Queensland University of Technology: Research Report and Analysis of a Cultural Artefact
on the WIKI
1. Topic:
Sex, Body Image, and Mental Health in the World of Cyberspace: How do social media affect
the health of young Australians?
Tutor: Daniel Demant (Thursday 10-11pm)
Student: Rahma Ahmed (N9482253)
Word Count: 2042
2. Present your Artefact
Cultural Artefact: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WlUvQkW4B1k
‘Is she selling her body or the burger?’ The perceived ideal body as a result of the cultural
sexualisation in media
In the Carl’s Jr. 2015 Super Bowl Commercial, model Charlotte McKinney walked through a
group of men at a supermarket seemingly nude. Throughout the advertisement, a series of
carefully placed objects were used to create an image that the model was walking naked
whilst eating a burger from the fast food chain. As well as this, the men all gazed at her
whilst she walked through the supermarket. In numerous occasions, the terms “all natural”
was said to symbolise the burger as it has no antibiotics, hormones and steroids. Carl’s Jr,
was successful in generating views and shares after 114.4 million watched the commercial
during the anticipated 2015 super bowl game (Super Bowl Commercials, 2016).
3. Public Health Issue
A sexualised culture has become mainstreamed and normalised, as evident by the Carl’s Jr
burger advertisement. The super bowl games are much anticipated games viewed by
millions of people worldwide. Carl’s Jr advertisement is saturated with sexually permissive
messages which is a major public health issue. Such advertisements encourage the
objectification and misperception many men have towards the female gender. This
contributes to problems like sexual violence and assault against women (Capella, Hill, Rapp
and Kees (2010, p 40). As well as this, Carl’s Jr burger commercial increases the level of
depression, low self-esteem and eating disorders (ie anorexia) amongst the younger female
demographic. This is mainly because they compare themselves to people like commercial
model Charlotte McKinney and feel “less beautiful” and develop prolonged mental health
complications (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa, 2016).
4. Literature Review
There has been a significant social change in regards to how women perceive themselves
and also factors which influence the way they look and dress over time. Jackson, Vares and
Gill (2013, p.147) focused on how the notion of empowerment through sexuality in female
fashion has the ability to cause various emotional and cognitive consequences. This peerreviewed journal article identified some of the factors which have contributed to the
current postfeminist ideology and dress culture, for example media content and also media
personalities (celebrities).
The female body: used for devalue and shaming
There has been an extensive amount of research and literature published in the areas of
sexualisation of culture, post-feminism and the issues surrounding these topics. Ringrose
(2013, p 319) study explored the negative implications as a result of the current sexualised
culture. However this study more specifically explored sexual double standards and gender
inequities in teenage girl’s digital image exchange and also the current youth ‘sexting’
culture. This study critiqued modern ‘postfeminist’ media culture for pressuring girls to
produce particular forms of ‘sexy’ self-display. This study involved two state schools in
London in 2011. After collecting consent and gaining research ethics approval, 4
interviewers worked with children aged 12-13 years whilst another 4 interviewers worked
with 14-15 year old students. Various questions were asked in regards to why these
adolescents were posting and broadcasting body photos and at times sexually explicit
pictures. One of the main findings of this study was the underlying gender discourses and
power that enables girls to share pictures of body parts. For boys, acquiring such images and
sharing it amongst other boys showed their masculine performance and sense of popularity.
Although such graphic and sexualised pictures were considered “valuable” to some of their
peers, young girls who engaged in sexual behaviours like sexting faced various moral
condemnation, legal repercussions and ‘slut shaming’ as a result. Within the study, both
girls and boys described girls who sent these images as being “skets” and “sluts” who lacked
self-respect. This is a clear example of the sexual double standards faced by the female
gender as their bodies can be used for devalue and shaming. One of the clear limitations to
this study is it can be only generalised and related to a younger demographic since the study
participants were all teenagers.
Being pressured by or catering to men’s interests: objectification and sexual violence
The study conducted by Thompson and Donaghue (2014, p 24) explored the themes of
post-feminism and neoliberalism. The aim of this study was to explore how women talk
about the sexualisation of culture and body image. This study involved seventeen Australian
undergraduate women with varying cultural backgrounds (ie Chinese and Singaporean). As
well as this, the ages of the female participants ranged between 18-41 years and all studied
varying undergraduate degrees. It was seen that majority of the study participants agreed
upon the notion that women at times engaged in sexualised pictures and practices as a
result of being pressured by men. The study also viewed the engagement of sexualised selfpresentation by some women was a form of enjoyment and heightened confidence and
signified their empowerment. The findings also revealed that some self-sexualisation are
motivated by low self-esteem and vulnerability. As well as this, some sexualised content
enables some people to perceive women as objects and place them in unsafe situations.
Goicolea, Torres and Edin and Ohman study (2012, p 303) study explored gendered
discourse about sexuality and the consequences. This study revealed that there are various
influences which contribute to the way young people’s sexuality is constructed. According to
this study, the establishment of platonic relationships, sexualised media content and some
women’s lack of economic autonomy all contribute to the sexual violence against women.
