What is sexualization?
First let’s break it down. Sexualization is when something is made sexual in character or quality.
The American Psychological Association defines sexualization as when a person’s value comes only from their sexual appeal or behaviour, to the exclusion of other characteristics, and when a person is sexually objectified or made into a thing for another’s sexual use.
Sexualization of women occurs in many ways that are hard to notice. Society continues to normalize sexualization to the point where we could be sexualizing without even knowing we are doing it.
Let’s put that to the test. Take a look at this image.
What did you first see? Presumably, something sexual. It might have taken you a few tries to notice anything else. Surprisingly, there was something else!
There are dolphins in the photo! Look between the gaps made by the couple’s body.
It’s okay, it took me a while too. This shows how our minds can subconsciously sexualize.
Which raises the question – Are our minds innately sexual?
I’ll answer that.
Ways women are sexualized
Sexualization of women is everywhere. It’s in the media that we consume, the toys kids play with, the music we listen to, and society’s sexist and harmful ideas of what a woman should be – there’s no escaping it.
Some of the toys that kids play with are to blame for ideas of unrealistic body types. Think about barbies, for example. They are skinny, but thick at the same time, are always dressed nicely, have fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes, and their hair and makeup is always done. Right from the start, girls are forced to comply to unrealistic standards of beauty.
Another way we are constantly surrounded by sexualized women is through the media. According to the Marshall Women’s Center, the use of misogynistic language and glamorization of sexual violence in the media creates a society that disregards womens’ rights. Things like defining womanhood as submissive and sexually passive, and manhood as dominant and sexually aggressive are responsible for the sexualization of women.
Modern day sexualization is prevalent online. Phrases like “for the streets” are used to put down women for the smallest things.
In other words, if you saw the couple first, it does not mean that you are dirty minded. It means that you have been conditioned all your life to see this first.
Female sexualization today
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about female sexualization is the hypocrisy in it. Women are constantly sexualized. We live with it happening and make no comments or efforts to reduce the behaviour. Yet, the minute a woman embraces herself as a sexual being, we start to see a problem with it.
This was seen most recently when Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion released WAP. That song received a lot more hate than it should have. In fact, when political commentator Ben Shapiro was giving his two cents, he referred to the song as “wet ass p-word”. Why was this the case? Male rappers have always been rapping about the female body. Did we forget about when Kanye sang “roll my weed on it, that’s an ass tray” in his song Mercy or when Jason Derulo made an entire song about big butts called Wiggle?
Ways to improve
We can all do our part to unlearn these gendered double standards. Some simple, but effective methods are:
- Educate yourself on things like internalized misogyny, sexist microaggressions, and objectification
- Remove language that objectifies or degrades women from your vocabulary
- Speak up when you witness sexism, no matter how small