Why Is Being a Sex Object A Bad Thing?

[Silverblade]

Recently I'm been reading a lot of gaming articles on sites like The Escapist and Extra Credits. Particularly articles about sex and sexism in games. One thing that is presented as a problem over and over is that women in games are oversexualized and women need to be depicted more realistically. I've often heard this said of other mediums such a movies and television, that the women on tv and movies are sex objects and this is a bad thing.

But I don't understand why.

I would think that being an object of sexual desire would be good thing, its easier to find people to have sex with that way. Yet to hear to hear these opponents of sexual game, tv and movie characters talk you would think its something to be ashamed of. Like you can't view someone as a sex symbol and respect them at the same time, or be a sex symbol and be respectable at the same time. Is it some sort of old Puritan influence at work?

I personally want to be a sex object, in my more desperate moments I say to myself that I would kill to be one. I'm in the middle of changing how I eat and am going though what will probably be months of painful exercise so that women will perceive me as one.

Awhile ago I was upset that I had to do this, that women could not just accept me for who I am, but it was pointed out that I too have certain standards in reguards to looks. Not out of malice or shallowness or anything its just that that's what I find sexually appealing. Women are the same way and so I cannot fault them for it. Well I could but it would not get me any closer to my goal of attracting a woman, so I might as just take the pain of transforming myself and become what they find sexy.

 

[farscythe]

simply put... theres nothing wrong with being a sex object.. if thats what you want to be...the problem is most people dont and dont get a choice in the matter

 

[itsthesheppy]

Because it's dehumanizing. The issue is that the message it sends is that women are useful only for their sex appeal and little else. Not much consideration is given to their perspectives and characters and thoughts and feelings, because developers think that all we gamers want is a little T&A to look at while we shoot things.

A lot of men say things like "Gosh, I wish people would 'sexually harass' me, haha, wouldn't it be nice to get all that attention!" and no... you don't want that. You might think you want that, but what you want is a fantasy that in no way exists in real life, and also betrays a lack of understanding of how many women view such attention. It's annoying, intimidating, and makes them feel like they're not being looked at as equals.

It's very much like saying "I don't understand why asians get offended when we say they're all good at math; isn't that a positive stereotype?" It's still a stereotype. It's still dehumanizing and reduces an individual into something less. An object. A symbol. Not a fully actualized person with individual agency and identity.

So the issue that people have with the 'sexualization' of women in video games is the negative message it sends. "You're eye candy, and that's all we want you to be. We don't care about who you are, and we don't care to portray things from your perspective, or represent you with realistic goals, emotions, and habits. We just want you to look nice in skin-tight leather." It's insulting.

 

[Esotera]

It isn't, and can work really well in a game, but only if the character's personality is revealed as well. No-one is a sex object 100% of the time, but video games often portray them this way.

 

[Volrag]

Simply put, because its a bad lie. And sure, i know theres a whole lot of escapism in games, film, media and so on but this over sexualisation is just lazy, and its getting dull. Maybe its just me but when i see an overly sexualised woman in a game, i no longer think "She's hot", I dont really think anything of it any more, its just now the lazy "default" option for female characters. Im not saying women need to be grotesque, but they need to have more going for them than their chest.

 

[game-lover]

Well... it was my impression that being called or considered a sex object is basically implying that's all you're good for.

Sex. That's it. You have no worth other than the fact that you're good at fucking and being fucked respectfully. Or having people aroused by your presence and reacting accordingly.

Everything else about you doesn't matter. Whether or not you're nice or an asshole. If you're smart or philosophical. If you have dreams or have a great sense of humor.

If you become a sex object to somebody, sex is all you are worth. And all you will ever be worth.

 

[Zoe Castillo]

--

 

[Silverblade]

Because it's dehumanizing. The issue is that the message it sends is that women are useful only for their sex appeal and little else. Not much consideration is given to their perspectives and characters and thoughts and feelings, because developers think that all we gamers want is a little T&A to look at while we shoot things.

A lot of men say things like "Gosh, I wish people would 'sexually harass' me, haha, wouldn't it be nice to get all that attention!" and no... you don't want that. You might think you want that, but what you want is a fantasy that in no way exists in real life, and also betrays a lack of understanding of how many women view such attention. It's annoying, intimidating, and makes them feel like they're not being looked at as equals.

It's very much like saying "I don't understand why asians get offended when we say they're all good at math; isn't that a positive stereotype?" It's still a stereotype. It's still dehumanizing and reduces an individual into something less. An object. A symbol. Not a fully actualized person with individual agency and identity.

So the issue that people have with the 'sexualization' of women in video games is the negative message it sends. "You're eye candy, and that's all we want you to be. We don't care about who you are, and we don't care to portray things from your perspective, or represent you with realistic goals, emotions, and habits. We just want you to look nice in skin-tight leather." It's insulting.

