An interesting question of feminism and objectification

If women wanna show off their breasts and backside go ahead. As long as they are of age and have given consent I really don't care what they do with their bodies as long as they do it in a safe regulated environment.

 

Hmmm...well, I don't know why people do it. I've taken a few Women's Studies classes and one thing that I never understood was the really horrible advertisements - like, women being used as furniture or objects or stuff. Didn't those women know what was going on? I kind of see it as partly sabotage.

I don't think these women that do this stuff are really doing anything else but making money and having a job. I don't know what else to add but ..... Is it really something a lot of thought is put into?

 

not even going to try to do this - nothing but men in the thread and this WILL end up with me being flamed - and I am not even looking back again

 

I think it's both good and bad, depending on how it's used. Women being free with their sexuality and being able to show off their bodies is good, if they choose so. On the other hand, the economic situation in the world forces a lot of people into work they don't really choose, as it's the only thing they've got. So workers at Hooters and Playboy will have to be subjected to being objectified in order to make a living. It's not really a choice in a lot of situations. And Hooters is run by men for men in order to objectify women; I don't think many women are consulted as to whether Hooters is degrading.

Being naked and being sexy aren't anti-feminist. The problem is that a lot of women are forced to be sexualised in order to make a living. That's a setback for feminism. Women have to use their sexuality to please men in order to live.

We've all heard of primary school teachers having to be part-time strippers to feed their kids. When there's a lack of choice essentially forcing women into these positions, then it becomes a problem, which it clearly is.

It also brings the problems of class up; all these women come from relatively poor backgrounds, women who really don't have that much choice.

 

This.

 

This. If they choose to do it and enjoy it, have at it.

 

Playboy had some very trans positive statements from Hugh Hefner way back in the 70s!
Playboy really does have good articles, hahaha.

 

If they have enough confident to get these jobs, the more power to them. I will never be that confident.

 

I am not comfortable telling women (or anyone to be honest) not to do the things they want to do. I am concerned though that they might go into those types of jobs because they would strave otherwise. Meaning that they HAD to do the job rather than doing it because they enjoy the work.

 

I would consider myself something of a third wave feminist. I know that lots of more second wave minded people believe that men being feminists is unproductive, and it can feel like patronizing and some men think that if they don't get behind the cause of total equality for women then women will not be powerful enough to cause this change on their own. So I don't really want to get into an argument about whether men can really be productive feminists or not, but I am going to say that I believe in equality for people based on their personhood rather than hegemonic views of attributes like gender, which we know is not binary.

I think it is dangerous territory to say that women are voluntarily signing up to be objectified. It makes it sound like their objectification is on them. People should be able to walk around stark naked and be free from objectification. So I think the question is valid and thought provoking, but I don't see even women who work at Hooters or in Pornography or any other career as setting back the feminist movement. I see the mindsets of people that have no room for equality with others in their world views as the problem.

Bigotry of any kind is never the fault of the person who is being discriminated against, in my opinion.

 

I can never find a decent answer to this question.

 

1. They're most likely doing it for the money. Life's tough and you won't make much stocking shelves at a supermarket. And, I guess, showing their body is not such a big deal to them.

2. Isn't feminism supposed to be about women being able to do what they want. So if those women are doing what they want and aren't being forced into it by someone, it's fine. No one thinks it's shameful for a male to pose nude for this kind of job, it should be ok for women to do the same without being shamed for it.

 

Hmm, this is a tough one to answer without going on for a bit. I can't sum up my opinion in a few sentences. Let me think about this one and come back.

 

Some women want to expose themselves to make money. Okay some have to resort to this sort of work because they need the money.

The problem is not the women. It is the guys that demand these sorts of services.

 

It's complex. There's a difference between being objectified vs being admired. I think the actions of the woman are irrelevant, here. A woman can dress sexy, work at Hooter's, etc. if it makes her feel beautiful and if she likes being admired and desired. There is no fault in her actions and there is no fault in her being desired, both are natural and healthy.

The problem comes in when men say that because she is a woman that that's all she's for...that her job is to turn him on and she is worth nothing beyond how she pleases a man and her beauty is wholly about how it makes HIM feel to look at it, not how it makes her feel to embody it. Or when a man thinks it's his right to violate her because of her beauty....basically, when a man claims any sort of ownership over a woman or her appearance simply because she is female and he is male.

I'm not sure if I'm wording myself well here...basically, objectification is the reaction if a man to a woman or a woman's presentation, not her presentation itself. If a woman wants to look or act a certaon way it should be because she wants to, not cuz she feels she has to, and if she does want to look that way she has every right to cuz in the end it's about how it makes her feel about herself, not how it makes men feel.

 

Let's assume women stopped entertaining men for sexual purposes. As we all know some men are very sexual and need an outlet. I would not be surprised if crime rate for sexual assaults increase.