(Not) Very Important People: Millennial Fantasies of Mobility in the Age of Excess

In her fascinating but frustrating new book, <em>Very Important People: Status and Beauty in the Global Party Circuit</em>, American sociologist, Ashley Mears (2020) offers both academic and mainstream readers a titillating, cross-over tour around the “cool” nightclub and party scene of the “global elite.” It is perhaps not so much global, however, as American, in the sense of the heteropatriarchal, middle-aged, male, working rich of America (or more precisely of its financial capital New York), jetting into their traditional party hotspots of Miami, Saint-Tropez, or the French Riviera, to party with young women who are (indirectly) paid (in-kind) to pose with them. Whether intentional or unintentional, along the way Mears also offers a dark mirror to the fears and fantasies of a rather lost millennial generation, raised in a new media, image age, which has coupled fast and furious performative excess to old fashioned sexual objectification, in the guise of fun and empowerment for the beautiful people.

Hunting in a Hostile Climate?: Hegemonic Masculinity and Emphasized Femininity on a Hunting Message Board

Based on prior research about other male-dominated leisure pursuits, we might expect game hunting to present a hostile climate for its women participants. However, our qualitative analysis of 293 threads posted between 2005 and 2019 on an online hunting message board suggests that women were welcomed within the pastime. While they did not overtly exclude women from their ranks, however, posters curated the boundary between masculinity and femininity, as well as staking out the territory of emphasized femininity. In particular, they accomplished this via benevolent sexism, hostile sexism, and sexual objectification. Our findings not only shed additional light on the gendered dynamics of this pastime but also enriched our knowledge of the ways that hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity can work in tandem—within male-dominated recreational activities, and more broadly.

Control Beliefs, Age, and Objectification Experiences in Younger and Older Women

Control beliefs show age-related patterns; mastery decreases in adulthood, while constraints beliefs often increase. However, there is a great deal of individual variation. This paper addresses antecedents of control beliefs, with attention to experiences and beliefs related to sexual objectification, which have particular impact for women. In this study, younger women (N = 132, M = 20.93) and older women (N = 86, M = 67.83) were surveyed regarding their experiences with sexual objectification and constraints beliefs. Multiple regression analyses revealed higher self-objectification was associated with higher constraints (R2 = .09**) and lower mastery (R2 = .11**) but reports of body evaluation and sexual advances were not associated with control beliefs. Further, there were no interactions of either objectification scale with age. These results suggest that objectification may be an important part of the aging experience across the life course, not just in young adulthood.

Cohort Differences in Self-Objectification

Sexual objectification socializes women to engage in self-objectification—the tendency to view one’s body as an object to be used by others and evaluating one’s value in terms of attractiveness to others (Noll & Fredrickson, 1998)—and leads to negative psychological consequences. As women age, their bodies move further away from the thin ideal (Guo, Zeller, Chumlea, & Siervogel; 1999) potentially making them more susceptible to body i concerns and dissatisfaction. However, may also begin using selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) strategies, countering the impacts of sexual objectification, and promoting successful aging. We compared self-objectification between women in early adulthood (N = 132, M = 20.93) and women in late middle age or late adulthood (N = 86, M = 67.83). Results showed that older women had significantly lower levels of self-objectification than younger women. Our findings support the idea the SOC strategies protect against the consequences of sexual objectification.

Look at her: Analysing the depiction of women on the covers of women's magazines from 1975-2015

<p>Women’s magazines have a role in constructing and defining what it means to be a woman. Deciphering messages in mediums specifically designed for women is therefore key to understanding what women may be learning about femininity. This thesis examines the depiction of women in women’s magazines, focussing on sexualisation and the portrayal of traditional gender roles. Traditional gender stereotypes and the sexual objectification of women are key mechanisms contributing to the subordinate position of women in society. This thesis argues that alongside their contributions to gender inequality, such depictions can also reinforce ideas that sustain rape culture with the latter referring to a climate where sexual violence is normalised and trivialised. By conducting a longitudinal content analysis (1975 –2015) of cover pages from New Zealand women’s magazines, this thesis investigates whether there are any changes in the level of sexualisation and depiction of traditional gender roles across prominent women’s magazines. The findings of this thesis indicate that overall there is a low level of sexualisation present in cover page images from women’s magazines, and significant differences exist both between publications as well as across the four decades of analysis. The depiction of traditional gender roles is consistent across the time period studied, and when such gender stereotypes are present they remove agency from women reducing them to ‘decorative’ objects within images. Messages suggesting women should be sexualised and decorative may reinforce ideas central to gender inequality, rape culture, and sexual violence against women. The implications of this thesis suggest that women’s magazines may not be a safe space for readers to celebrate their gender – rather, such publications may influence ideas that facilitate gender inequality.</p>

Look at her: Analysing the depiction of women on the covers of women's magazines from 1975-2015

<p>Women’s magazines have a role in constructing and defining what it means to be a woman. Deciphering messages in mediums specifically designed for women is therefore key to understanding what women may be learning about femininity. This thesis examines the depiction of women in women’s magazines, focussing on sexualisation and the portrayal of traditional gender roles. Traditional gender stereotypes and the sexual objectification of women are key mechanisms contributing to the subordinate position of women in society. This thesis argues that alongside their contributions to gender inequality, such depictions can also reinforce ideas that sustain rape culture with the latter referring to a climate where sexual violence is normalised and trivialised. By conducting a longitudinal content analysis (1975 –2015) of cover pages from New Zealand women’s magazines, this thesis investigates whether there are any changes in the level of sexualisation and depiction of traditional gender roles across prominent women’s magazines. The findings of this thesis indicate that overall there is a low level of sexualisation present in cover page images from women’s magazines, and significant differences exist both between publications as well as across the four decades of analysis. The depiction of traditional gender roles is consistent across the time period studied, and when such gender stereotypes are present they remove agency from women reducing them to ‘decorative’ objects within images. Messages suggesting women should be sexualised and decorative may reinforce ideas central to gender inequality, rape culture, and sexual violence against women. The implications of this thesis suggest that women’s magazines may not be a safe space for readers to celebrate their gender – rather, such publications may influence ideas that facilitate gender inequality.</p>

