Response to Peer's Blog

Link to Rosanna's Blog:
http://mediasexrus.blogspot.com/
My critique will address the blog entry about 'Objectified and Empowered sexuality.' The first example for this subject is the video which promotes a jacket that women find irresistible. It's argued that this commercial objectifies women and makes them look like they're sex crazed nymphomaniacs. Although this commercial does show women as powerless to male sexuality, one cannot ignore how the same sort of thing happens to men in our society. As Brooks would argue in the Centerfold Syndrome, the subordination through objectification not only affects women in our culture, but it affects men as well. Women are portrayed as always fulfilling the needs of men and their sexuality, but in the same respect men are also encouraged to strive for the sexual access of women. If a man doesn't act on his sexual desires he loses his masculinity in our society. So to say that this commercial objectifies women, we must look at both sides, even the portrayal of women as sexual beings and the constant exposure of female bodies in the media to men and how these ideologies affect their idea of their own sexuality and objectify them as well.
Two of the other examples shown for this subject were women in media 'empowering' themselves by posing nude; Jennifer Aniston and Alicia Silverstone. Although these nude photos represent a choice for both women to pose nude in perhaps a more tasteful way, it can be argued whether this truly empowers the women. The nude women give access to the male gaze even if their intentions are for themselves. This alludes to the idea that the only way that a woman can empower themselves and feel equal to men is if they perform their acts within the male patriarchal system of our society. It further enforces the idea that women can only have a voice when they are being used as sexual objects. In this way men still have the upper hand. In Alicia Silverstone's ad for PETA she's sprawled out in a vulnerable state on her stomach where the entire back of her body is exposed. Much like Levande's example of the Pepsi commercial involving the female superstars, they are shown as powerful gladiators but wear revealing clothing so they don't loose their sexuality and still appear vulnerable. Another example which Levande shares is the incident with the Dixie Chicks when they commented on President Bush in a negative way. After much backlash, they decided to pose nude. It could be argued that by posing nude the women were 'empowering' themselves and claiming their credibility as artists. I would argue that it was a way for them to earn their credibility back by basically saying that they were wrong and to make it up they will go back to their place as sexual female objects in a male patriarchal society. In essence, why does a woman have to be naked to be empowered?