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Hutton Tendler
John Kubler
English 114B

The Medias Effect on the Hyper-Sexualized Society

Lets face it; the media has become fixated on the hyper-sexualized society that we live in
today. Even news channels are now reporting what is going on in celebrities livesrather than
current eventsand ratings rely on it. It is unfortunate that most viewers would prefer to be
entertained than to know what is going on around the world. The average headlines today focus
on the appearance of actresses and musical artists who objectify themselves through media
sources such as movies/television, advertisements, music videos/lyrics, books/magazine covers,
and even local paparazzi sightings. Including artists such as Jessica Simpson in her music video,
These Boots are Made for Walking and Miley Cyrus song, Wrecking Ball. This has become
acceptable in our society because it is natural for us to see women in this way and it is a way to
promote products. Joanna Rothenberg, a senior at LAS, taking a class that covers the portrayal of
women in the media explains that, Which then leads us to buy things to make ourselves feel
better about ourselves and then we become the advertisement we become the object
(Rothenberg 1). In other words, Sex sells and its objectifying women and young girls all over
the country. However, many people do not agree with this concept and believe women should be
able to express themselves freely. Gina Lutrell, a young voices advocate and the editor-in-chief
of the womens magazine, Thoughts on Liberty, lashes back at Ashley Rae Goldenberg for
writing an article entitled Do we have a Rape Culture?, where she mocks a woman in jeans and
a brawho happens to be Lutrell. Lutrells article entitled, Naked for a Cause: Exposing

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Yourself Does not mean you have no Respect, explains how the victim is often blamed for their
rape; she states, To combat this kind of victim blaming, many protest by wearing less and
declaring Still not asking for it.. The point is that someones body is not an object, no matter
how it is presented (Lutrell 1). This shows that women should be able to express themselves
however they want to without fear. On the other hand, hyper-sexualization in media has also
proven to be damaging to adolescents. Jackie D, a 10th grader posted a video on YouTube for her
English Project, entitled, Medias Effects on Teen Girls Body Image & Self Esteem the narrator
states, Viewing idealistic and unobtainable standards of beauty are in direct correlation with
teen depression and suicide. (7:00). Hence, we can understand why adolescents feel insecure
about their body images when it is exploited through all types of media.
However, this new form of sexualization raises a number of unique ethical questions. Is it
good that our society cares more about celebrities appearances than actual news? How is this
effecting adolescents behavior? These questions, in turn, allude to a broader, more fundamental
issue that all of us should care about that relates to the basic rights of citizens in all free societies,
namely, the right to receive news and entertainment with a variety of subject matter. So it appears
crucial for us today to ask the more important fundamental question: What should we expect
from our media when it comes to presenting sexual images? The more important research
question that I would like to investigate is to what extent this trend towards sexualization in our
media sources is, on the whole, more beneficial or more damaging to our society. This is the real
challenge in assessing the impact this type of media has on us. What does it say about our
community?
For example, Jessica Simpson objectifies herself through her music. Listening to music
has changed over the last decade, as it has become increasingly graphic. From the lyrics to the
video, women are objectifying themselves left and right in order to gain empowerment. In

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Simpsons song, These Boots are Made for Walkin, she objectifies herself in a number of
ways. It starts out with Simpson barely wearing any clothing as she is promoting her movie
Dukes of Hazards by wearing her daisy dukesthe (short) shorts she wears in the movie.
She is serving alcohol in a bar, where the men are disrespectful and demanding. She also
objectifies herself by dancing in a bathing suit while washing a car. When talking about a police
officer, Simpson sings, Now youre looking right where I thought youd be looking, Legs come
in handy when laws in front of you (0:20). Simpson is basically saying you can get away with
anything with great legs, or a nice body. This is objectifying women in a negative way and
teaching the youth to use their body in their favor. Teenage girls should not feel the need to have
to present themselves or display their bodies for the world to see.
Furthermore, sexualization is also depicted in other media sources, such as television.
Specifically, Sex in the City is a television show that was created to express a stance for pro-sex
feminists. It is about four females, living in New York City, who are best friends looking for
love. The main character and narrator, Carrie writes a column for the fictional paper, The New
York Star, as a sex journalist. Carrie writes about her sexual escapades as well as her friends.
After having sexual encounters with a member of the opposite sex, Carrie decides to leave before
pleasing him. On her way out, she notes, I left feeling powerful, potent and incredibly alive. I
felt like I owned this city. Nothing and no one could get in my way (Episode 1: 12:55). This
statement shows how Carrie asserted herself in a way her male counter-part would and how she
felt empowered for doing so. Sex and the City is a clear example of media that empowers
women; however, it is still damaging to the adolescents self-esteem. This is due to the poor selfimage it leaves in the adolescents mind. Children are exposed to much more today then ever
before. Many adolescents are too young to be watching these media sources, but many parents
dont see anything wrong with it.

