A call to all females: support feminism and defy sexual objectivity
Have you ever thought about why or how males hold more power over females? Since I personally identify as a female, I have thought about how I felt angry that this power difference still exists today. The male gender is the dominant sex, according to social norms. Yet females use sex to gain power.
In my opinion, this is not what women should be doing to gain power in our society. This kind of empowerment that comes from physical appearance re-establishes sexism.
Females are not going to make any progress gaining power in our society by using their bodies and sex to control men, and therefore, have power over them.
I believe this needs to stop. It is disturbing to see women develop eating disorders, over-exercise and undergo surgeries to feel empowered.
Media outlets also portrays females in a “sexy” way that appeals to heterosexual male audiences, re-enforcing this notion of females being sexual objects.
A historical example is the Rosie the Riveter character from J. Howard Miller’s “We Can Do It!” poster.
I learned in my communication class this semester that this poster misleads audiences into thinking Rosie represents female empowerment.
Erin D’Aleo / Graphics Editor
People who buy products with Rosie on them think they are buying and supporting “female empowerment,” and the, “we can do it” message. However, the customer is being fooled.
If you were to look at Rosie’s face, the focus of the poster, you can see that she satisfies the “male gaze” by wearing make-up and also looking clean and put together, making her a sexual object. How does that support female empowerment?
Also, many people are not aware that this poster circulated exclusively among a factory floor, solely with the intention to promote team unity.
The theory of the “male gaze” involves a male as a spectator who has the power as the “gazer” and holds the criteria for judging what he looks at—in this case, a female.
The female is then the object of the gaze and is dominated by the one looking at the picture.
This results in women being available for the visual consumption of their bodies, according to some communication scholarships I read.
A more contemporary example of this “male gaze” can be seen on the show Sex and the City, in which the four main characters are females who look young, thin, white and attractive.
These characters have successful jobs, yet they also strengthen gender norms because their empowerment derives from their bodies. Again, on the show these women satisfy the male gaze and their bodies are used to gain power.
Contrary to this notion that females can gain power through the use of their bodies and sex, I believe a woman moving up in the workforce is one positive way women gain power.
Today, the power structures of our political, educational and corporate institutions are still being run predominantly by white males.
Yes, more females today are acquiring positions at the top of some of these institutions. However, it is happening at a very slow rate.
In order for change to occur faster, we can’t be polite about change. We can’t be scared to stand up for ourselves, or just fall back on our bodies to gain control. In U.S. history, when African American’s fought for equality, it didn’t just happen “politely.”
They didn’t just ask nicely to be accepted. They had to fight for it, and be rude and tough.
This is exactly what females have to do. I’m ready for this fight to be just as equal and powerful as men.
Lyndzi Gray can be contacted at lyndzi.gray@ksc.keene.edu