Many women or so call Feminist will argue that we currently live in a patriarchal society where women are seen not an as human beings with emotions or thought but as objects. Women are being objectified to mere sexual commodities, here to serve as men sexual fantasies. This is correct in many ways women are constantly being objectified in American pop-culture, in fact, women are objectified in many cultures outside of America. Have you ever watched a Japanese anime, in which the majority contains a stereotypical big-bobbed female character?
My only critique to this is that it paints a very one-sided picture of men demeaning women, were women are innocent victims of men’s insidious sexualizing of them. But aren’t women partially to blame for this? When I walk the streets of New York City in the summer what do I find, scores of women walking through the streets seamlessly with tight jean shorts, legs exposed, and buttocks prudently out? I as a heterosexual young man has my attention constantly diverted to glance at these delicacies of the flesh.
Here’s the point to be made, hip hop videos are constantly galvanized for its disparage imagery of women, but instead of criticizing the rappers or the directors, what about the women that fully participate in their so called degradation. The women who for a price will perform all sought of sexual depravity on screen. This is the pragmatism of these criticisms it doesn’t hold women accountable.
I once remember watching a Tupac interview, in which he addresses the criticism to his demeaning lyrics, his response was “women say bitch the loudest, they themselves no there are bitch’s out there” to give my own interpretation of Tupac response, I believe Pac was just stating women themselves know that there are egotistical women who will resort to any means get what they want.
A justifiable response to this post is that women grow up in a society, in which they are constantly bombarded with images on how they should behave, talk, and dress. This is the same for men, that are taught to be tough, lack emotions, and are encouraged to conquer as many women as possible, and are celebrated and admired for their promiscuity, while women are ridiculed (by both men and women) for replicating these same behaviors.
Now there’s a possible scientific explanation for these double standards. The theory holds that men are biologically programmed to have as much sex with as many women as possible, to better their chances of spreading their genes, and thus ensuring that a piece of them exist for the next generation (kind of poetic in a way). Women on the other hand are supposed to be more sexually selective with who they mate. Women (as the theory goes) are to look for men who have the best resources to ensure their offspring survival (in our modern times that means men with the most money) and those that show signs of good physical health, i.e. tall height, muscular built, and a symmetrical face.
Like any group that’s oppressed, in order for the oppression to be successful, there has to be compliance between the oppressor and the oppressed. And this in my opinion is the case presented here.
Da Joanis Project 