Libby Musetti
Women’s Studies
Professor Witzig
How Culture Defines Women’s Sexuality in the 21st Century
Today more than ever before, our culture is defining sexuality in an entirely new
way. We have always made clear what we consider sexy. In the Victorian era, women
were portrayed as soft, porcelain, and supple. In the 40s’ and 50s’ it was all about pin-up
girls with perky breasts and a great up-dos. However, by 2010 our expectancy of what
women’s sexuality should “look like” has completely been revolutionized by our ability
to manipulate appearance through new technologies, the advancement of the pornography
industry, and the new generation of hip-hop music that has emerged. Women no longer
hold their sexuality as their own, but as a product designed to merely to please others.
Everyone is influenced by advertisements every day. Whether they’re telling us
what to buy, how to look, or who to like, it is the driving force in what influences our
culture. “Sex sells” is certainly not a newly used expression, but today more than ever the
use of sex in advertising is proving to be dangerously detrimental to female sexuality.
Thanks to modern technology, most products of commercial art can be worked and
manipulated to any degree before being released to the eyes of the public. Most images
are worked on 25 to 30 rounds before they are ready for publishing (Kilbourne). This
means that the woman on the cover of this month’s Seventeen probably has been mutated
to perfection over 25 times, or better yet- she doesn’t exist at all. Often times realizing
that the ideal woman they want to portray does not and will never exist, graphic artists
will take several features from many different girls to compile and manipulate them into
their own perfected hybrid creation (sort of like a creepy sci-fi movie?) Even the famed
model Cindy Crawford once said, “I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford” (Kilbourne).
The point is- girls and women are constantly measuring themselves against this false
image of “the perfect woman.” Let me tell you about her: she’s thin, her legs are
disproportionally long, her hair is also long and usually blonde, she’s got a sun-kissed
glow, a shimmering white smile, a huge rack, and of course, she’s white. Women of color
are generally only depicted as beautiful if they have Caucasian features: pale skin, a thin
nose, light eyes, straight smooth hair. This drives the idea that if you’re not white, you’re
simply not beautiful.
This is causing ethnic women to feel the need to wear lighter contacts, apply fake
hair, and lighten their skin. But whether light or dark skinned, commercial advertising
makes sure that EVERYONE is thin. The only time we see overweight people is when
they’re telling us how they’re getting thin. The only time we see a girl with curves, she’s
telling us how to get rid of them. So girls from a very early age understand that in order
to be beautiful and successful in this society, you need to be thin, and not just thinemaciated. Advertisers are promoting the idea that if you’re a woman, to shrink, to be
weak and fragile is attractive. The difference between men and women being objectified
by advertising is that when men get objectified in ads, they get to keep their dignity,
where women are stripped of theirs (Kilbourne). Men shown in ads get strength,
independence, and superiority, women are expected to appear weak, small, young and
vulnerable, because it’s considered to be sexy.
As women continue to be harshly judged against these “perfect women” by men,
and as they realize that to embody that image is unattainable, they lose any sense of
sexiness within themselves. The whole thing is very anti-erotic. After all, how are
women supposed to feel sexy if they hate the bodies they are in? Thus, women are more
reserved and timid about their sexuality because they are under the impression that
whatever they’re working with right now just is not good enough. This is especially true
for younger women, who most of the ads are targeted towards. In 2007 the APA
(American Psychological Association) released a report concluding that girls who are
exposed to sexualized images from an early age are more prone to 3 of the most common
mental health problems in women: depression, eating disorders, and low self-esteem
(Kilbourne). The conclusion is hardly shocking considering that women are increasingly
losing their sense of self as they continue to move from the subject to the object. For
example, women who achieve the glory of thinness often don’t have large breasts, simply
because it anatomically just does not fit the body type. The problem NOW however is,
the most important thing next to thinness is breasts-large ones. Our culture is obsessed
with breasts; we display them everywhere and use them to sell anything. They are wanted
by both men and women, and so big boobs are certainly a hot commodity. The breast
implant procedure is very invasive and leaves the breasts with a lot of tissue damage and
loss of most sensation. This means that the breasts are no longer there for the personal
pleasure of the woman, but for the man. Thus, the woman is no longer the subject, and
now the object (Kilbourne).
