowledge has come first hand), girls dressed all kinds of ways. My point is everyone wants to be the objects of people's fantasies.. it's flattering. But a classy guy is going to be attracted to classy girls, and he's not going to approach girls that look like they have had one night stands every other weekend. I guarantee that on average, the girls that dress so revealing have had more casual sexual experiences than the ones that make it a point to dress modest every night when the trend is to "push it". Such a dress code does not really exist for guys so there's not the same moral dilemma. This said, girls should know less is not always better. Don't get me wrong you all dressing so sexy look great, but how many times have you thought you've found Mr. Right just to realize he's another loser...
Ms. Otgna K. Dorno
ReplyDeleteAny human being who reduces another person until they only serve one purpose (i.e. sexual gratification) will definitely become bored or dissatisfied with that person or thing after they’ve have had enough. Everybody’s threshold or tolerance level for single features is different but it is logical to assume that there aren’t many replaceable things that can hold somebody’s attention independent of anything else. I think that everybody’s reason for cheating is different but I can see how objectification can lead to cheating. I think that infidelity depends on how a person is objectified. If a relationship was created based on someone’s notion that “I bet so and so can do ‘whatever-that thing is’ than yes it will lead to infidelity because that person had one purpose and one objective; once that has been fulfilled there’s almost no reason to stay. But I think it’s safe to say that occasional objectification is safe. Sometimes when role playing for example, it makes it more interesting and the fantasy that much more real if the character is only what you’ve imagined and that the game isn’t corrupted by whatever roles you actually do hold in real life. So to reduce a person to that one thing then is good. But in other cases, whenever we do attempt to reduce something as complex as human beings to a single thing, it’s a bad idea.
Women and men can influence whether or not they are objectified but in the end it is not up to them. Like it was said while discussing the gaze theory in class, the power to assign characteristics and what not is possessed by the viewer. Certain things can be done to increase your chances but you can’t guarantee that the viewer has any interest in objectifying you. I personally don’t think anybody likes to be reduced to a tool that has one purpose and one purpose only. What some women may try to do is to promote certain features and maybe even insinuate that they are that person or can do that thing but at the end of the day everybody wants all of their accomplishment, individuality and everything else they have to offer acknowledged. This is definitely my personal opinion, you might know someone who wants to be reduced to a one purpose tool.
In general men like what they like. One cannot be mad at them if they get bored or dissatisfied with their spouse because they cannot be forced to tie down or settle with someone they aren’t attracted to. It is in our innate nature a humans to be dissatisfied with something. As we stated in class, we all have had something that we have been obsessed with and couldn’t wait to get it and when we got it we were like “It is not that serious”. We all want what we can’t have and we do get them we are not as thrilled as we thought we would be. The objectification of women does lead to infidelity because some men treat women as a hot commodity and not as a human-being. I do think that women allow themselves to be objective because we like the reactions from other people. Women can deny it all they want but they like being “hollered” at. If a man were to act in a civil manner at a club and not acknowledge the women there than more than likely the women would group in the bathroom with a conversation amongst the line of this: “I spent money on this dress and this hair and no one even tried to dance or grab on me”. No woman likes their space invaded but we like to be acknowledged by our male counterparts on how good we look. To say that we don’t is a naïve assumption.
ReplyDeleteI think that's what a girl wears does not objectify her. Whatever she feels comfortable in what she should be able to wear without being judged. The problem comes in when men feel like they can touch or say whatever they wantto a woman who may be dressed in a short skirt or low cut shirt. When women put on these type of clothes I don't think they seek that type of attention. A simple look or compliment is okay, that is what she seeks. To say that women objectify themselves with revealing clothing is naive. We're not going to go around saying a muscular man shouldn't wear a tight wife beater are we?
ReplyDeleteNatalie Hodges
ReplyDeleteThe subject of "objectification" is one riddled with problems. The question as to who why and when individuals, be them male or female get objectified are catered to the social institution we live in now. What truly counts as objectification of woman is counted in personal preference, selection of what the "victim" did to provoke the objectification and the idea of whether or not they knowingly placed themselves into a situation where they would be viewed as an object (i.e. a stripper or a trick) In cases where the objectification is brought on by one self knowingly, factored in has to be the level to which they, having them not be in a profession of sex where objectification is the norm, comes down to environments and understanding real like perception of outward views.
