UNDERSTANDING THE SELF (GEN 002)
Title:
The Physical Self - Man and Woman as Object of Beauty VS. Man and Woman as Subject of Beauty
Objectives:
1. Determine how men and women become Object of Beauty and Subject of Beauty.
2. Explain how advertising promotes gender stereotyping and sexual objectification.
Notes:
Beauty is a characteristic of an animal, idea, object, person or place that provides a perceptual experience
of pleasure or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, culture, social psychology, philosophy and
sociology. An "ideal beauty" is an entity which is admired, or possesses features widely attributed to beauty in a
particular culture, for perfection.
Men and Women as Object of Beauty Vs. Subject of Beauty
Object of Beauty
Objectification is a notion central to feminist theory. It can be roughly defined as the seeing and/or treating a
person, usually a woman, as an object. In this entry, the focus is primarily on sexual objectification,
objectification occurring in the sexual realm. Objectification, for Kant, involves the lowering of a person, a being
with humanity, to the status of an object.
Subject of Beauty
Conforming to how being beautiful is becoming a subject of beauty. Body image has something to do with how
men and women became subject of beauty. Media nowadays give a high influence on how society looks at the
beauty of men and women. The standards that media sets for men and women to be beautiful is one of the way of
being subjected to beauty and in not conforming to these standards results to not being beautiful in the eyes of
people.
The characterization of a person as “beautiful”, whether on an individual basis or by community consensus, is
often based on some combination of inner beauty, which includes psychological factors such as personality,
intelligence, grace, politeness, charisma, integrity, congruence and elegance, and outer beauty (i.e. physical
attractiveness) which includes physical attributes which are valued on an aesthetic basis.
Standards of beauty have changed over time, based on changing cultural values. Historically, paintings show a
wide range of different standards for beauty. However, humans who are relatively young, with smooth skin, well-
proportioned bodies, and regular features, have traditionally been considered the most beautiful throughout
history.
Sexual objectification is the act of treating a person as a mere object of sexual desire. Objectification
more broadly means treating a person as a commodity or an object without regard to their personality or dignity.
Objectification is most commonly examined at the level of a society, but can also refer to the behavior of
individuals.
Female sexual objectification by a male involves a woman being viewed primarily as an object of male
sexual desire, rather than as a whole person. Although opinions differ as to which situations are objectionable,
some feminists see objectification of women taking place in the sexually oriented depictions of women in
advertising and media, women being portrayed as weak or submissive through pornography, images in more
mainstream media such as advertising and art, stripping and prostitution, men brazenly evaluating or judging
women sexually or aesthetically in public spaces and events, such as beauty contests, and the presumed need for
cosmetic surgery, particularly breast enlargement and labiaplasty. Objectification in the media can range from
subtle forms, such as the lack of main female characters, to very explicit forms such as highly sexualized dialogue
and provocatively dressed female characters.
Feminist authors Christina Hoff Sommers and Naomi Wolf write that women's sexual liberation led
women to a role reversal, whereby they viewed men as sex objects, in a manner similar to what they criticize
about men's treatment of women. Psychologist Harold Lyon suggests that men's liberation is a necessary step
toward woman's liberation. This was especially apparent during the girl power era of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Men are often objectified by other men. Research has suggested that the psychological effects of objectification
on men are similar to those of women, leading to negative body image among men.
Instances where men may be viewed as sex objects by women include advertisements, music videos,
films, television shows, beefcake calendars, women's magazines, male strip shows, and clothed female/nude male
(CFNM) events. Women also purchase and consume pornography.
Directions:
Watch a short clip about “Gender Role Stereotypes, Sexual Objectification, and Power in Advertising”. Here
is the link of the short clip:
[Link]
After watching, analyze how advertising and media promotes gender role stereotyping and sexual
objectification, you may use this as your introduction. Give also an example or scenario where you can observe
it.
Watch another clip entitled “Killing us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women” by Giselle Bundchen. Here is
the link of the short clip:
[Link]
After watching, write your reflection about it using the guide question,” How do media
affect perceptions of beauty? Do beauty pageants promote objectification of beauty or
empowerment? Explain your reasons.