Sexualization

1960’s Swinging London: Allen Jones, Mary Quant & Feminism In the 1960’s, London, England was thriving with a new style of art, fashion, music, photography and much more. After World War II, a recuperating London found itself fixated on the glamorous consumerism in the West. The Pop Art Movement sparked a new interest in cheap artistic mediums that portray elements of Western popular culture. Artist Allen Jones and fashion designer Mary Quant prove to be two significant figures at the height of…

must speak professionally and perform onstage” (Sheaks). Some pageants like Distinguished Young Women, a pageant in Indiana, and have a more modest approach, where self esteem is created in a pageant setting. The girls have dress codes to prevent sexualization, and the pageant judges are “conscious about not putting a focus on their bodies” (Sheaks). Due to the positive environment that these types of pageants occur in, pageants can help build self esteem, rather than hinder it. One mother says…

The Stereotypical Infamy of Sexual Expression in Belly Dancing “Danse du ventre” translating specifically to belly dance, dates back to 25,000 B.C. In ancient Egypt and India, the paintings of pregnant women found on stone walls and terracotta statuettes of people in poses that portrayed dancing were the first archeological facts to be coined as connected to belly dancing. “Middle Eastern dance (aka belly dance) is an ancient and expressive form of movement, associated with feminine and…

generally make it appear that they are dominant over women, influencing other men to act this way and women to believe it is true (Cundiff). The prevalence of these themes in rap music have caused many critics to blame hip hop for the growing sexualization of adolescent girls and the hookup culture that became more evident when hip hop rose to popularity. Carolyn West, associate professor of psychology and the study of prevention of violence at the University of Washington stated, “Black girls…

Looking particularly at how the gender ideology around femininity is currently being played out in women’s weightlifting raises many ethical questions and speaks loudly to the difficult “bodywork” issues that women are facing. First, it is important to understand that gender is culturally constructed through different forms of emphasized femininity and masculinity in culture. Sex is the actual biological make up of men and women. What is masculine is not feminine, and what is feminine is not…

From the beginning of time, it has been bred into our lives to incessantly create patterns that help form a basis of reality and how to adapt to that reality. During the earliest times of human existence, we were faced with the burden of overcoming the harsh realities of the world and have strived to create certain ideologies in order to survive. This created a sense of anxiety that was essential to human nature. However, as the world progressed, this anxiety translated from analyzing and…

The path of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, questioning, two-spirited movement has been a steep uphill battle until recently. Throughout history, the LGBTQ2 community has been discriminated against or outright persecuted. Even today, people continue to have harsh reactions to events like a famous athlete coming out as homosexual. Less than two years ago, gay marriage was finally legalized in the United States. Most LGBTQ2 people would consider hate crimes the biggest problem facing the…

No “Slum” for Feminism Recent massive transnational protests named “SlumWalk” have marked a new form of rage from modern women’s right activists, stirring varied societal objections towards feminists. From a defiant display of a thousand women dressing in underwear and fishnets storming down the streets of Toronto, to public declarations from different well-known feminists stating they will never fight for the right to be called slums, the re-appropriation of the word “slum” has reinforced the…

It seems more and more people are spending more and more time looking down at their phones than looking each other in the eye. You can 't walk into a room without seeing someone with a smart phone in their hand. They are staring at it, sharing a message with their friends or taking a picture. Even though we may be right next to someone, we feel the need to communicate with others not in the room. In today 's electronic age, texting, sending and receiving messages and images is the way we talk…

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), 69% of 5th-12th grade girls reported that magazine pictures of women influenced their idea of a “perfect body”. But if that is not enough, they also state that over 80% of 10 year old girls are AFRAID of being “fat”. With today’s societal expectations skyrocketing for women all around the U.S. and the world, it is difficult for young girls to understand the concept of positive body image and to learn what…