It was a big weekend for World Cup perving I mean soccer. I know you’ll be surprised to hear that many women have discovered there are some benefits to watching this game. The players. Uh-huh, much of the interest around the World Cup Soccer for many women around the world has been the players, not the way that they play – but the way that they look.
When we drool over soccer players’ bodies, are those of us who critique the objectification of women’s bodies being hypocrites? No. And here’s why.
1) Context matters.
In our current universe, men do not have trouble being taken seriously based on their looks or perceived sexiness, nor is their worth in society primarily judged by them.
Eto’o
2) These guys are healthy and at the peak of fitness.
The culture at large is celebrating these men’s bodies for their skill, agility, and strength — achieved partly through genetic blessing, yes, but also through training and hard work. It’s true that this is setting up an ideal that most men cannot and do not achieve, but as ideals go, one achieved through activity and, it seems, fun isn’t so bad. And presumably no unhealthy starvation or surgical enhancements were involved
.3) They’re having fun doing what they love.
This needs little explanation. No sexyface, no corpse-like poses, just spontaneous shirt-shedding and teammate grabbing.
So is there a double standard here? Are women guilty of reverse sexism?
Well, maybe.
OK, yes.
Take for example the Kraft Philadephia Cream for Cooking ad, where Jane Hall spanks one of the two male chefs on the bottom:
Youann Gourcuff
This ad did actually spark many complaints to the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB), one male complainant to the ASB said: “I feel that the ad is objectifying men and believe that if the genders were reversed it would be considered sexist by a majority of female viewers. As such I believe it is rational for a male to find it sexist the double standard of which offends me.”
If the roles were reversed and a half naked woman was spanked, then would this ad still be on air? Not likely.
Interestingly after reviewing the ad, the ASB found that as it was intended to be a parody of the way women are usually objectified in media, so it was deemed okay for viewing.
Using sex to sell products is by no means a new phenomenon. Duh. But if we get pissed off when men objectify women, why is it okay for women to ojectify men? Are we simply making up for lost time? Or is it irony?
Another thought: does everyone just need a cup of chill-the-hell-out and a good lie down? They’re hot guys involved in World Cup Soccer. Get over it?
Top Comments
Being treated as a male sex object is disgusting, and extremely rare at my place..........
I think that it is inappropriate to glorify these men. Sure they're hot and pretty much everyone likes to perve on them, but we need to think of the message it is sending to men and boys. I know that if I were to openly comment on these men in front of my boyfriend, it would make him a little insecure about how he looks (and he's pretty hot and in good shape, but in no way, shape or form does he look like any of these men).
I also worry about the young boys in my family who are into sports. This should not be held up as an ideal for them either.
Women and girls now have many role models, who are also admired by men, that are celebrated for things other than their looks. It's important that we have the same for our boys. I would prefer that young boys grow up thinking that women admire men for achievements other than being hot.