Self-Objectification

In watching the documentary "MissRepresentation," I was especially impacted by the idea that many  women have begun to objectify themselves. Self-objectification occurs when a one sees oneself as an object and believes that one's looks are his or her most valuable asset. I believe that the reason women have begun to see themselves this way is the result of the version of women that the media perpetuates in our society. Over the years, women have been constantly objectified in the media, leading more and more women and young girls to incorrectly learn that they are most valuable for their looks and their sexuality.

Our society as a whole has extremely unrealistic expectations of women. Oftentimes for a woman to be recognized for her accomplishments, she must first be perceived as beautiful or sexy. But usually once a woman is seen as attractive, she will be molded into a sex object by the media. Almost all forms of mainstream media only portray beautiful women or criticize women for making fashion mistakes, a format is extremely evident in tabloid magazines and television shows such as "Fashion Police" or "America's Next Top Model." These shows are very blatant in the way they degrade women, but many forms of media are much more subtle. Over time, men and women who consume this media begin to believe the terrible messages it sends about women. It is at this point when women begin to objectify themselves.

When a woman believes that her primary asset is her body and her sexuality, it is because the media has led her to believe this to be true not because she is "sexually liberated." Though I do believe that it is important for women to feel comfortable in their own skin and their sexuality, I do not think that the media sends these kind of healthy messages. Women who have self-objectified did so because they began to believe the media's message that women are meant to be sex symbols rather than 3-dimesional people who are allowed to have flaws. Many women flaunt their bodies because they want people to believe that they are beautiful and confident about it. But, deep down women have been conditioned to feel a need for approval and reassurance from others. Women that self-objectify are probably very insecure and will do whatever they can to get a sense of validation. This mindset that is growing among young women throughout America, can be very damaging mentally and physically. 65% of women in America have eating disorder, depression, or anxiety, a result of the constant messaged women receive from the media that they must always look perfect. This number is significantly higher than those from the past, meaning that there must be a direct correlation between the increased amount of screen time that young women have today and the growing numbers of women who struggle with mental illness.

I believe that the media needs to stop advertising women in the degrading fashion that is used today. In order to stop women from self-objectifying, they need to be accurately represented in the media they consume. If women are able to see themselves in media, they can feel comfortable being who they are without feeling as if they need to be validated by a man or constantly flaunt their bodies or sexuality. Women must be allowed to be whoever they want to be, without the burden of the impossible expectations they are expected to fulfill because the media told them so.