I have a lot of guy friends and I am related to a lot of guys; I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that Game of Thrones is the best show they have ever watched and that I have to watch it as well. Finally, after years of this, I caved and began watching it. I thought I had prepared myself for the inevitable, but wow – the number of boobs that are shown in every episode is truly astounding. I tried getting past it, and I do quite enjoy the show now that I am several seasons in, but I can’t help but roll my eyes every time another girl gets naked before my eyes.
Game of Thrones is not the only guilty party, however. I began watching Westworld, and within the first 5 minutes of the very first episode a girl is right there, naked. Damn, I thought, again? I continued watching regardless, but in the back of my head I could not get over how many more topless women I was shown, and it was just the first episode!
Once again, as I was browsing through my Netflix selection, I came across a show a friend recommended to me called Sense 8. She told me it was a must watch, so I decided to give it a shot. Again, out of nowhere, boom- a full on lesbian sex scene, strap on and all. After that, I was pretty fired up; why the hell are boobs shown in all of these highly regarded shows? Is that why these shows are so famous? Is that what our society deems as a high-quality show?
In these shows, there are powerful female characters that should be recognized, and once in a blue moon a penis can be seen flashing across the screen as well. Overall though, there is an extreme disproportion between the female and male anatomy shown on television shows. In the past few decades, women have been determined in fighting for more equal rights in all aspects of society. They have been trying to illuminate the extreme differences between men and women and making people think more about what the media is pushing into our heads. Since I have taken a Women/Gender class and become more aware of how our society frames men and women, it is impossible for me to notice this stark difference and not comment on it.
I cannot say that I will boycott all movies and television shows that flash a pair of boobs- I’ll probably end up watching some Game of Thrones tonight. I do think, however that it should be something people pay more attention to when they watch their favorite shows. All I really want to know is…why so many boobs?