From explicit music videos to female- offensive posts on social networking sites, has society gone backwards in terms of female equality and the ‘advocacy of women’s rights’? My first post asks some poignant questions about the perception of women in the media and the possible implications upon the social networking generation.
Growing up, I must admit I’ve been pretty ignorant toward much of the jokes (and sometimes seemingly unjokingly) comments made about the female sex on popular networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Phrases such as “get back in the kitchen” and referral to women as “bitches” and “hoes” were commonplace and I had become accustomed to laughing it off as a joke. However, having encountered a fair share of today’s male generation (on a direct and indirect level,) I began to question whether these little ‘jokes’ had been internalized by the males of today.
Since the eye opening documentary ‘Battle of the Sexes: Blurred Lines’ was aired on the BBC in May 2014, I have become even more aware of the common perception of women portrayed in the media. The documentary looked at evidence of sheer sexism on the internet and through other mediums.The clue is in the shared title of the documentary and Robin Thicke’s hit single of last summer, “Blurred Lines”- dubbed as the most controversial song of the decade by The Guardian. I found myself humming along to the catchy tune without paying much heed to the underlying meaning and disturbing ideas about sexual consent and the implication of rape (lyrics include the line “I know you want it” and mention tearing a woman’s “ass in two.”)
So this song is ultimately saying: “It’s okay to talk to women like this. If they say no, it probably means yes.” No one can doubt the influential impact of the media, especially upon the younger, impressionable generation. So it needs to be asked, if we can’t stop artists writing songs like this, why aren’t we regulating the music videos which give the song their identity?
The release of the single was shortly followed by Miley Cyrus’ infamous performance of ‘Blurred Lines’ with Thicke at the VMAs. It featured Miley wearing a shiny, nude bralet and hotpants, whilst ‘twerking’ on Thicke’s lap. By performing that song and behaving in such a manner, Miley Cyrus indicates that the only way to attract male attention is by dressing inappropriately and therefore aids the sexual objectification of women.
It seemed to be one stint in a long standing campaign by Cyrus to shake off her ‘good girl’ Hannah Montana image. Her Wrecking Ball video featured her swinging on a wrecking ball, fully naked which has reached millions of views on Vevo’s YouTube channel. Disturbingly, the director of the video, Terry Richardson has recently faced claims against him, accusing the fashion photographer of sexually abusing some of his muses. Why are we letting men like this generate material to be swallowed by the rest of society?
The male internalization of women as sexual objects has arguably become evident in experiences of dating in today’s society (the topic of discussion in my next post,) as a possible implication of blatant sexism in the media. All too often I have heard stories of men’s desperate attempts to have sexual relations with women both on dating apps and face to face; all without any intention of commitment and ultimately showing a complete lack of respect towards women.
It has become a constant worry of mine that not only is sexism on social networking rife, but that women have been accepting of such material and like me, have simply laughed it off as a joke in the past. However sexism can and should be combated using the same platform upon which it was created: social media. It is up for the individual to decide what is simply a joke and what is taking things too far. But displays of blatant female objectification like Miley Cyrus’ performance at the VMAs is a flashing indicator that society needs to reevaluate what is a respectable and whatsmore accurate representation of female identity.
Acknowledgments
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/13/blurred-lines-most-controversial-song-decade
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/19/terry-richardsons-predato_n_505708.html
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