Media representation, sexual objectification and class
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Transcript of Media representation, sexual objectification and class
Today
What is sexual objectification?
Media portrayal of working class women
Campaigning for better representation
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN CONTEXT One in five women has experienced some
form of sexual violence since the age of 16
Approximately 85,000 women are raped and over 400,000 women are sexually assaulted in England and Wales every year
.
Media sexism helps shape public attitudes
"The media creates, reflects and enforces attitudes in society. Those who work
in the media should be conscious of this and
should actively seek not to reproduce attitudes
which condone violence against women or girls.“
Marai Larasi
Co-Chair, End Violence Against Women Coalition, Leveson Inquiry
Object and partners gave evidence to Leveson
IDENTIFYING SEXUAL OBJECTIFICATION THE CHIPS TEST?
COMMODITY
HARMED
INTERCHANGEABLE
PARTS
STAND IN
Weekend Sport – on display approx 10 cm from ground outdoors on main street
COMMODITY DOES THE IMAGE SHOW A SEXUALISED PERSON AS A COMMODITY, FOR EXAMPLE, AS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE BOUGHT AND SOLD?
Advert for
shoes
HARMED: DOES THE IMAGE SHOW A SEXUALISED PERSON BEING HARMED, FOR EXAMPLE, BEING VIOLATED OR UNABLE TO GIVE CONSENT?
Billboards in Hackney 2014 for a club and in Southern Italy for cleaning products
INTERCHANGEABLE: DOES THE IMAGE SHOW A SEXUALISED PERSON AS INTERCHANGEABLE, FOR EXAMPLE, A COLLECTION OF SIMILAR BODIES?
Daily Star: Win a date with a Page 3 competition - 2015
PARTS DOES THE IMAGE SHOW A SEXUALISED PERSON AS BODY PARTS, FOR EXAMPLE, A HUMAN REDUCED TO BREASTS OR BUTTOCKS?
Pot Noodle – 2014 World Cup Promotion
STAND-IN: DOES THE IMAGE PRESENT A PERSON AS A STAND-IN FOR AN OBJECT, FOR EXAMPLE, A HUMAN BODY USED AS A CHAIR OR A TABLE?
Advert for ‘Naked Sushi’ – Spearmint Rhino, Camden, Currently on social media
WHY THIS IS A PROBLEM
BUYING STUFF WE DON’T NEED (INADEQUACY MARKETING)
UNREALISTIC BODY IDEALS
RACIST STEREOTYPES (E.G. BRAZILIANS HYPER-SEXUALISED)
MINIMISING SEXUAL VIOLENCE (E.G. ALLEGATIONS ABOUT TERRY RICHARDS AS HARASSER)
IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID
DEHUMANISING
WOMEN NOT SHOWN AS ACHIEVING IN SPHERES OTHER THAN BEAUTY
NOT A NEW PHENOMENON
Saartje Baartman exhibited and promoted as a freak show in London in early 19th Century Europe
MEDIA PORTRAYAL OF TRANS WOMEN PARTICULARY INSIDIOUS
Identification where not relevant, ignoring Gender Recognition Act
Intrusive levels of detail about personal issues and coverage of “non stories”
Can have tragic consequences e.g. Lucy Meadows’ suicide after “sensational and salacious media coverage
Dr Kate Stone who nearly died after being attacked by a stag.
PORTRAYAL OF WORKING CLASS WOMEN
“Gross, overly sexed, untamed, crude, and deserving of sexual exploitation and aggression”
A 2006 survey by YouGov suggested 70% of TV industry professionals believed that Vicky Pollard was an accurate reflection of white working class youth.
Benefit fraud poster, Department of Work and Pensions
FRAMING THE DEBATE
Mainstream media frequently follow a script which portrays anti-sexism campaigners as largely white, middle class women, often with a focus on the culture and taste of working class men.
No evidence that working class men more sexist than men as a group in general or of working class culture disproportionately targeted
This misrepresentation erases the voices of many campaigners, and unrealistically portrays the target ignoring the multi-billion pound/ dollar industry towards individual consumers.
Campaiging on the Sun has focussed on portrayal of women
But aware portrayal of other groups also
problematic