The Sexualization Of Women
Start writing a post
Student Life

The Sexualization Of Women

Think beyond the boobies…we have brains too.

83
The Sexualization Of Women
RedBubble

Sometime around prom time, there was a photo circulating on social media of a young black girl in her prom dress. It was a fabulous dress. Not your normal prom dress, this one was exceptional. It was the sort of dress you might expect to see on Naomi Campbell or Heidi Klum. This was a strappy, sexy, barely there dress. The girl looked beautiful. She was stunning.

What really caught my attention about this photo were the comments that people were making. Here was an 18-year-old young woman going to participate in one of the most memorable nights of her life, and all people could do was sexualize her and make inappropriate comments on her dress.

Why is it that society allows for the clothing that people wear define them? Why is it that we look at an 18-year-old and make assumptions about her sexuality, economic status, family structure, and morality? Why did she have to be a slut, a thot, easy, sexually promiscuous, or asking to be raped? Why did the commenters have to insult her integrity, her family, her moral values and her fashion sense?

Did anyone ever stop to consider that this young girl might be graduating in a few days? Maybe she’s the top of her class? Graduating with honors? Maybe she was accepted into an Ivy League college?

When many people look at young women today they automatically begin to sexualize them. They look at their physical features as something to stare at, cat call, critique or criticize. They are being treated and seen as sexual objects.

Flash back to a few weeks ago… I’m watching the Olympics. Swimming. Someone in the rooms says, “Wow, those suits are sexy!” Wait a minute! What about how strong and athletic this young woman, this Olympian is? What about the records she has broken? What about the medals she has won? What about the fact that she has done all of that and still attended college, had a successful career or raised a family? How did becoming the fastest, the strongest, the most decorated athlete become diminished by how big her butt is, how large her breast are or how sexy her suit is?

Last week, I started school. During the very first few days of school, the Dean thinks it’s important to make an announcement over the intercom to remind all of the female students about appropriate attire for school. There was no mention of sagging pants that show buttocks and butt cracks. That could distract the girls from their studies, right? What about tight shirts that show off the young men’s muscles or tight pants that show so much more? How are the girls and their clothing choices somehow the only distraction in a school of 3000 students? When these girls get up in the morning, it is probably not their intentions to break the rules, distract the boys or bring negative attention to themselves.

And why are we slut-shaming young women for their desired choice in fashion? Why are we beating them down for feeling comfortable in their own skin? Why are we not lifting them up, helping them become more courageous and creative women? Why are we not holding the men responsible for their negative comments and sexualized actions towards these young women?

The deeper question is, why are we not teaching our young men to respect women? Every man should treat every woman as if she were his mother, daughter or his sister. Think about it….

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Lifestyle

7 Tips For Traveling

Don't miss any of these ideas to make your trip complete!

340
7 Tips For Traveling

Whether it's a day trip, an out-of-state journey, or an experience leaving the country, here are some tried and true traveling tips.

Before any trip, we all think about what to pack and what to bring. We may have a strict itinerary, or we may have looser guidelines for what to do when. But we should also consider the following - make them goals:

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

Writer of the Month: Hunter Johnstone

As an aspiring author, Hunter knew writing for Odyssey would be a great fit for her.

567
Writer of the Month: Hunter Johnstone

Response writers are what make the world go round at Odyssey! Using our response button feature, they carry on our mission of sparking positive, productive conversations in a polarized world.

Keep Reading... Show less
Allison Fishman

1. Why is Wilson Hall so complicated to navigate? Even as a senior, I still get lost in Wilson. As a freshman, I was warned about the unnecessary complexity of the building, was laughed at by upperclassman for my confused looks on the first day of school and walked and rewalked the whole hall before finding my classroom. #annoying.

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

Blair Waldorf For governor of new york

What life would be like if the people were led by Queen B.

2019
Blair Waldorf For governor of new york

Cynthia Nixon, a.k.a Miranda from Sex and the City, is running for governor of New York. I think that this would be the best decision that has been made in a while solely based off of the fact that almost no one knows New York like the cast of Sex and the City. This got me thinking about who else would be a good candidate to take over the city of dreams. Then I realized that Blair Waldorf, if she were a real person, would be my number one choice for governor. Here are five reasons why Queen B would be an excellent ruler.

Keep Reading... Show less
Student Life

Why Littles Rock

Who doesn't want to be an awesome big?

1625

We see ourselves getting further into the semester.

Keep Reading... Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments