Sexualization/objectification

Tis a very long, very complex subject and it's very hard to simplify it.. not sure that the definitions you gave are universally accepted as the definitive definition either.. especially on sexualisation.. that's generally thought of more as something that is increasingly being foisted onto young people too early.. but as I say it's all rather more complex than that... sorry not to be able to be more help.

I'm a man.

We are not just human beings---we are either male or female (generally speaking---let's stay within just a few standardizations.)

I am all for sexualization as you have defined it, but I am used to sexual objectification as being something that is done to a woman by other people, (not usually a self anointing.)

(Sexual objectification is the act of treating a person as a mere instrument of sexual pleasure.   Internet)

I am not trying to correct your question---just make you aware that not all of us out here see it as defined the same way.

These are totally different concepts. Let's look at it from this standpoint... When my oldest child was born, breastfeeding seemed really odd. In fact, I never took to it. I tried to pump, instead. This was because breasts, in general, were sexual, in my opinion. I didn't grow up around anyone at all who had breastfed. I never met someone in person who was actively nursing a baby. Sure, I knew people did it, but my life experience had taught me that they were there for sexual reasons- they were sexualized.

Objectification is different. That's seeing someone as only a tool for sexual fulfillment and not as a person. I was not offering myself up to anyone, nor was I showing off my goods, nor did I want any kind of sexual attention from anyone. And, as far as I know, nobody was objectifying me at that point.

By the time my younger children were born, I had mellowed out quite a bit and had become a bit more earthy, natural, or whatever. I understood that my breasts were there to feed my kids. I went from one end of the scale to the other. They totally ceased being sexual. That's actually really common for moms who nurse. They can't switch back and forth from being with their partners and including their "girls" in adult play to feeding the baby. The breasts become totally desexualized the whole time they nurse. That doesn't mean nobody objectifies them. I was one nursing one of my kids in the play area of a shopping mall and two men went up on the second floor to look down on me to try to look down the collar of my nursing cover. That was objectification. Sure, I considered myself sexualized- I was a sexual being, but I wasn't there nursing my kid so those guys could get their jollies off. I was not an object for their pleasure. They crossed a big line by acting as if I was.

Anything can become sexualized. It's not a permanent state of being. Foot fetishists sexualize feet. Some people sexualize attire or other body parts. A woman who has sexualized herself, and sees herself as being a sexual being, may be interested in sharing that aspect of herself or not. She may be provocative or not. She, as a person or a soul, may be a sexual being, with certain parts of her not being sexualized (like a nursing mother or how most women probably feel about their elbows lol). Being sexual does not make you an object for someone. I think most sexualized women are in give and take relationships. It's for mutual benefit. If a man looks at me like I'm an object, purely there for his pleasure, he's done for. I'm not a piece of meat. And, you can tell the difference. When men give cat calls and such. When they look you up and down or make obscene gestures. When they make inappropriate remarks about what they'd like to do... that is objectification, and it generally feels terrible. You're no longer a person. They just want what they can take from you.

There can be objectification in "healthy" relationships. Most couples at some time or another will spend a night serving their SO. That is objectifying oneself. To a greater degree, the same is seen in many slave/ master relationships. (People very into s/M relationships might disagree because the master is supposed to be concerned about the slave's overall well-being, but I think even the diehards won't disagree that objectification is a key component in many s/M relationships.) A woman who works as a prostitute may also consider herself an object intended for pleasure. Perhaps some models and exotic dancers as well.

Anyway, these are very different concepts, though they can coincide, and hopefully these examples clarify that.

I am not a fan of Wikipedia, but this definition seems to be repeated and reflected elsewhere so I figured I'd use it anyway

Sexualization (or sexualisation) is to make something sexual in character or quality, or to become aware of sexuality, especially in relation to men and women.Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification.
 

We see from this that sexualisation is generally thought to be forced or conditioned or acquired.. the words to make.. it can also mean the fairly natural process of one becoming aware of their sexuality.  It is usually used in the forcing, pressure way.. which is as the original poster meant.. and sexualisation is different from the meaning of the word sexuality. Sexuality encompases all out desires, the way we behave in our sexual life etc.. 

These links may or may not help you:-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjAVL5zFrlU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O4ycTml7fk

I particulary like what this woman says and I agree with her

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy8yLaoWybk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufHrVyVgwRg

I believe that women are more sexualised and objectified now than ever, just turn on MTV, girls are gyrating around half naked, and the men are talking about what they want to do to these girls (certainly not respect or marry them), and how much money they have, watches they wear, and violence they inflict, even drugs they take.  What is being shown by the media is important because children typically copy what they see. It is so important for parents to get involved with their children and speak to them, show them, and direct them in a manner which enables them to take pride in their achievements and enjoy life, rather than just obsess about how they look, and how they are perceived to look by others.

Gyrating around half naked is not the way for a woman to be more powerful because she is still using her body to do that and not her actions or intelligence.  I also notice that healthy relationships are not portrayed either, woman either have to be independent, or subjective to a man, or multiple men as demonstrated in Hip-Hop videos.

This post was edited by Pepper Pot at May 28, 2017 7:08 PM MDT