As a woman there would be nothing less erotic than
removing an element of yourself for a benefit other than your own. Advertising is today
more than ever hindering women’s sexuality through targeting insecurities and
objectification.
Since the rise of publications such as Playboy and Penthouse magazine in the ‘50s,
the pornography industry has skyrocketed and begun to shape sexuality in our culture
today. However pornography today is not “your father’s playboy”; it is a highly
manipulated mock-up, which is changing our attitudes about women and women’s
sexuality. Seldom times pornographic videos are made by or for women. Often times the
tapes lack any form of sensuality or foreplay and are dominated by overly aggressive
behavior, which make it difficult for women to relate it to a real experience (StopPorn).
This is not to say that women are looking for bubbles and rose petals in their production,
but rather than focusing purely on genitals, women think of expressing sexuality with
their whole bodies. The fact that porn is generally made up of crotch-shots and forceful
action (something women don’t connect with their sexual experience) makes it evident
that the porn industry is a world constructed with little consideration to the woman.
Most children are exposed to pornography by the age of 11, before they have been
properly introduced to or educated about sex (StopPorn). This means that because the
children have had nothing else to compare it to, they take this experience as “real”, and
thus it is the basis for what they consider a normal sexual experience. It is shown that the
earlier boys in particular are exposed to pornographic imagery, the more likely it will be
that they will have difficulty engaging in intimate relationships or sex with other human
beings (StopPorn). The reason being that porn is “industrial strength sex”, making real
sex seem boring and lackluster. It makes sense that pornography is the ideal stimulant for
a male. In the video he is shown generally standing above the women, manipulating her
into different positions on different surfaces, she doesn’t talk unless giving a dirty
compliment, she has about 47 orgasms, and she does it all while still wearing her heels.
The more men watch pornographic videos, the more they expect women to become the
girls in the films. They have to have the same boobs, hair, tattoos, piercings- they even
have to have the same vagina. So, though real women do not relate with porn, they still
make sure to cut, slice, and tuck any natural uniqueness away to resemble these porn stars.
The porn industry started out as a revolutionizing way to express sexuality like it
had never been done before. It was meant to recreate the event of a passionate, full sexual
experience with a partner. Now, however, pornography is far from dealing with
sensuality or deep physical connections. On the contrary, they drive far away from the
idea of intimacy and often times kissing on the mouth is not even allowed in production.
Because the films are targeted for men, porn is almost always guilty of dehumanizing and
degrading women. They are often times seen as one of four characters: the mindless
playmate, the gold digger, the nympho, or the pain addict, all of which are products of
male dominant fantasy (StopPorn). Not only does pornography portray women in a
dehumanizing way, but also it also highly objectifies women. Women are often seen with
their faces rarely shown and not saying much with the exception of a few theatrical
grunts and moans. The woman is not there for her own pleasure; she is there for the man.
In regard to men who expose themselves to these films, Rabbi Shmuley says, "He sees
breasts and genitalia, he sees the walking gratification of his material urges. So, he can't
relate to that woman because there's no person—all he can do is use that woman."
Where porn 40 years ago was based on two individuals mutually engaging in a
sexual experience together, today it is much more one-sided. Today sex is portrayed as
much more dominating and forceful than years before. “Hardcore” (as opposed to
“softcore”) pornography involves whipping, slapping, biting, and much more aggressive
content. The worry is that this new age of violent erotic behavior will be a catalyst of
sexual violence (StopPorn). In hardcore pornographic videos women are shown as
receiving great pleasure from the aggressive behavior of the man. Even if men do not act
consciously based on the film’s content, subconsciously they are receiving the message
that not only is it okay to treat a woman with force or anger, but that she actually gets
immense enjoyment from it (StopPorn). As pornography continues to become more
dehumanized and stray farther from a true depiction of human intimacy, the more female
sexuality will continue to be overlooked and disregarded in today’s culture.
When hip-hop began to truly emerge in culture and “gangsta rap” was created in
the 80s’, it was a contemporary expression of youthful political realism. Since then,
however, rap music has seemed to displace and misdirect a lot of the hostility and anger
felt for the police and “the system” toward black women as well. All women are affected
by this perverse music of our generation, but none so much as African American women.