This qualitative research involved the analysis and comparison of individual interviews and
focus group discussions with 4 categories of people; ordinary men, youth service providers,
young women and activist young men. There were some imitations to this study. One of the
main limitation of this study was that there wasn’t the perspective of young female activists
and therefore there wasn’t data from this demographic/group. Although there are
limitations to the study, there were benefits to its study design. For example the
characteristic of participants were very similar however also varied in each of the study
groups. This enables various different ideas to be contributed and shared.
According to the Australian Human Rights Commission (2014), violence against women and
children will costs the Australian economy approximately $15.6 billion per year by 20212022. Therefore, its essential in ensuring decisive action is taken to prevent it. The
magnitude of violence against women, more specifically sexual violence, is also illustrated
by the following images obtained from the Australian National Research Organisation
(2012).
The other perspective:
Tsaliki (2015, p.500) study resisted the moral panics over the consumption of hypersexualised popular media and focused on children aged 10-12 years and the sex education
taught at schools. According to this study, sex education to children should extend beyond
“rational facts” and science. This study argues that conventional sex education misses out
on the opportunities given by entertainment media to enhance sexual knowledge and
development.
The lack of sex education is a result of the panic of conveying too much information “toomuch-too-soon”. One clear limitation of this peer-reviewed journal article is it more so
focuses primary school sex education and little mention of how this information relates to
media. As well as this, this study is more one dimensioned since no information was
provided in regards to the consequences of hypersexualised media.
5. Cultural and social analysis
The perception of the female body has changed and evolved over time. During the earlier
medieval time, medieval medical practitioners believed the “distinctly female organ” the
uterus caused specifically female diseases. Similar ideas were also believed by the
Hippocrates who proposed that the uterus was a “sewer” and a site of harmful poisons
(Stanford University, 2016). However, recently there has been an increasing cultural shift
towards sexually permissive attitudes and a greater representation of sex and the female
body.
The feminist theory centres on the idea of supporting equality for women and men and
eliminating gender stratification, for example same work income and job opportunities
(Stephens, Jacobson and King, 2010, p 554). However the recent post-feminist culture takes
feminism for “granted” and also repudiates feminism (Scharff, 2011, p 622). According to
Tolman (2006, p.4), it’s over simplistic and obscure to provide an account of women’s
sexuality that is “either pure pressure or relentless risk”. This more optimistic view shows
that this public health problem is very complex in nature.
Although people may say where they stand in regards to body image and the current
sexualisation of culture, this however remains a public health problem. According to Gill
(2007, p148) the sexualised imaged in newspaper and media places beauty pressure on
young girls to have the ideal body. This statement is also corroborated by the Martin (2010),
which stated that approximately 69% of girls in 5thto 12th grade believe that pictures in
magazines influenced their idea of the ideal and perfect body. As well as this, 70% of
adolescent girls have body dissatisfaction. It is therefore evident this problem affects mainly
the younger female demographic within society.
Self-esteem and body image are closely linked. According to the Victorian government
(2015), approximately nine out of ten women have dieted at least once in their life, with this
have been mainly contributed by the promotion of thinness in media and advertising.
However, extreme dieting amongst adolescent girls has the ability to cause the
development of eating disorders for example anorexia and also issues such as poor mental
health (ie depression) (Victorian government, 2015). Recent research such as the study by
Arcelus, Mitchell, Wales and Nielsen (2011, p 724) have shown approximately 1 in 5
individuals with anorexia have died as a result of committing suicide.
Approximately 93% of sexual violence and assault offenders are men (Australian Bureau of
Statistics, 2014). Sexual violence against women by men is contributed by various factors
such as perceived unequal power equivalence and also the “erogenous media” which
encourage the objectification of women. According to Capella, Hill, Rapp and Kees (2010, p
40) the sexualisation of women in media is partially responsible for the cases of sexual
violence for example the rape culture.
In Australia, there is a clear problem with the incidence of sexual violence and assault.
According to the Australian Institute of Criminology (2007) the cases of sexual assault and
violence is steadily increasing as evident by graph 1.
More recent data obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2014) corroborates the
increasing trend of sexual assault cases identified by the Australian Institute of Criminology
(2007). The total number of sexual assault offenders and other related chargers increased
from 6,006 in 2013 to 7,175 in 2014 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014).
6. Analysis of the artefact and your own learning reflection (250 words)
The Carl’s Jr 2015 super bowl commercial is the artefact I selected. The much anticipated
super bowl game was viewed by many people worldwide. The model in this commercial,
Charlotte McKinney, walked through a group of men at a supermarket seemingly nude. As
she walked through the supermarket, all the men stopped what they were doing and gazed
at her. This symbolises and encourages many women, especially younger girls that in order
to be wanted and desired you must look like a model. As well as this, such portrayal of the
female gender in media also has the ability to contribute to the misperception and
objectification men have towards women. This contributes to such problem like sexual
violence and assault against women.
