What Is The Prevention Of Sexualization Essay

If you turn on the television or flip through a fashion magazine, it is very likely you will presented with many displays of hypersexualization of girls and women in advertising images and in media. There are many components to sexualization. It occurs, according to the American Psychological Association, when “a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics.” This person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy. “Sexualization” happens when a person is sexually objectified- that is, made into a thing for others’ sexual use, rather than being seen as a person with their own independent actions and abilities to make decisions. Oftentimes, sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person without their knowing it or consent. Sometimes, researchers use the word “hypersexualization” to describe roughly the same idea. In the article, “Media’s Growing Sexualization of Women”, hypersexualization is defined as, “The act of making something extremely sexual and erotic.”

Women are sexually exploited in the media. In today’s society if people watch television programs such as Chingy featuring Snoop & Ludacris – Holidae; Charlie's Angels; the Z100 commercial with Britney Spears; or Baywatch they will see that the feminine image is presented differently than the masculine. In these programs men are typically placed in sexual situations fully clothed, while women are presented in provocative clothing or less. The camera will frequently zoom in on body parts to focus on the woman’s buttocks, midriff, and legs. Society is still dominated by men who control what people see. As a result women are increasingly portrayed as sex symbols as a way for a media company to turn

In the American culture today, women are becoming more sexualized at a younger age due to the influences of the corporate media. Corporate media and society form the perfect idealistic body that women should have and is constantly being promoted making younger girls start to compare themselves to them at a young age. Certain shows and movies, such as Disney, influence young children and teenagers through their characters as to how a woman is supposed to be accepted. The way the corporate media and society make this body image they want women to have starts in a very early stage in a woman's life without them knowing. There are these childhood movies, such as Disney, Barbie and Ken dolls, programs such as Netflix, teen

The objectifications of a woman have been known to be centered around the actions of a man. Cat-calling, slut shaming, and men being in a superior position while women are inferior or counted as their ‘objects’ are all parts of the dehumanizing nature of objectification. This indicates that women are centered around their appearance and feminine demeanor, and nothing else needs to be accounted for. However, there are other influences that have contributed to the vicious cycle society has on degrading women. Women objectify other women over similar matters as men, but not similar relevance in sociocultural context. Another contributor to women objectification is women’s self-objectification, in which they internally reflect on their appearance and demeanor to seek the approval of the observer. The last and most dominant factor that has been deemed the main culprit of turning women into objects is the culture of advertisement. Advertising has sexually objectified women for years, and is the backbone of the degradation of women in the real world. It also depicts unrealistic images of the female body and attitude that no female human being can actually live up to. The media has introduced the actions of sexual discrimination and harassment, and has influenced the ideas of how women should be treated. The combination of these three components are continuing the cycle of the objectification of women.

Media influence has caused beauty to evolve into ideals that can’t actually be attained. In addition to this, women are objectified and seen as sex objects, being sexualized by men without consequence due to the normalcy the media has created for genders. In fact, men are even encouraged to sexualize women. During her TEDTalk, Kilbourne presented a photo of an adolescent boy wearing a shirt that stated “pimp squad,” showing how our society is comfortable with men sexualizing women from a very young age. In contrast, women are labeled as sluts or whores without even engaging in sexual activity. I, for example, have been called a slut for wearing leggings, merely talking to a guy, and even wearing shorts— in the summer.

“We tend not to write women as human beings. It’s cartoons we’re making.” - Paul Haggis. This is a quote that was explored in Miss Representation that especially impacts me. The impact of media on women and men is immense. Media shapes the way the genders view each other and themselves and therefore has the power to dictate how humans act, how they feel, and tell them what they want. I feel that with the constant, unregulated bombardment of media demonstrating the unrealistic and unfair treatment of the women, it’s not crazy to think that young women are harming themselves to fit these roles. The media being uncensored leads to harmful consequences including women being discouraged from positions of power and changing their body.

The sexualization of women and girls surround Americans and is damaging to females as well as to American society. Females receive the sexualized messages regarding their appearance and how they should act via the media, retailers, and American society’s acceptance of these behaviors. As a mother, Girl Scout Leader, and school paraprofessional I cannot help but to question are these messages inflicting psychological damage on girls? Whom can I hold accountable for sexualizing female youth? What can I do to prevent sexualization from affecting all of the young girls in my life? The sexualization of girls is unacceptable because it is degrading to females, can cause serious life-long psychological damage and sexist attitudes, and may lead to violence against women and girls.

