In being sick of the way women are endlessly objectfied and treated like pieces of meat?

[Janos]

Rant alert!

I'm just so f'ing sick of it (pardon my French).

It's everywhere, on television, when you walk into the newsagents, advertising billboards, shops - AAARGHH!!

I don't remember it being like this when I was younger. Perhaps I was just more innocent then or maybe its got worse. Depressing to think what view of women this encourages, and that my DS will grow up seeing this stuff as a matter of course.

sigh

Am I just a raddled old prude or what?

In relation to the models and dancers , I don't think anyone ( for the most part ) is forcing these women into anything. Why does feminism constantly judge women when their choices aren't what they want them to be. Hypocrits

"If the tennis player had answered about tennis, then women would be asked about their tennis. But because that tennis player chose to answer about clothes, it makes the question okay. IE women dont fight it, and men get the "power" by default. "

Yes, I see your point there. That's one of things that pisses me off though!

big sigh at mumsnet hipocracy this thread and the thread about how horrid david camerons wifes dress is...

I find it to be the other way around most of the time. I find younger people get discrimenated against because older people have this stereotype about young people being stupid and not knowing anything.

YANBU. Not at all.

Blimey, I'm not some old fogey, you know. I'm 32!

Maybe that is old to some people....?

There has always been plenty of exploitation of women's bodies to sell things.

Have skimmed this long thread and see no mention of Clare Short who famously conducted a campaign against p 3 of the Sun and was treated to a hate campaign against her by the tabloids.

The answer is, not to read the tabloids, not to watch tv that offends you, and graffiti on sexist posters.- EG there was once a poster of a nearly naked glamorous woman sporting thigh high boots. Under the image some one had written This Ad Exploits Women! and some one else had added This Ad Exploits Boots.

Exploitation of women's sexuality has happened since time immemorial - certainly all my lifetime. Nothing new about it.

If something offends you, complain. Vote with your feet and your wallet.

God yes, I had forgotten about the Clare Short campaign. And I do remember that she was vilified for it, but not many of the details.

Exploitation of women certainly isn't anything new. But I do think it's more overt now than, say, 20 years ago.

Unless I'm very much mistaken.20 years ago mags like Nuts/Zoo/FHM etc weren't in the mainstream.

But equally 20 years ago Benny Hill was popular with his comedy scantily clad nurse chase sequences etc!!

Totally agree with the idea that women control their own lives and have the power to control their own environment. This argument is the same as the working mother/home mother debate. Women should have the right to chose how they live their lives and not be vilified for either choice.

YANBU I have always thought it wrong that women and girls are often judged on how they look before anything else. Very sad.

Elasticwoman: "If something offends you, complain..."

Yep. I do. I complain in garages about them selling Maxim etc without putting it on the top shelf. I complained to the former Radio Authority about some overtly sexist crap on XFM and got them fined 50 grand and the relevant presenter sacked. I have complained to E4 (a mainstream channel with a young audience including children) for broadcasting soft porn under the guise of music videos.

One of the things that happens though is that we women who do complain get attacked for criticising other women. On this very thread. Ummm yes. If you behave like an idiot, reduce your value to a lecherous glance from a drunken man whose paid 50 quid to grope you, sell your body for pennies despite all the opportunities this country now offers most women, cheapen this society for other women and girls who have to deal with the after-effects of your witless fanny waving, then yes I will criticise you for it.

Hang on a minute.

How is saying that you are sick of seeing sexualised images of women everywhere the same as saying women can't choose what to do with their lives? That's a massive leap.

People are ascribing views to me that I don't actually hold!

oh and don't get me wrong. It's the men I would most like to tackle on this - but ask me to accept these women's choices as valid post-feminist choices. Not likely! Talk about internalising oppression...

Yep, do what you want with your life. But don't ask me to applaud you for it...

I think I have lost the ability of writing a sensible post now!

I think if it was just nakedness and all types/ages of women, it wouldn't be so bad. But it usually is women in mags who have been cut up and altered to look a certain generally unacheivable way. How mad would it sound to someone years ago that people cut their faces and stretch them to prevent looking their actual age. Crazy world.

It is annoying but these women chose to sell themselves in the way they do. I don't have problem with them doing it a long as they're attractive enough

"Object is an organisation whose primary activity is to campaign against the media objectification of women."

Think this is the webiste someone was referring to earlier.

Oh I SEEEEEE.

margoandjerry: I know the choice argument might seem like a thinly veiled 3rd wave feminism ploy for some, but surely women should not be responsible for creating binary categories for women. Good choice or bad choice.
It is of course a circular debate as, to comment on women critising women, is of course to criticise. . . .!
It is late for such heady debate!

What worries me about some of these posts (and previous ones I have seen on mumsnet) is the automatic assumption that if you have had surgery then you're a slapper.

My sister went through a stage of desperatly wanting breast implants, and I would have been devastated if people automatically assumed that she was a slapper because of it.

Absolutely agree ELF1981. What perhaps people are quick to forget is there is a world of difference between behaviour and perception.
Except of course in the case of male comb overs - always what they seem - wrong!!

Margoandjerry - hurrah! for your post about "witless fanny waving". Spot on (and a brilliant phrase).

sweetcherrypie - I 100% demand the right to critisise anyone (women included) who, by their actions and attitudes, impact on my life. I really don't see what is wrong with that.

And I don't beleive that using your sexuality to get what you want is any more empowering than the 50's housewife who kept herself lovely for her DH so he'd give her enough money to buy a new dress. Having/using your sexuality for your own sake is one thing. Being displayed as a sexual being to sell/promote/titillate random men is quite another. If you want to fck sheep, have sex with every man in your street, using rhubarb as a sex aid, that is entirely your business and I don't personally give a tss. But pretend to be aroused by rhubarb, get your tits enhanced and prance about in a pop video because and only because it turns men on and (more importantly) sells videos, and I will critisise you as much as I like.

No-one acts in isolation. And every public action impacts on everyone else. And things are clearly moving in a direction that I, and obviously many others on here, don't like.

YANBU. Its what makes me want to puke when women say 'I'm not a feminist...' like its a dirty word to care about women's rights and how we are perceived in society.

I would like to add, though, that talking about 'sluts' and 'whores' isn't helping matters much. A lot of rappers justify their use of the words 'bitch' 'ho' etc by saying 'I'm not talking about ALL women, just certain types of women'. Lovely. So that's ok then, is it? I don't think women who wear provocative clothing or sleep around are 'slags'...I just wish there were more varied images of women portrayed in the media, so that our youngsters didn't grow up thinking Jordan and an assortment of semi-clad video chicks are inspirational.