Ashlee Thompson
ReplyDeleteI think you cant stop being objectified. No matter what you wear you cant stop people from thinking what they wanna think. If its negative or positive I personally don't care what you think about what i have on. I pick out my clothes every morning based on how I'm feeling. So either way it goes i cant stop you from thinking what you want but I'm not wearing my outfit to make you happy. Just because a woman wears something in public doesn't mean she's a hoe. The outfit doesn't make the hoe, her actions do. So to say everyone that puts on they tight freak'um dress and goes to the club is loose or a hoe is ridiculous. We live in 2011 and times have changed and fashion has too. If I want to get looked at by men doesn't mean i want to be objectified. I just want that look that every girl wants. I want to be desired doesn't mean i want to give it up to you or have my booty slapped. Objectification goes to far when the objectifier trys and make the fantasy a reality.
India Williams,
ReplyDeleteI think that people cheat because they are bored and it may not just be with how a woman looks but it could also be based on her personality changes. There will always be another woman whom looks better than the next but it is up to that man (or woman)to decide if he will cheat or not. A woman may look a certain way on the outside but "everything that glitters aint gold." As far as a woman objectifying herself... I think that a woman could dress as she pleases but how she puts herself out there is how people should see her. if she allows men to feel on her and another man see, of course he is going to think that he could do the same thing. But if she lets that guy know off rip that that type of behavior will not be tolerated by her then i believe that another guy who may see will not try that same action. Just because a woman wears a certain type of clothing does not make her susceptible to being touched by man or woman nor should she be blamed if something were to happen ie. raped just because she has worn a certain outfit. But on the other hand, Like Joan Morgan said some woman cant complain that men degrade woman and think of them as objects if these woman are showing up to video shoots with a "g string in hand". People will mimic what they see especially young girls who may feel like this is a way for them to get the attention that they may be seeking and they see no other way. and same for young men whom see woman acting this way on these videos and may think that this is how they should treat woman who dress as such. So i think that the media plays and important role.
Melissa Dutra
ReplyDelete[It confused me that the blog presentation was today instead of friday and I didn't think about the time before now.]
I think objectification is most of the time, the reason why men cheat. They want to experience a variety of different women. Some women cheat for this same reason, where one man is just not enough to satisfy them for long periods of time. However, most women being wired differently than men, cheat not because want sexual variety but because they need emotional connection and this is not present in the relationship.
Whether I think women allow themselves to be objectified: in certain cases, yes. For instance, going to the club and dressing too sexy, where parts that are supposed to be private are made public, causes men to view them as sexual objects. To be realistic, wearing a long, shapeless dress to the club is not an option, if you don’t want to be the odd ball in the crowd. Overall, there is nothing wrong with dressing for the occasion.
To some extent, women enjoy being objectified but when we are being grabbed disrespectfully is where the line is crossed. Further, men can be objectified too. For instance, male athletes making x million dollars a year, are targeted by women that objectify them for their money. When they act on this objectification, like trying to say the baby they had from Joe Blow around the corner is their baby is when they cross the line.
For me it is most important for one to realize that no matter how you feel about being objecified as woman or man is that you WILL be objecified and there is honestly nothing you can do about it. Understand that it is so easy to to put your beliefs onto another person that it almnost comes natural. Skanky clothes,hoe and big glass makes you a nerd. Its a way of life and being comfortable with yourself and knowing who exactly you are is the only defense to objectification because if you kno you then being objectified by the next person would not even mattter
ReplyDeleteLaquinnesha Thompson
Clive Hall
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do not see the correlation of objectification of women and infidelity. I see that as a sorry excuse women made up to justify why they cannot keep their men. I feel as though no one can objectify you if you do not want to be objectified. At the end of the day, you are what you answer to; and if you feed into the stereotypes men concoct for women, then you are playing yourself.