As Women, we are expected to cater to the male species and wait on them hand and foot. Cook, clean, take care of the kids, do the shopping, these are all typical stereotypes of women in America. However, after recently taking a look at Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt, it seems that women are being used in another way.
Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt has several examples of ads that are quite provocative and revealing. The women in these ads are presented as helpless individuals asking for attention. However, the attention they are asking for is disturbing. They are shown as either naked or in a compromising position with a man in which he has control of the situation. One ad in particular, Fetish Scent, made it clear that the men who dominate our society make women into objects.
In this ad, the woman is using a product that she will put on to attract the attention of the man, which tells the audience that the woman is clearly trying too hard. However, the creators of these ads make the women look like they are always asking for the male attention. This particular ad shows the woman in a bikini, which makes is seem like she is putting her body up for grabs. When men see these kinds of ads, they don’t think about the woman herself. They tend think about how her body is presented and the ways they can use that to their advantage. A man may not actually act upon his feelings, but those feelings themselves make the woman and her body an object.
As objects, women are expected to please the man and all his needs. He has control of the situation and if the situation goes wrong, it is the woman’s fault. Many men don’t actually want anything to do the woman they are using as an object, they just need someone to fulfill their needs. If the ads are representing the women this way, then it is clear that the male species has the dominance in our society.
Men dominate our society. They use a woman and make sure that she feels at fault for her actions when things go wrong. It’s a shame that the female species has let this go on so long. However, with all the male dominance, women really have no other choice but to abide by the rules that society has put in place. Clearly, one of those rules is that a man should think of a woman as an object. With little power, it is hard for a woman to go against society. Maybe with a little back up, women can change how they are portrayed through the eyes of the male species.
Abby,
ReplyDeleteI agree that in society women are viewed objects and inferior to men. Women are expected to obey what they men want because they run the household, and pretty much everything else. We see a stong male lead in many TV shows, as CEO's of companies, and almost anything you can think of.
As I was reading I wondered if things are turning around? Are women becoming less objectified by men and society? I would like to think it is, but personally I don't believe so. I see it in ads and media all the time. Women looking helpless and attention seeking.
I also agree with you that the men in society don't seem to use their feelings to act, but it's the feelings themselves that portray a woman as an object. Men are mostly larger than women, and they can use that to intimidate them. Women are not to be made into objects. Women are people to.