Fear Of Feminism Hogeland Analysis

It has long been an unfortunate truth that women across the globe are objectified: seen as playthings, sex toys, and rewards for men. “Sexual objectification occurs when a woman’s body, body parts, or sexual functions are isolated from her whole and complex being and treated as objects simply to be looked at, coveted, or touched” (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) Women are not seen as people with minds of their own. Their goals and ambitions are largely ignored. It is considered unattractive when women have goals and aspirations other than finding a husband to settle down with and becoming a homemaker. Men are encouraged to believe that women are nothing more than their property. Society as a whole is structured around the belief that one …show more content…
We live in a country where women may be fearful of taking action to overthrow the objectification brought upon them due to the possibility of backlash from their own country. “Fear of feminism, then, is not a fear of gender, but rather a fear of politics. Fear of politics can be understood as a fear of living in consequences, a fear of reprisals.” (Hogeland) In Fear of Feminism, Hogeland goes on to explain that the rights and desires of women are not necessarily in the best interest of the collective. Based on this, one may come to the striking realization of, “Why would our government bother to help us out, when it does no good for them?” Our government, one long ruled by old white men, is still a sexist one. Why bother giving out contraceptives to women? They are here to make babies for men, after all. Why work to discontinue the objectification of women? They sell numerous products for this country every year. It just wouldn’t be logical to obstruct the use of women’s bodies in the media’s efforts to make sales. Why close the wage gap, once and for all? Women simply aren’t worth the same amount of money as men. Why give women free menstrual products? That’s not a problem for men. A government controlled by white men has no use for improving the lives of the female …show more content…
It has already been decided for you which characteristics you will take on. The work begins to teach you to follow the rules of your assigned gender: what emotions you can display and how, what roles you play in society, what you should excel in and what you shouldn’t be interested in. Gender is “constantly created and recreated out of human interaction” and is a human production that “depends on everyone constantly ‘doing gender’” (Lorber) The social construction of gender plays a most prominent role in the objectification of women. Think of this: the gender you are assigned at birth maps out the rest of your life and ultimately determines what will be expected of you. If you are born with a penis, congratulations. You just got slapped with the “superior sex” label. You will be a hunter, a protector, a strong and respected warrior. Most likely, you will be expected to act tough and ogle women, else you be labeled as a “sissy” or, God forbid, “gay”. If you have a vagina, condolences to you. You will be expected to follow the path deemed “appropriate” for you. You will be a homemaker, a wife, and a mother (to strive for something else would be unthinkable). The aforementioned gender roles play their hand in the objectification of women by setting boundaries for women and creating boxes that they must fit into. Women are