Women in the media are constantly hypersexualized, but when they choose to express their own sexuality they are called names and put down, while men are praised for expressing their sexuality. Also, many famous women are asked blatantly sexist questions that a man would never be asked but they are expected to smile and answer the questions even though these questions demean and invalidate them. From a young age, it becomes imbedded into a girl’s brain that she is inferior, weak, and fragile; seemingly harmless princess movies are teaching young girls that they need a prince to save them and that they are incapable of being their own hero. Also, young boys are taught from a young age that they should be the strong hero and if they are not strong, they are not manly. I would love to research the negative effects of subtle sexism through the outlet of media and how it affects all individuals, female and

Also, I find the dynamics of cancer treatment to be absolutely fascinating. I’ve experienced the physical and emotional toll it takes on an individual and their family, and I would like to make a contribution to help better understand the disease as well as better the lives of those who are diagnosed. Along with seeking acceptance into the SURF+ program, I am also in the process of looking for opportunities in which I can volunteer or work in a cancer care setting. Volunteering or working in a cancer care setting while supplementing that experience with research in the field is an extremely rare and invaluable opportunity. If I am accepted, I am almost certain that my experiences during this summer will serve as the core of any of my future endeavors. Currently, I am close to wrapping up my first year of volunteering with Honor Health at the Deer Valley Medical Center, and I can say, without any hesitation, that my desire and motivation to make health care my career has only continued to grow. Additionally, I have taken the time to learn about MIHS itself, its mission, and the services it provides to the

Since the invention of television, the media and film industry has contributed to sexually exploit, and oppress woman of color, not only in America but also around the world. There is a great focus on women of color as sexual targets. This is deleterious to society because the media are creating social stereotypes for women of color that can occur in unhealthy social and physical habits. For example, Women of color are sexualized in particular forms perceived as animalistic and sexual with a firm focus on body appearance mainly the posterior. Sexualization has given women an ideal version of who they are supposed to be.

The sexualization of young girls and women in society is a prevalent theme in mass media. Presently, the sexualization of females is commonly seen in various consumer items like clothes, dolls, and even in Disney movies, according to “The Sexualization of Girls Is Harmful” article. The author says that sexualization occurs when “a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior; a person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy; a person is sexually objectified- made into a thing for others’ sexual use; and sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a person (AboutKidsHealth).” Furthermore, the author provides statistics on how girls are being sexualized by the products they see and use

The common reoccurring intersectionalities that are shown in media are upper class people, people of the white race, able bodied, young to middle aged, thin and fit body figures, and assumption of heterosexuality. All of these intersectionalities are sexualized in American culture. “Ads use women’s bodies to sell products also sell ideas of sexuality,”. The media has shown these social categories in a specific way for several years in hopes of selling products but it has also has gathered many more negative outcomes when including sexualized people leading to effects like unrealistic expectations of reality, eating disorders, body shaming, and depression. The culture of America has changed in ways that females as young as 7 years old are self conscious of body types.

The push for de-sexualizing women in ads can be a part of this third wave of feminism. Even though women have been seen as sexual objects for years, the problem hasn’t been solved and is shaping into new forms that continue to reintroduce this way of thinking. In the context of a school environment, a female student can get sent home for showing collar bone whereas a male student could simply get away with a tank top shirt. In this situation, the boys education is being prioritized more than hers. The idea that the collar bone being visible is offensive or a distraction, is just another way of sexualizing a young girl. The same problem occurs within the work environment and women’s jobs have been put in jeopardy because of the sexualization of their

Everywhere you turn, there are magazine covers, movies, reality TV shows that portray woman in a sexual light. When was the last time that we as a society sat down and realized the effect that this is having on young girls, teens and even grown women. The portrayal of women as sexual objects in these and many other types of media have greatly affected the mindset of society. What affects has this had you ask? There are there main effects that we will explore. First, is the effect it has on their self-image. Second, is the effect on how they portray themselves in their relationships. Third is the effect it has on their mental state.

On all platforms of media, women and even young girls are oversexualized; thus leading to men viewing women as no more than breasts, vaginas, legs, or any other body part they prefer. Even in current television shows, movies, comic books, and advertisements, women are still depicted as sexual objects, which can damage a woman’s confidence. The oversexualization of women 's bodies can degrade a young woman’s confidence, and when girls try to boost confidence by dressing or acting like the women they see in the media, they are reprimanded for it. Girls cannot be blamed for their sexualization; they are just emulating what they see in the media.