“Sex Sells and Wears Well”
-Calvin Klein
How is it that it’s 2017 and women are still fighting for the right to be taken seriously? Some may argue that yes, as a society, we have come very far in the concept of gender equality. But, in some ways, we haven’t come as far as was thought.
As women, we are expected to be hairless, skinny (and thick in certain areas) and dressed and made-up like we’re about to walk the red carpet at the ‘Met Gala’. Now, that’s not saying that anyone who is like that is in the wrong, the point here is that it should be a choice and not an expectation. If you don’t want to do it then it shouldn’t be frowned upon.
In 2011, a report by the BBC claimed that childhood was becoming too sexualised and commercialised. They say that:
“the sexualisation of children through such mediums as music videos and adverts has “already hit rock bottom, and we’re past the point of no return”.”
Big brand stores, for example Primark, were shamed for selling bras and padded bikinis for girls of 7 years old after a number of protests by parents for the dangerous sexualisation of young girls.
“This sexualisation of children means that boys and girls don’t give each other respect.”
A 2015 statistic suggests that 500,000 sexual images are posted on twitter every day, which marks up to 1 in every 1,000 tweets. To make a twitter account, the minimum age is 13 years old. Essentially, children as young as 13 and possibly younger could be exposed to images which could be seen as damaging. Amateur porn stars have claimed that Twitter is their number one platform for gaining followers and advertising themselves.
40% of online pornography depicts violence against women and ‘rape porn’ returns 63,600,000 google hits which are easily accessible. The top searched porn catergory is “teen” porn, which are girls who
“look like they’re 12 with double D breasts”.
Society today, mostly the younger generation, are desensitised by online mediums such as porn. This grafts and constructs the way that both genders are viewed and what is expected of them.
Expectations, especially physical ones, hold a prominent place in today’s society mostly due to the introduction of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat in the past 10 years. The ‘American Psychological Association’ predict that in 2004, about 240,682 cosmetic procedures were performed on patients 18 years old or younger. The top surgical procedures were nose reshaping, breast lifts, breast augmentation, liposuction and tummy tucks. Of course, it is no bad thing for people to be happy with the way they look and if that involves having some sort of surgery then so be it. However, the need to look and be a certain way has been around before cosmetic surgery came to the forefront of society.
The infamous ‘Beach Body Ready’ advert circulated London Undergrounds in 2015 and caused quite the controversy. The ad, a weight loss campaign by Protein World, was seen as socially irresponsible and many used the term “body shaming” to describe it. The public, mostly women, thought that the ad presented other body types as inferior and not up to the expectations of a “beach body”. If you were conscious about your appearance and saw this image, it could be mentally damaging and, in extreme cases, could lead to body dysmorphia and other mental illnesses. In 2014, around 1,800 teenagers across the UK between 13 and 19 were admitted into hospital due to an eating disorder. This statistic does not even include those being treated without being admitted.
These sexist and sexualised adverts combined with the accessibility of indecent content online, have created a world where sex does sell. Selling may not necessarily mean getting money in return but, could mean that popularity and being complimented could be used as a currency. Kim Kardashian is most popularly associated with her sex tape. Lana Del Rey has admitted in a few interviews that she attempted to become famous by sleeping her way to the top. In fact, porn is one of the only industries where women are paid more than men, earning up to $1,500 per scene. Is it justifiable that women are treated as more than equal to men in a business where they are degraded, used and sexualised for entertainment? What is more shocking is when people try to pretend that it’s not there and doesn’t exist. Even in recent times, newly appointed President Donald Trump has been caught making sexist comments such as:
“It must be a pretty picture. You dropping to your knees.”
“And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything… Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”
What else is there to say? The fact that one of the most influential men in the world can say those kinds of things and think that it is okay just shows how far we, as a society, have to go in respecting and creating an equality between all genders, men included.
