[Image: The image shows a blonde, white, tattooed woman posing nude in a sexual manner. Text over this image reads: “When a woman chooses to voluntarily display herself as being a sexual object, that’s her choosing to be displayed sexually. That isn’t patriarchal sexual objectification. It’s a personal decision. Don’t slut shame, right?”]
So uh, this makes no sense. And here’s why: The word “choose” invalidates the word “object” because objects don’t choose. That’s kind of the point. Choice brings agency. So, if an individual woman makes the choice to be sexual, she is not being objectified.
Now, I know this was offered as a means to disprove the feminist notion that many ads, pornographic outlets, etc. objectify women. Well, here’s the thing. Men as a class have most of the power when it comes to producing these outlets - be they media, advertisements, pornography, what have you. Therefore, even if an individual woman is choosing to partake in a process that portrays her as being solely sexual, the choice for that to be the defining factor of women in general is no longer present, and thus the agency of women as a class is voided. Thus, sexual objectification. That’s not to say individual women shouldn’t choose to do this, sure, go ahead. But to deny that because individual women are choosing to be portrayed as solely sexual there is no cultural or social problem when it comes to who constructs the dominant narrative and the complete oversaturation of the market with the idea of women as static, narrowly defined objects in accordance with male interest is ridiculous. Participation in the system is not evidence of its non-existence.
Anyway, the feminist solution to the objectification problem (as I know it) is to bring diversity not only to the types of people portrayed in these ways, but also to the types of people who own the means of controlling these outlets. If everyone had equal access to and equal participation in the process of defining and creating social narratives, objectification would no longer be an issue.
And, hopefully, neither would reactionary bullshit tumblrs.
PS - Criticizing the culture for perpetuating the dominance of narratives and norms created by and for men isn’t slut-shaming. I also think it’s incredibly ironic that a blog which ardently defends slut-shaming is not using that idea to silence feminists while simultaneously not grasping the concept of objectification. Your knuckles are getting white you’re clutching straws so tightly.
![andyouhavetogivethemhope:
[Image: A white banner at a protest that says, “Feminism: Back due to popular demand.”]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpoarfV0gr1qg117qo1_400.png)
![droppingthefbomb:
stfufauxminists:
[Image: The image shows a blonde, white, tattooed woman posing nude in a sexual manner. Text over this image reads: “When a woman chooses to voluntarily display herself as being a sexual object, that’s her choosing to be displayed sexually. That isn’t patriarchal sexual objectification. It’s a personal decision. Don’t slut shame, right?”]
So uh, this makes no sense. And here’s why: The word “choose” invalidates the word “object” because objects don’t choose. That’s kind of the point. Choice brings agency. So, if an individual woman makes the choice to be sexual, she is not being objectified.
Now, I know this was offered as a means to disprove the feminist notion that many ads, pornographic outlets, etc. objectify women. Well, here’s the thing. Men as a class have most of the power when it comes to producing these outlets - be they media, advertisements, pornography, what have you. Therefore, even if an individual woman is choosing to partake in a process that portrays her as being solely sexual, the choice for that to be the defining factor of women in general is no longer present, and thus the agency of women as a class is voided. Thus, sexual objectification. That’s not to say individual women shouldn’t choose to do this, sure, go ahead. But to deny that because individual women are choosing to be portrayed as solely sexual there is no cultural or social problem when it comes to who constructs the dominant narrative and the complete oversaturation of the market with the idea of women as static, narrowly defined objects in accordance with male interest is ridiculous. Participation in the system is not evidence of its non-existence.
Anyway, the feminist solution to the objectification problem (as I know it) is to bring diversity not only to the types of people portrayed in these ways, but also to the types of people who own the means of controlling these outlets. If everyone had equal access to and equal participation in the process of defining and creating social narratives, objectification would no longer be an issue.
And, hopefully, neither would reactionary bullshit tumblrs.
PS - Criticizing the culture for perpetuating the dominance of narratives and norms created by and for men isn’t slut-shaming. I also think it’s incredibly ironic that a blog which ardently defends slut-shaming is not using that idea to silence feminists while simultaneously not grasping the concept of objectification. Your knuckles are getting white you’re clutching straws so tightly.
^
I am so sick and tired of people trying to justify their slut shaming](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmp1pkuqW41qhmzsro1_400.jpg)
