The media has a way of shaping our views and opinions regarding certain events, people, places, and objects. Whether we are persuaded by pop culture to think of something in a negative or positive way, there’s no doubt that we fall subject to influence when messages are constantly in our face. The message I want to focus on is one that women are repeatedly impacted by when it comes to their worth, sexual confidence, and overall value as a person. It’s not just women receiving these messages, however, as this issue impacts men too, particularly how men view or treat women in their everyday life. The two aspects of the issue of women’s portrayal in the media I wish to discuss have to do with how women are viewed as symbols of feminine power as well as sex objects.
Is there a line or even a difference? Does the interpretation of a woman's body as a symbol of power or a sex object depend on the rhetoric of the media or how the audience receives the message? Whether I answer these questions a little bit or not at all, I believe this is an important issue to at least discuss as it affects every single person as a media consumer.
Why is it that when Beyonce takes her clothes off and dances provocatively, she is viewed as having confidence in her feminine physique while a woman being objectified by the porn industry is seen as a sex object and nothing more? We put one on a pedestal while the other is barely seen as a human being. Yet, both are women all the same. Beyonce may not be having sexual intercourse for entertainment purposes but she still exposes a good deal of her body in the media on a seemingly regular basis. What I’m trying to point out is not the lesser or greater moral issues regarding these two women’s occupations—that has very little to do with what I’m talking about. Instead, I want to draw attention to how these women’s bodies are perceived so differently. Both women can be seen wearing very little or next to nothing at times, but we don’t look at a porn star’s body and think about how much confidence she must have in herself and how good she must feel about her femininity. No, she’s there to be seen as an object of pleasure whereas Beyonce is viewed as a feminine icon. A role model for how women should feel about their bodies. Beyonce uses her body to convey power and confidence. So what’s wrong here? Is it context? Does it depend on what type of media is delivering the message? Is it how the audience handles the interpretation? What is it?
This is definitely a thick topic, so I’ll try to condense my own opinions regarding the issue as best I can. First off is the issue of context. Even though the examples of the two women I just gave are each within a specific context in the media, they are both feminine and both a source of visual pleasure. The difference is that Beyonce takes her sexuality in stride and uses it to her own advantage, eliciting positive feedback from women viewers. However, she is still being objectified, and despite their differences, the porn star and Beyonce are sending the message that their worth comes from their value as an object of pleasure, both visually and sexually.
The other aspects of this issue (or any media-related issue for that matter) are the messages formed by the media as well as the audience interpretation. As I previously illustrated, Beyonce’s female audience views her very differently than the audience of the porn star, as women see Beyonce’s sexualization of herself as empowering. Regardless, in a lot of ways it doesn’t matter. Both depictions of these women’s bodies are being shown through something know as the “male gaze,” which simply means that the audience is being put in the perspective of a heterosexual male. That being said, why would women see Beyonce’s wardrobe, movements, and sexually explicit music videos as empowering when the content implies that the viewer should ideally be a man? This is not to say that men are evil or that it’s demeaning for a man to see the female as desirable, that’s not what I mean. All I’m saying is that regardless of how the media wants to present it, sexualization and objectification occur no matter what.
As a young woman myself, I can attest to the fact that the way the media presents messages about how women should view themselves is confusing. On one hand we’re told that we shouldn’t have to take off our clothes and that we’re worth more than that while on the other hand, we shouldn’t have a problem showing off our figures in a provocative way. After all, it’s confidence! Just as I said earlier, this issue is incredibly complex and there’s no extremely clear answer for either side, but my goal was to at least cause you to think more critically about how women’s bodies are often portrayed by the media as well as how different audiences might interpret these messages. It’s also important to remember that this is something that affects every person who chooses to pay attention to mass media and pop culture.
