What does it mean to objectify a Woman? | Varshini M

Objectification commonly refers to a human being viewed as an object rather than their personality. Women objectification in this society has become more common in this generation. The media and entertainment industries see women as attractive objects to drive views and attention. They imply marketing strategies and use women as commodities in their advertisements for successful product sales.

 
Stereotyping Women:

We could see in the majority of movies the lead role lies with men and women as glamorous objects. Wearing a more appealing attire or nudity has become a fashion in movies. Here, women are stereotyped as thin, attractive, and voiceless beauties to accompany men. They are showcased as a companion to support men rather than having individual dreams and futures. So, it has become an unwritten law for the upcoming generations and is fixed in the minds of people worldwide. For example, in a family with traditions and culture, a male child would learn to treat women from his father. If the father is chauvinistic, there will be more chances that the kid would follow his behavior. It is a serious threat to future generations as kids are intoxicated with the stereotype mentality.
Adverse effects:

Recent surveys indicate that three fourth women suffer from mental disturbances, stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem due to sexual objectification. It makes them feel bad for their appearance. It creates a lack of confidence and fear to face the outside world. The direct effects may include adjusting their clothes to feel free from clumsiness. The direct effect includes crimes like rape, physical abuse, verbal abuse, etc. A report by the UN Broadband Commission in 2015 stated that three-quarters of women had been exposed to cyber violence online. They are mostly related to the objectification of women.

Self-objectification:

Self-objectification is the term where a woman starts to view herself as an object of sexual desire in the perception of others. They may acquire a tendency to compare their bodies with others. The comparisons might be from social media or any other platforms on a trending woman celebrated for her appearance. The women viewing them would start to feel low and demotivated by their outlook. Here the women praised for their career and educational accomplishments are beaten by the attractive women. So women start prioritizing the physical outlook rather than building mental toughness. These factors create backwardness in the performance of women in career-building and self-sufficiency to face the world.

At the utmost level, it causes body dysmorphic disorder. Dysmorphic disorder means a mental illness due to the obsessed focus on a perceived flaw in appearance. The flaw may be imagined or a minor one. The dysmorphic person may spend hours every day fixing it. They also try various cosmetic procedures, exercises, etc. They also include weight loss surgeries, plastic surgeries, and cosmetic surgeries. These kinds of surgeries cause enormous health issues and side effects. Sometimes it may even lead to death.
Body shaming:

Body shaming is the worst form of humiliation a person could face. This could make people feel low on them. This further leads to anxiety, eating disorders, stress, and sometimes suicide. People with insane minds are going to shame others no matter how fat or thin they are. So it is in our hands to develop a strong mindset to face all the worst things. Kids should be brought up with the confidence and courage to face anything in their life.

Women on women:

The worst case is a woman shaming, objectifying, or judging another woman based on her attire and lifestyle. It is their wish to choose their clothes. So, judgements based on clothes are nonsense and insane. We live in a society where a social woman is slut shamed, especially by other women. Every human has the freedom to do things and frame their life as they wish. So we are nobody to judge or shame others. Gender-biased opinions by crooked-minded people still exist. Both men and women should be seen as humans.
Since childhood:

The problem starts in childhood. We are brought up in an environment where commenting on a person’s appearance is casual and funny. So it is registered in the minds of kids as a usual thing. They even nickname their friends based on their appearance. The reality shows on television these days are filled with body shaming and creating humorous jokes out of it. They do these as a marketing strategy to trend the show. But kids watching these get influenced very badly. Even normal shows are sugar coated with adult content. It causes a great impact in the minds of kids. The perception of objectifying women at younger ages starts here. Some movies showcase objectification as a normal thing. So parents have to protect their children from this toxic media content at their younger ages.

Mythical society:

In many countries, women are not given equal recognition, rights, and employment opportunities. They are treated as being locked up in the kitchen. Their foremost duty is taking care of the family. They are used by men as an object for their body needs and as a cook for their hunger needs. They are not prioritized in the family in taking important decisions. The women living in those environments are not even aware of their rights and power. To change this condition, educating and empowering women is the initial step toward change.

Time for the change:

The change of not objectifying women should start from within. The perception about women should be corrected starting with children for a better next generation. They should be taught proper sex education in schools. They should have a clear view of their physical changes during their adolescent ages. Teachers and parents should be transparent and make the students feel free to express the problems they face. They should be educated about hormonal changes. Normalizing stuff at an adolescent age makes the children grow positive and mature. So they start to normalize things and work towards their goals. They would make a better future generation.