This is a fundamental key in understanding the detriment our contemporary hip hop
culture is causing to our society because not only is it breeding bigotry, but it also
alienates African American women from their own culture.
Hip Hop culture emerged tremendously in the 70’s in New York when a young
Jamaican DJ by the name of Clive Campbell (a.k.a “Kool Hercblock) brought his unique
reggae flow to the Bronx. He adjusted his flow to mix with the popular beats of the time
and thus, a new era of rap emerged (Cole). It was a new movement that came with a new
fashion, new dance, new art, and essentially a new way of life for many people. It was a
new exciting thing to for people to explore and play with. Beats were mixed and
incorporated with different genres, artists talked about social and political issues of the
time, people organized block and house parties. However in the 80s’ hip hop forked from
simply “old school hip-hop” to the evolution of “gangsta rap.” This style of rapping
received instantaneous criticism and controversy arguing that the music promoted
violence, promiscuity, and drug use (Cole). Despite the arguments against the developing
style, gangsta rap grew and has continued to expand and evolve into today’s current hiphop culture.
This new wave of rap music is the basis of where many adolescents get their
messages regarding gender, including ideas about marriage, love, friendship, and sex.
Women-bashing is a prominent in the culture of violence that accompanies the rap genre.
This is because the style is based off of patriarchal influence that emphasizes the idea that
in order to be a man you have to be dominant and powerful (Cole). Rape is casually
mentioned in numerous modern rap songs, as are other forms of violence. Domestic
arguments and often times are reoccurring themes in many popular songs. The events are
narrated with a frightening nonchalance that insinuates an acceptance and tolerance of the
violent behavior. Young African American girls listen to the music and rather than
thinking of the men in their community as protectors or simply as community members,
they view them as predators to be weary of. How can these women be expected to give to
a generation of men that refers to them as chickenheads, bitches, gold-diggers, freaks,
and hoes? (Cole). Women’s inability to have security and trust in the men that rule a
great deal of their lives will cause them to be incapable of establishing healthy
relationships with those men.
Another distinguishing factor of today’s hip-hop culture that has been severely
harmful to African American women’s sexuality is the development and advancement of
music videos in the hip-hop industry. These videos present women (generally, young
black females) as hypersexual and promiscuous. They wear little clothing and what they
do wear makes sure to still reveal every aspect of the woman’s body to some extent.
Women are used as nothing other than symbols of desire and
erotic expression (Cole).
They depict these women as animalistic almost at times, grabbing on themselves, then the
men, then each other- as if these women have no control over their sexuality. In a way,
they don’t. The misogynistic music industry uses these videos to show women being
controlled-whether explicitly or indirectly (Cole). Often times they show control through
expressions of “pimping” women. This is often times represented by the solo rapper,
surrounded by women that he handles interchangeably throughout the video. Women are
not only highly objectified in these videos, but they also further the harmful and
stereotypical depictions of black girls and women in society.
Today in 2010, we are learning ways to revolutionize the way we do everything.
Unfortunately this includes how we chose to represent women’s sexuality. Industries
depend on their objectification in order to sell product and brain wash consumers. As we
continue to sacrifice the dignity and respect of women to further feed our corporations,
the more detriment we are causing for our country as we perpetuate vicious
misunderstandings of women and their sexuality. If we do not reform the way we
represent and depict women, both men’s and women’s ideals about sexuality will be
compromised and future generations will grow to believe that these depictions of women
are accurate. We need to transform the way represent these women in our country before
their sexuality is reduced to merely a questionably abstract matter that holds little
genuineness to what is real.
Citations
( P O P U L A R ) Kilbourne, Jean, Dir. Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's
Image of Women. Dir. Sut Jhall y." Media Education Foundation: 2010,
Film.
( O R G A N I Z AT I O N ) " M a k e L o v e , N o t P o r n . " S t o p P o r n C u l t u r e ! .
S t o p P o r n C u l t u r e , 2 0 0 9 . We b . 2 D e c 2 0 1 0 .
<http://stoppornculture.org/online -resources/>.
( S C H O L A R ) C o l e , D r. J o h n n e t t a . " W h a t H i p - H o p H a s D o n e t o
B l a c k Wo m e n . " E b o n y L X I I . 5 ( 2 0 0 7 ) : 9 0 . We b . 2 D e c 2 0 1 1 .