The Sexualization of Women Today

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Recommended: Negative portrayal of women in the media

The TV and Film Industry’s Portrayal of Women has drastically affected many of their lives, much too often women compare themselves to the female images they see on television, film, and advertisings; at both the conscious and subconscious level, these media images of women lower self-esteem and affect behavior at every age and stage of life. We know they are unrealistic, yet they apply so much pressure on women to conform, and influence how we live, love, work and play. This gender role that society has generally considered appropriate for women is wrong. It makes so many of us women want to buy materials we don’t need, with the money we don’t have only to impress people we don’t know. So many teenage girls are unwarily developing eating disorders and dieting without realizing that they don’t need to live up to the ridiculous standards that society has set for us. It’s difficult to be who you want to be without having someone look at you a certain way when it’s all around us, the constant pressure put on us to be like all women on television, commercials, movies and advertisements, these industries’ powerful influence on society has given everyone around us the wrong idea of what “should” and “should not” be. A woman should be able to express herself and feel free to do what she wants with no judgment.

The Sexualization of Women Today

The television and film industry have gone to far extremes to shape the women we see in our everyday lives to be very over-idealistic, these women always seem to have their hair and makeup done, fancy clothes, and incredibly thin bodies. People don’t understand how much harm and pressure all these materials put on women. This idea the film and television industry has created for not only wome...

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...hey need the words "I dare you" printed on their backsides? Or "Let's make out" printed on the most private parts of their bodies? Does any of this square with the message we're trying to send to teen girls that they should be valued for their minds before their bodies?

It’s everywhere. James Franco's new film Spring Breakers which I have not seen, is apparently so exploitive of teen girls, depicting them in the most degrading light, that even mainstream reviewers, not easily shockable, are shocked. Writing in Cinemablend.com, Sean O'Connell said, "Spring Breakers feels like the floor of a Tampa Bay strip club. It's sticky, slimy, dirty and has seen far more depravity and corruption than one should handle." Every film coming out today that involves teens always includes the girl who is a slut and is always in search of a man. That is not the case for most women.

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