I was extremely disturbed when I came across this commercial. I have always known and
heard about the misrepresentation and objectification of women. However, personally this
commercial took this to another level. Having three younger sisters, I am extremely worried
they would perceive themselves as not beautiful, develop lower self-esteem or perhaps
issues such as depression or eating disorders as a result of such media content. I have learnt
a lot from doing this assessment piece. I have come to understand in greater depth the how
much media portray of women is a public health problem. I’ve also become more aware and
knowledgeable in regards to the feminist theory, postfeminism and neoliberalism. I feel like
the knowledge I have obtained as a result of doing this assessment piece will benefit me in
both my studies and in my personal life. For example, educating by younger sisters about
this public health issue.
Reference List:
-
-
-
Super Bowl Commercials. (2016). Carl’s Jr. Commercial 2015. Retrieved from
http://www.superbowlcommercials2016.org/carls-jr/
Goicolea,I., Torres, M. S., Edin, K., & Ohman, A. (2012). When Sex is Hardly About
Mutual Pleasure: Dominant and Resistant Discourses on Sexuality and its
Consequences for Young People's Sexual Health. International Journal of Sexual
Health, 24(4), 303-317, doi: 10.1080/19317611.2012.715121
Ringrose, J., Harvey, L., Gill, R., & Livingstone, S. (2013). Teen girls, sexual double
standards and ‘sexting’: Gendered value in digital image exchange. Feminist Theory,
14(3), 305-323. doi: 10.1177/1464700113499853
Thompson, L., & Donaghue, N. (2014). The confidence trick: Competing
constructions of confidence and self-esteem in young Australian women's
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
discussions of the sexualisation of culture. Womens studies international forum,
47(1), 23-35. doi: 10.1016/j.wsif.2014.07.007
Tsaliki, L. (2015). Popular culture and moral panics about ‘children at risk’: Revisiting
the sexualisation-of-young-girls debate. Sex Education, 15(5), 500-514. doi:
10.1080/14681811.2015.1022893
Scharff, C. (2011). Angela McRobbie: The aftermath of feminism: gender, culture
and social change. Sexualities, 14(5), 620-622. Retrieved from
http://sex.sagepub.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/content/14/5/620.full.pdf
Gill, R. (2007). Postfeminist media culture: elements of sensibility. European Journal
of Culture Studies, 10(2), 147-166. doi 10.1177/1367549407075898
Victorian Government. (2015). Body Image-Women. Retrieved from
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/body-imagewomen?viewAsPdf=true
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa (2016). Eating disorder support of Alberta.
Retrieved from
http://www.eatingdisordersupportnetworkofalberta.com/statistics.html
Arcelus, J., Mitchell, A., Wales, J., & Nielsen, S. (2011). Mortality Rates in Patients
With Anorexia Nervosa and Other Eating Disorders: A Meta-analysis of 36 Studies.
Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(7), 724-731. Retrieved from
10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.74
Capella, M. L., Hill, R. P., Rapp, J. M., & Kees, J. (2010). The Impact of Violence
Against Women in Advertisements. Journal of Advertising, 39(4), 37-52. doi:
10.2753/JOA0091-3367390403
Australian Institute of Criminology. (2007). Trend in sexual assault. Retrieved from
http://www.aic.gov.au/statistics/violent%20crime/sexual%20assault.html
Stanford University. (2016). A history of the male and female genitalia. Retrieved
from
https://web.stanford.edu/class/history13/earlysciencelab/body/femalebodypages/
genitalia.html
Australian Human Rights Commission. (2014). Face the facts: Gender Equality.
Retrieved from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/education/face-facts/face-factsgender-equality
Jackson, S., Vares, T., & Gill, R. (2013). The whole playboy mansion image: Girls’
fashioning and fashioned selves within a postfeminist culture. Feminism and
Psychology, 23(2), 143-162. doi: 10.1177/0959353511433790
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2014). Offender statistics show Sexual assault and
related offences on the rise. Retrieved from
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/4519.0~201314~Media%20Release~Offender%20statistics%20show%20Sexual%20assault%20an
d%20related%20offences%20on%20the%20rise%20(Media%20Release)~34
-
-
-
Stephens, A., Jacobson, C., & King, C. (2010). Describing a feminist-systems theory.
Systems Research and Behavioural Science, 27(5), 554-566. doi: 10.1002/sres.1061
Australian National Research Organisation. (2012). Violence against women.
Retrieved from http://anrows.org.au/sites/default/files/Violence-AgainstAustralian-Women-Key-Statistics.pdf
Martin, J. B. (2010). The development of ideal body image perception in the United
States. Nutrition Today, 45(3), 96-100. doi:
http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/sp3.22.1b/ovidweb.cgi?WebLinkFrameset=1&S=CKLKFPJOINDDDOKGNCHKFGOBMEC
OAA00&returnUrl
Tolman, D. (2006). Through a lens of embodiment: New research from the center
for research on gender and sexuality. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 4(3), 1-5.
Doi: 10.1525/srsp.2006.3.4.1
THE FINAL