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Furthermore, sexualization is also depicted in magazines, comics, and books. In
particular, Persepolis is a graphic novel, written by Marjane Satrapi, based on her life growing
up as a girl in revolutionary Iran. Satrapis culture is unlike the Western culture; there, the
womens freedom to express themselves is repressed. Women are not allowed out in public
without a hijab, a headdress worn by Muslims, and must be covered from head to toe. Women
are not allowed to do anything to their appearance that could affect a mans sexual drive in
public. Satrapi moved out of the country in her early teenage years to explore an education
outside of Iran. After being exposed to sex for the first time by her close friend, Satrapi says to
herself, That night I really understood the meaning of sexual revolution. It was my first big
step toward assimilating into western culture (Satrapi 188). This evidence shows how someone
in another culture finds more sexual freedom appealing. Satrapi expresses this by altering her
appearance and giving into peer pressure to fit in. Satrapi shows the reader how adolescents will
do whatever it takes to be cool even if it meant having to take and sell drugs. We later find out
that Satrapi was risking her health in order to find acceptance.
Adolescents are constantly maturing at earlier ages due to what is depicted in the media.
Specifically, the females are suffering due to their desire for attention and affection. They learn at
an early age that they must become popular or they will be invisible. In order to be popular, they
must start altering their appearance at earlier ages (hair, nails, makeup, etc.,). In the YouTube
video, Sext Up Kids; Documentary, Gail Dines, an author and teacher at Bostons Wheelock
College states, Their backs are against the wall, there is one way to be a female in this culture
and it is a way that sets them up for all sorts of potential abuse (16:20). The abuse Dines talks
about includes anything from emotional and physical, to sexual. Females are taken advantage of
left and right because they allow it. This acceptance that female have for mistreatment is taught
at a young age through media and daily experiences. Our youth should be focused on more

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important things than their appearance or the boy next door. The media is toxic to a fresh
learners mind.
All in all, the media is objectifying women and it is affecting adolescents in a negative
way. Jessica Simpson is a perfect example of a beautiful woman who objectifies herself through
musical lyrics and videos. It is clearly expressed by Simpson serving drinks in a bar in her daisy
dukes to washing a car in a bathing suit and high heels. Furthermore, Sex in the City is an
example of a television series that solicits women empowerment. Many aspects of this show are
very empowering for women. However, if an adolescent was to watch this series, it is certain that
it would have a negative impact on his/her behavior (sexually). To elaborate, one might act upon
their sexual desires in a way that is not appropriate due to the media surrounding them, such as
Miley Cyrus performance with Robin Thicke at the VMAs, which can cause a lot of controversy
in the public eye. On the other hand, Persepolis gives us an outside view on our sexualized
culture. Marjane Satrapi comes from a country with an oppressive government, which enables
adolescents to fulfill their sexual desires. After having to another country outside of Iran, Satrapi
faces a number of health risks due to her own self-image and willingness to conform. The Sext
up Kids video is an online documentary that explains in depth how adolescents are being affected
by the hyper-sexualized media. Like Satrapi, children all over the world are doing whatever it
takes to fit in and it is affecting their self-esteem. If the media focused more on daily news rather
than a celebrities body, maybe younger generations would do the same. Children should be
learning about what is going on in the world and what they can do to make it a better place, not
their appearance.

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Works Cited
Chanthabandith, Pana. Body Image & the Media. Online Video. YouTube. 13 January 2013. 23
March 2015.
Goodwin, Jess. Sext Up Kids-revised for use in a high school. Online video clip. Youtube.
Youtube, 23 April 2013. Web. 18 March 2015.
JessicasimpsonVEVO. Jessica Simpson- These Boots are Made for Walking. Online video
clip. Youtube. Youtube, 3 October 2009. Web. 18 March 2015.
Lutrell, Gina. ThoughtsonLiberty. ThoughtsonLiberty. Nd. Web. 23 March 2015.
Rothenberg, Joanna. Media, Men Should Stop Objectifying Women. The Daily Illini. The
Daily Illini, 25 April 2013. Web. 18 March 2015.
Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2003. Print.
Sex and the City. Dir. Michael Patrick King. Perf. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Catrall, Kristin
Davis, and Cynthia Nixon. Darren Star Productions, 6 June 1998. Film.