This video, Killing Us Softly, discusses the sexualization of girls and women
in the media. Mass media productions
strive to target adolescent girls and young women to portray the unrealistic idea
of beauty that society expects women to obtain.
In many advertisements, models represent values, images, success, who we
are/ who we ought to be, and most importantly the importance of how we
look. These advertisements make many of
us want to obtain this unrealistic beauty, and when we fail, we feel ashamed
and guilty. The fashion industry gives
us the vibe that sex sells. We strive to
be beautiful and thin to fit into the expectations that society has set for us.
Think of some of the retail
stores you may shop in. Now, visualize
not only the body sizes of the sales associates but also their dress attire. I have been working in retail since I was 18 and
if there is one trend that I have noticed, it’s that sex sells. In retail, your personal appearance is everything,
it defines who you are. Far too many
times your sales do not reflect your knowledge on the product, but how you wear
or present the product yourself. I
worked for a higher end retail company for four years and have witnessed the
sexulization placed on the employees as well as discrimination towards customers
“who didn’t look the part”.
The APA (2007) states that
sexualization occurs when the following happen:
·
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
·
Sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a
person
Looking at certain activities/professions that we engage in;
modeling, dancing, gymnastics, servers, retail, etc., it is apparent
that sexualization happens, more often than not, in regards to appearance and behavior. Sexualization can happen to both men and
women, but it is far more prevalent among women in certain professions. We need to train ourselves to look past
physical features, and see a person for who they are. Take for instance the modeling industry. You are considered to be plus size if you are
a size 12, but in reality size 10 or 12 is a pretty normal size. We are sending ridiculous messages to both
women and men about what real beauty is.
We are sending a message that you cannot be sexy/beautiful unless you fulfill
these impossible requirements that society and the media portray as important. Our priorities as a society are very
distorted. Instead of using so much
negative energy to criticize every person in the public eye, we need to come
together and focus on the individuals who are living and leading a healthy lifestyle.
American Psychological
Association. (2007). Sexualization of girls. Washington, DC: Eileen L
Zurbriggen et al.
Media Education Foundation
[challengingmedia]. (2010, March 12).
Killing us softly 4: Advertising’s image of women [video file]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PTlmho_RovY
This is going to be such a hard thing to change in our society. Too many young girls are bombarded by visions of super thin, sexy women. I don't think it really looks healthy AT ALL. Personally, I think that a woman should have curves! I would rather see a woman who's a size 14, toned, strong, and healthy-looking, than see a stick of a woman in a size ZERO. No thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt's not hard to understand why there is such an overwhelming number of girls striving to look like this. It's EVERYWHERE you turn. It's like you can't get away from it. Very sad.
I would not mind looking like unphotoshopped Cindy Crawford:)
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