By Alexandra Francis and Lillie Edwards
Overview:
The objectification of women in the media refers to the fact that women are often stereotyped and sexualized in various forms of media. Examples of this can be seen on television, in movies, lyrics in popular music, and even in sports media. Often, on screen, women are portrayed in a manner that highlights physical attraction and reinforces gender stereotypes regarding the intellectual and professional ability of women. Studies show that holding women to the unrealistic standards that are seen on screen skews society’s view of women, as well as how women view themselves (Rousseau, 2019). A large portion of modern media is music, and women are the most frequent targets of objectification within music lyrics (Flynn, 2016). Additionally, female athletes are viewed more on their appearance than their athleticism (Daniels, 2020). Female athletes are often sexualized and are not taken as seriously as male athletes. The depiction of women in the media has a variety of long-term consequences in society through the reinforcement of gender stereotypes which increases self-esteem issues within women.
Policy Recommendations:
Policy intervention could be used to minimize the long-term effects of objectification of women in future media. Although old media are abundant in which women are objectified and minimized, moving forward, policies could be put in place that create stricter guidelines on the portrayal of women in the media. Additionally, there should be more education and awareness regarding the long-term impacts of how women are depicted on screen. Young men and women should be made aware of the impacts of what media they are consuming. Finally, new media could paint women in a light that contradicts society’s narrow expectations and defies gender stereotypes.
Consequences Without Interventions:
Objectification can have very negative consequences on the way women view themselves. Women are depicted in the media and focused on their appearance and are less likely to be featured in a manner that depicts them as smart and hard-working (Santoniccolo, 2023). This sets a precedent that women must look or be a certain way. These are unrealistic measures and can cause women to feel the need to change the way they look. Objectification in women can also be connected back to poor mental health and eating disorders (Szymanski, 2007). These are serious consequences women are faced with caused by irrational standards media sets for women.
Research Questions:
Some feature research can be done to help come to a better understanding of why our worldviews women the way it does, and if a change is on the horizon. A good research question would be, how do different ages in males affect their levels of objectifying women? Do older men objectify women more or do younger men? Research on this could help us understand whether there has been any improvement in media to help change the views of the younger generation of males today. Future research on the financial differences between popular movies with women being severely objectified versus popular movies where women are not objectified would be very telling. I wonder if there is a major difference and if that has changed over time due to how films have changed.
References:
Daniels, E. A. (2009). Sex Objects, Athletes, and Sexy Athletes. Journal of Adolescent Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558409336748
Daniels, Elizabeth A., et al. “Sexualized and Athletic: Viewers’ Attitudes toward Sexualized Performance Images of Female Athletes – Sex Roles.” SpringerLink, Springer US, 21 Apr. 2020, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-020-01152-y.
Flynn, M.A., Craig, C.M., Anderson, C.N. et al. Objectification in Popular Music Lyrics: An Examination of Gender and Genre Differences. Sex Roles 75, 164–176 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0592-3
Lampis, J., Cataudella, S., Busonera, A. et al. The moderating effect of gender role on the relationships between gender and attitudes about body and eating in a sample of Italian adolescents. Eat Weight Disord 24, 3–11 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-017-0372-2
Rousseau, A., Rodgers, R.F. & Eggermont, S. A Short-Term Longitudinal Exploration of the Impact of TV Exposure on Objectifying Attitudes Toward Women in Early Adolescent Boys. Sex Roles 80, 186–199 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-018-0925-5