Analisis Resepsi Objektifikasi Seksual Dalam Tayangan Puteri Indonesia 2020

Rejection and support are present in the implementation of the Puteri Indonesia beauty contest. There were rejections from feminists and religious organizations regarding the issue of sexual objectification. On the other hand, support is present through the enthusiasm of the community, one of which is through the acquisition of high ratings in the Puteri Indonesia 2020 show. The reality of the support and popularity of beauty contests behind sexual objectification has become a research problem. Based on the situation, this study aims to determine the audiences' reception towards the sexual objectification of contestants in the Puteri Indonesia 2020 program. This study involved eight informants who had watched the Puteri Indonesia 2020 show. Based on the research results, the audience's meaning system functioned theoretically to develop concepts from Standpoint Theory and Reception Theory. The study results apply the concept of Standpoint Theory, such as a standpoint of the dominant group, the interests of the dominant group, and situated knowledge that is useful for explaining the phenomenon of sexual objectification in the Puteri Indonesia 2020 show. The concept of the Reception Theory shows the audience's active role through a meaning system of 8 informants based on 10 preferred readings, which resulted in 3 positions of meaning, such as dominant, negotiation, and opposition. The majority of the meanings of the eight informants are in a dominant position. 4 Female informants showed 18 dominant meanings, 12 negotiations, and 10 oppositions. Meanwhile, 4 male informants showed 22 dominant meanings, 17 negotiations, and 1 opposition. The research results add to reception studies for established program genres. In this case, the Puteri Indonesia contest has proven existence until 2020 that successfully held and broadcast on national television stations 25 times.Keywords: beauty pageant; preferred reading; Puteri Indonesia; reception analysis; sexual objectification Abstrak Penolakan dan dukungan hadir dalam penyelenggaraan kontes kecantikan Puteri Indonesia. Penolakan hadir dari para feminis dan organisasi agama terkait isu objektifikasi seksual. Di sisi lain, dukungan hadir melalui antusiasme masyarakat, salah satunya terlihat melalui perolehan rating tinggi dalam penayangan acara Puteri Indonesia 2020. Realita berupa dukungan dan kepopuleran kontes kecantikan di balik isu objektifikasi seksual menjadi permasalahan penelitian. Untuk itu, studi resepsi digunakan untuk mengetahui pandangan khalayak terkait objektifikasi seksual dalam kontes Puteri Indonesia 2020. Penelitian ini melibatkan 8 informan yang telah menyaksikan acara Puteri Indonesia 2020. Sistem pemaknaan khalayak berdasarkan hasil penelitian berfungsi secara teoritis mengembangkan konsep dari Teori Standpoint dan Teori Resepsi. Hasil penelitian menerapkan konsep Teori Standpoint yaitu, sudut pandang kelompok berkuasa, kepentingan kelompok berkuasa, dan pengetahuan tersituasi yang berguna untuk menjelaskan fenomena objektifikasi seksual dalam tayangan Puteri Indonesia 2020. Konsep dari Teori Resepsi menunjukkan peran aktif khalayak melalui sistem pemaknaan 8 informan berdasarkan 10 preferred reading yang menghasilkan 3 posisi pemaknaan yaitu: dominan, negosiasi, dan oposisi. Mayoritas pemaknaan 8 informan berada dalam posisi dominan. 4 Informan perempuan menunjukkan 18 makna dominan, 12 negosiasi, dan 10 oposisi. Sedangkan, 4 Informan laki-laki menunjukkan 22 makna dominan, 17 negosiasi, dan 1 oposisi. Hasil penelitian menambah studi resepsi pada genre program mapan. Dalam hal ini, kontes Puteri Indonesia membuktikan eksistensinya hingga tahun 2020 telah berhasil diselenggarakan dan ditayangkan di stasiun televisi nasional sebanyak 25 kali. Kata Kunci: analisis resepsi; kontes kecantikan; objektifikasi seksual; preferred reading; Puteri Indonesia

FEMALE BODY IN MEDIA AND MARKETING

This research aims to examine the attitude towards the ways in which the female body is represented, i.e. to determine the extent to which the respondents (women) agree with the statements based on critical observations of feminist and researchers on gender issues on unethical (unacceptable) representation and treatment of woman and the female body in media and marketing. The study involved 509 women, aged between 18 and 55 years. The attitude towards the representation of the female body is operationalized by a scale (RFB scale) of 21 statements, grouped into three dimensions- sexual objectification, promotion of the “ideal” female body and instrumentalization of the female body. The results show that the respondents, although to varying degrees, agree with all the statements that describe the ways in which the female body is presented in the media and in marketing. Although all three dimensions are quite common in the media and in marketing, the respondents see the instrumentalization (abuse) of the female body for commercial purposes as the most pronounced phenomenon. Both on an overall scale and in dimensions, women from urban areas show a higher score than women living in rural areas. There are no statistically significant differences between groups defined by other sociodemographic characteristics (age, marital status, region, type of neighborhood, education). The conclusion is that the respondents support the attitude of feminists and researchers of gender issues that in the media and in marketing there is sexual objectification and promotion of the “ideal” female body, and especially pronounced instrumentalization (abuse) of women and the female body for commercial purposes.