Friday, February 24, 2012

Male sexual objectification?

The comment was made in class yesterday (I'm afraid I can't remember who said it) that when men are objectified sexually, as in Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy", it is seen as a joke, whereas the objectification of women is seen as "normal". I think this is an excellent observation, but to push it further, it seems that male objectification is quite often accompanied by female objectification. Men are not turned into sexual objects, alone, as women so often are. If a man is objectified, so too must be women.

Take, for example, the aforementioned song:


Right Said Fred (a British pop duo of Richard and Fred Fairbrass) created this song as a satirical swipe at the fashion industry, but in it can still be seen depictions of women as objects of the male gaze. Note the female photographers in bikinis and the "poor pussycat" in a latex suit. But this is much more benign than anything we see today, and, in fact, because the males in the video are equally seen as sexual objects (with their leather pants and mesh shirts), it is somewhat of a subversion of objectification. The video is interlaced with footage of men and women "on the catwalk" or displaying fashion, and the lyrics are jokingly narcissistic. The song's message could read something like: the fashion industry, with its focus on appearances, turns men and women into sexual objects of themselves.

But here is a more recent example:

We all know this song. The video is surprising in that there isn't the large number of clothes-less ladies that one would find in so many other pop songs (just think of some of the videos we watched in class). These are replaced, it would seem, by the speedo-wearing Redfoo, the codpiece-clad SkyBlu (the DJ names of the electro-pop duo LMFAO), and their cronies. Note, however, at 0:43 and 1:12, pornographic model Ron Jeremy accompanied by several scantily clad women. When Redfoo is pumping iron, 1) he is surrounded by women in suggestive party attire, and 2) box-head-guy is struggling to lift a dumbell in the background (this is important later). When the assorted (I can only assume) party rockers are dancing at the bar, the women present are there in the background, appearing to love it. When SkyBlu longboards across the table, one girl reaches out and grabs his codpiece. There is an older woman who dances, but here image is juxtaposed with that of a large, hairy man. Of the two younger, thinner women who dance, the camera focuses in on their their legs and asses. In the end, box-head-guy walks out the bar door with, not one, but two ladies on his arms.

It is interesting that in both videos, there is a strong subtext of homoeroticism (unsurprisingly in the first--Richard Fairbrass in openly bisexual). In the first, there is no attempt to subvert this, and, as such, the objectification of both men and women can be seen as something of a joke, simply because the song is so ridiculous (the early 90's swag doesn't help). In the second, however, the objectification serves to reinforce masculine displays of sexuality. Instead of being seen as ridiculous, the men's willful objectification becomes self-serving when their performance impresses women. When box-dude saunters off with a couple pretty girls, we know that male objectifaction, in this context, only serves to facilitate the gratification of male sexual desire.

Does this analysis hold up? Is male objectification always accompanied by female objectification?

6 comments:

  1. I think according to the article on Oppression we read, the author said the oppressors could not actually be part of the oppressed. They can choose to go into the 'birdcage', as the men do in these videos: they are intentionally objectifying themselves in a very satirical kind of way. However, the difference is they do not live as the oppressed.
    I think it is very interesting that the photographers in the first video are so scantily clad. The second video is also not even attempting to be subtle with it's focus on the phallus. The entire video is just guys in speedos, I'm not sure if that is objectification but rather just forcing the viewers' attentions on penises.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It seems like male objectification is definitely accompanied by female objectification, but as Andrea was discussing, I'm not even sure objectification is the word for what's going on. As men are clearly privileged here, they're making the choice to put themselves out there in this way. It's obviously a joke. What, exactly are they making fun of? The way men see women? As you noted, the accompaniment of actual female objectification makes that unlikely. Maybe women themselves? It seems like these videos are just a demonstration of privilege. Look, I can make myself an object in a funny way but I will never actually be objectified in the same way as you.

    This is particularly interesting in light of the Oscars. Women are constantly assaulted about who they're wearing and men are the talent. Brad Pitt gets asked about his competition with George Clooney in light of their friendship. Good job Michelle Williams, but what are you wearing? I love the Oscars, and I love the outfits, but it's always slightly frustrating to watch. Did anybody else have the same experience?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sarah, I definitely agree. I love watching the oscars, but things like that definitely show what it is people are focused on. This/next week, every single magazine will have an 'Oscars Dress' spread (including thoroughly berating anyone who didn't meet some unspoken of standards of the women of Hollywood).
    On the other hand, it could be that people seem to just have this idea that 'a black tux is a black tux'. They would be outraged if the men tried to deviate from this much.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What is male objectification without female objectification in today's societal structure? Because the ideal woman is often depicted as a "lady in the streets and a freak in the sheets" it is nearly impossible to comment on heterosexuality in popculture without depicting the female as the means through which men achieve sexual satisfaction. So even if men sarcastically objectify themselves like LMFAO they are also saying something about the females. When men are objectified there is an idea they they are objectified for their own pleasure, to be gained through a woman.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Not only is male objectification accompanied by female objectification, but it seems like male objectification is merely mocking female objectification. The guys of LMFAO aren't exactly the archetypes for male attractiveness and yet you don’t see the women in the video jumping around making spectacles of themselves in the same way. I'd agree with Sarah in saying that this video just shows that these men have the privilege of objectifying themselves for the sake of humor. So what does that say about so-called male objectification?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I agree with what Shawna said about this video, in that it is objectification for simply a humor standpoint and not real objectification, but at the same time I think that male objectification is definitely possible. Objectification of men occurs all the time, such as Ryan Gosling in The Notebook and basically everything Channing Tatum has done, as well as people like Marky Mark, who was solely a physical being for others to look at, until he turned this into an actual career.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.