Media and Female Sexual Objectification

Today, my daughter, Cereta, and I, sat down on the couch, played with her dollies, and watched t.v. together, laughing and giggling as we so often do together. We were paying more attention to each other than to the dolls or the programming (this is a good thing!) She picked up the remote to flip through the channels and I noticed how much the advertisements were focused on females and the importance of them looking, smelling, acting, and being sexy in an effort to get the approval of the opposite sex. Everything from ads for ice cream to make up and everything in-between had under and over tones of sex built into it. I even noticed the dolls we were playing with (Bratz Dolls), which she's had for a few years, were "sexualized" in their clothing. Although these dolls may present no more sexualization of girls or women than is seen in MTV videos, it is worrisome when dolls designed specifically for 4- to 8-year-olds are associated with an objectified adult sexuality. I'm constantly talking to my children about sex so I started to matter-of-factly ask Cereta what she thought about the ads. She intuitively caught on to the sexy quality of the ads and of the programs, as well. It spawned a dialogue between us that ran the gamut of menstrual cycles to fashion, makeup, dieting, careers, education, children, boyfriends, and much more. All of this encouraged to a great degree by the t.v ads and programming and their consistent use of sex and sexiness as a major selling point and audience captivator of all ages. By so doing, media, as MacLuhan postulates, in and of itself, functions as a catalyst for change in individuals and society, negative though it may be. I looked at Cereta's Bratz doll and the t.v. advertisements and observed even in their isolation the changes they spawned in out society.

As a young girl, I noticed this interesting sexual power that women had and I liked. I like it still. I'd even go so far as to say I love the power that being naturally feminine (being biologically and innately female) affords me. There is power in the curves of my body. There is power in my beautifully long eyelashes that with a mere bat of them, can move mountains. There is power in my chosen tone of voice that when gauged properly, can set the desired mood of those around me. There is life-giving power in the treasure that lies between my legs. However, being desired sexually becomes a curse when it is the only aspect of her being that a women chooses to cultivate. Society perpetuates this ill-thinking, in large part, with the help of media and television advertising. There is much more to myself, to every woman than physical beauty and sexual desire. Our academic and emotional intellect must be properly nurtured in order to become a woman in the truest sense of the word. we must embrace ourselves, in our totality and concertedly in order for long-lasting changes in not only the way we are viewed, but more importantly, in how we, as a gender, view ourselves.

I walked away from the conversation with my darling Cereta a hint of sadness; sad because the age of innocence seems to be decreasing as our society becomes more and more perverse. No longer can kids just be kids. We have to begin explain what used to be adult things to them earlier and earlier; if not, we risk their ignorance being their demise. What does this say about our society when the young and innocent are so vulnerable? How can media perpetuate or resolve these issues? It is my hope that we come up with answers and solutions that are effective and meaningful and teach us to utilize media in a way that edifies our young, burgeoning minds, not corrupt them with unrestrained images of sex and "sexiness" as a means to an end for happiness and success in one's life.