OBJECT - Why I'm a Feminist

Tools on a surface with the word object written across it.

I recently watched a brilliant vlog (video blog) about the portrayal of women in computer games. One of the many examples was the grand theft auto series. The vlogger pointed out that the gamer can go to a vending machine, buy a drink, and gain a power up / stat boost / health regen. The gamer can also go to a prostitute, sleep with the prostitute, and gain a power up / stat boost / health regen. The point the vlogger was making was ‘in the mind of the gamer, what is the difference between the drink and the woman?’.
Objectification is the term used for anything that is not an object, being used or portrayed as an object. In our society women are objectified in many ways, every day. We see it in our advertising, in our magazines, in our programmes and films. Each time a woman’s body is used as ‘eye candy’, we see objectification in action.
This stems back into our archaic history, where women were literally the property of men, objects to be bought and sold.
In the Hebrew scriptures we see that woman and man are made in God’s image. Not objects, but precious beings. As a people set within this belief system, we must stand against anything that objectifies people (incase you were wondering: yes, men are objectified as well. The statistic stands around 95% of objectification happens to women).
Whenever a company uses female body parts to sell something (I’m looking at you Lynx, and many other companies) it objectifies women. Whenever a woman is added into a movie for eye candy or purely as a sex interest (I’m looking at you James Bond, amongst other films / programs) it objectifies women. Whenever a newspapers only female representation centres on a woman’s breasts (I’m looking at you sun newspaper, among others), it objectifies women.

May we be those people that stand against anything that dehumanises people, may we be those that challenge the status quo, and may we be those that look into the eyes of all people, and see God

To see more on objectification I highly recommend this video by Laci Green, this incredible TedTalk, and the entire tropes vs women feminist frequency series.

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