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Objectify this ...
By Zoë Williams
williamz@mscd.edu

Last week, the American Psychological Association released a study correlating sexualized images of women in the media to poor self-image in young girls. The APA report stated that major psychological problems such as eating disorders and depression are correlated with the portrayal of women in the media.

Happy Women’s History Month, everybody! The medical community has finally decided to recognize the blatantly obvious. Of course, this news was buried under stories about Anna Nicole Smith, Britney Spears and Oscar fashion.

It would be all too easy to rail against the plastic surgery, cosmetic, entertainment, diet, alcohol and advertising companies that roll in the bucks from exploiting females. Walk down any street in Denver and you will see plenty of offensive imagery depicting airbrushed women as objects and commodities. As much as big business has contributed to the objectification of women, we all play our part. We buy the magazines, watch the movies, follow the gossip and support the industries that hurt women.

If the images were all we had to worry about, concerned citizens could simply remove them. However, the media portrayal of women is translated into our actions. Individuals treat women like the objects they are depicted as.

For example, I was out for drinks with a group of new acquaintances. One of the men in the group leans in and tells me that he thinks another woman in the bar is “hot.” My stomach sank. Without regard for any characteristics of substance of that woman, he treated her like the subject of a billboard.

I contemplated asking the guy to consider the social implications of his entitlement and how his language might affect other women. Instead, I bit my tongue. I didn’t want him to dismiss me as another angry and radical “feminazi.” My complacency and his ignorance furthered the status quo.

While feminists have made claims similar to those of the APA for decades, a trustworthy mental health board has released a formal study reasserting that our society is hurting women and girls. To truly confront this issue and make necessary changes for growth, we must be willing to confront our behavior and the behavior of our peers that turns the objectification of women in entertainment into a social norm, even if it means getting called a “feminazi.”