The Exploitation of Women in the Media
It is no secret that we live in a market-driven society, but the exploitation of female sexuality in advertisements is more harmful than some consumers realize. Advertisements and commercials litter the media and one of the most common tactics of marketing is luring people in with the objectification and exploitation of women. Advertisements that have little to no correlation with women capitalize off sexual images. The common myth that “sex sells” is the driving explanation.
Sexualization of women has always been a tactic that advertisers have utilized in order to reach a wider audience and sell more products. Regardless of the platform, the mainstream media has used an unrealistic image and aesthetic of women’s physical appearance for decades. Women are often dehumanized in these types of media and portrayed as objects that intended for the enjoyment of others.
Sexual advertising takes the woman figure and displays it as a commodity, perpetuating the idea that a woman’s worth is derived from her body. Hyper-sexualized advertisements contribute to setting an unrealistic societal standard that women feel pressured to meet. Younger and more impressionable women are at a higher risk for enduring the negative effects that come from this type of exploitation.
Hyper-sexualization of women occurs at all ages, and by targeting young women, they are then potentially being faced with insecurities, internal conflict, and self-hatred. Among these mental health issues, eating disorders, depression, and a negative sexual development are also repercussions from the exploitation of women in marketing. When young girls are growing up and they are constantly consuming media that is full of unrealistic images of models and celebrities, they may begin to question why they do not look the same as them.
UNICEF has stated that the objectification and sexualization of girls in the media is directly linked to violence against women and girls worldwide. By objectifying women, the idea of a woman being submissive and dominated is perpetuated and normalized. Women are being viewed as vessels for pleasure and that idea is being consumed by men. Men are learning to have this bias against women, which can then lead to rationalizing violence and sexist views.
Studies show that across the globe, an estimated 736 million women, nearly one in three, have faced physical and/or sexual partner violence, non-partner violence, or both at least once in their lives. The majority of the violence against women is caused by current or former husbands or sexual partners. In 2020 alone, 81,000 women and girls were killed and 58% of those deaths were caused by a family member or intimate partner. The mass amount of violence/abuse towards women can be linked to the stereotypes of women that are constantly shown in the mainstream media.
The feminist movement is continuing to flourish and raise awareness for the issues that women consistently face, but the continuous hyper-sexualization of women in the mainstream media puts a hindrance on that process. When people are internalizing these ideas that the media is perpetuating, they are subconsciously forming biases regarding women, which is why it is important to understand that the way the media treats women is not normal.
