“I’m going to need you to put on a jacket.”
Those were the words my seventh grade science teacher said to me on a blazing hot June day when I walked into her classroom wearing a summer dress with spaghetti straps. I had always been aware that my school had a strict dress code, but I figured that since it was 90 degrees and the classroom had no air conditioning, it would be appropriate for me to wear a sleeveless dress.
When I asked my teacher why I needed to cover up, she simply told me, “You can’t reveal your shoulders like that. It’s distracting.” There was no doubt in my mind that the students she was so concerned about “distracting” were boys. As I pulled a sweatshirt over my head and sat down at my desk, I wondered how my shoulders could possibly be considered distracting, or even provocative. I found myself feeling ashamed and embarrassed, as if it was my fault for calling sexual attention to my body. At 13 years old, it was the first time I had ever felt like I was being objectified in a sexist way, and it certainly wasn’t the last.
Girls are taught from a young age that their bodies are inherently sexual, especially in school settings. Instead of wearing what’s comfortable, particularly when the weather is hot, girls are forced to dress conservatively to not “disrupt the learning environment” of their male classmates. Even worse, girls have to deal with sexual harassment and misogyny which are universally accepted by society as “normal” on a daily basis. In 2018, a study from NPR found that 81% of U. S. women have experienced some form of sexual harassment or objectification throughout their lifetime. From being ogled by random men in public to receiving inappropriate, sexual comments in the workplace, the ways in which girls and young women are sexualized in society are endless.
Female objectification is also extremely prevalent in various forms of media. All too often in media, girls are presented in a way that caters to the desires and of men. Their bodies are viewed as objects to be used, enjoyed and then discarded. Some people justify this by insisting that if a girl is wearing what society considers to be scandalous clothing, they’re asking for male sexual attention.
A major example of the normalization of female sexualization lies in film. Many popular movies and TV shows such as “Mean Girls,” “Gossip Girl” and “Baywatch,” portray young women as shallow, unintelligent, and one-dimensional, furthering existing damaging gender stereotypes.
“There was no doubt in my mind that the students she was so concerned about “distracting” were boys”
Another outlet for the sexualization of women in film is reality TV. Series such as “The Bachelor,” “The Real Housewives” and “Keeping up with the Kardashians” all make women out to be brainless sex objects whose only purpose is to please their male partners. When teenager girls watch these movies and TV shows, the sexist tropes presented to them reinforce harmful gender expectations that their worth is based solely on sexual value.
Society’s appalling treatment of girls can lead to life-long struggles with confidence and self-image. When girls are constantly labelled as sex objects, they begin to scrutinize all aspects of their bodies and become hyper fixated on their physical appearances, resulting in feelings of self-loathing and worthlessness. This can trigger depression, anxiety or eating disorders. According to a study conducted by National Eating Disorder Association on women ages 18 to 25, there is an undeniable link between Instagram use and increased body image and self-objectification struggles. This confirms that, without a doubt, the hypersexualization of girls in the media greatly impacts self-esteem and emotional health.
Girls are worth so much more than men’s opinions of their sexual attractiveness and the media’s expectations of how they should dress and act. Girls want to be respected, admired and appreciated, not objectified. If the world were to finally wake up and realize how destructive this hypersexualized portrayal of girls is, the devastating violence and dehumanization against women might subside.