Well first of all I think people are smart enough to know that just because a female (or male) character is just used for their sex appeal that doesn't mean all the entire gender is good for is sex. I'm angered that people think that I am so feeble minded that I can be persuaded that all women are good for is sex just by playing Tomb Raider or Dead or Alive.

You're right I would not like to be sexually harrassed but sexual harrassment is when sexual attention is unwanted. Right now I would welcome pretty much any sexual attention from a female.

I think its a bit of a streach to say that just because the a game creator had created a sexy video game character in skin tight leather that means all he thinks women are good for are as eye candy. A more reasonable explanation is just that he just likes sexy women in skin tight leather, with no sinister motivations.

I like Catwoman and Lara Croft and I don't think women are just sex toys. And to say that I do is highly insulting. I have a mind and am capable of telling the difference between fantasy and reality!

 

[Kahunaburger]

You seriously have to make a thread to find out why treating people like objects is a bad thing?

 

[Silverblade]

You seriously have to make a thread to find out why treating people like objects is a bad thing?

This isn't about treating a person an inanimate object, this is about seeing a person as an object of sexual desire. And how society keeps confusing one with the other. (much to my annoyance!)

 

[Chemical Alia]

I don't enjoy the thought of dudes imagining me naked. Try to understand how that would get in the way of developing friendships with people of the opposite sex, or respectful relationships in general.

 

[Kahunaburger]

You seriously have to make a thread to find out why treating people like objects is a bad thing?

This isn't about treating a person an inanimate object, this is about seeing a person as an object of sexual desire. And how society keeps confusing one with the other. (much to my annoyance!)

Well, I'd hope we don't treat people like inanimate objects. We'd be dreadfully startled when they move. (Protip: "objectification" does not translate to "treating people like inanimate objects.")

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Because it implies that that's all you're good for and nothing else.

Are you smart? Are you witty? Are you funny? An asshole, nice, or generally a horrible person? Doesn't matter because the only thing that you will be known for is sex, and that cheapens the actual person and devalues them as one. So yes, being an object of sex is bad.

I don't enjoy the thought of dudes imagining me naked. Try to understand how that would get in the way of developing friendships with people of the opposite sex, or respectful relationships in general.

This too.

 

[Silverblade]

I don't enjoy the thought of dudes imagining me naked. Try to understand how that would get in the way of developing friendships with people of the opposite sex, or respectful relationships in general.

See this is what I think is insane. Just because you are sexually attracted to someone does not mean you can't be freinds with them or respect them!

You don't have to choose between sex and respect! Sex is a perfectly respectable thing!

(starts breathing fire and spitting brimstone!)

 

[DoPo]

I don't enjoy the thought of dudes imagining me naked. Try to understand how that would get in the way of developing friendships with people of the opposite sex, or respectful relationships in general.

See this is what I think is insane. Just because you are sexually attracted to someone does not mean you can't be freinds with them or respect them!

You don't have to choose between sex and respect! Sex is a perfectly respectable thing!

(starts breathing fire and spitting brimstone!)

Except if somebody objectifies women, in which case he (let's be fair - or she) sees the only as an object of sexual gratification. Friendship, feelings, emotions - they wouldn't care, and why should they? The women are just there to give them some pleasure.

THAT is sexual objectification, not treating them as a table or whatnot. It doesn't mean "they are desirable", it means "the only thing about them is that they are desirable" - anything else doesn't matter.

 

[Phasmal]

I don't enjoy the thought of dudes imagining me naked. Try to understand how that would get in the way of developing friendships with people of the opposite sex, or respectful relationships in general.

See this is what I think is insane. Just because you are sexually attracted to someone does not mean you can't be freinds with them or respect them!

You don't have to choose between sex and respect! Sex is a perfectly respectable thing!

(starts breathing fire and spitting brimstone!)

You have just pointed out the difference between being sexy and a sex OBJECT.
Being a sex OBJECT means being viewed as merely for sex.
Being SEXY means you are sexy but it's not all you are.
It's kind of obvious.

 

[Scrustle]

The problem of being a sex object isn't being sexually desirable, it's being nothing more than that. Turning a person with a mind and a personality of their own in to nothing but a masturbatory aid is not a good idea.

 

[senordesol]

I don't enjoy the thought of dudes imagining me naked. Try to understand how that would get in the way of developing friendships with people of the opposite sex, or respectful relationships in general.

See this is what I think is insane. Just because you are sexually attracted to someone does not mean you can't be freinds with them or respect them!

You don't have to choose between sex and respect! Sex is a perfectly respectable thing!

(starts breathing fire and spitting brimstone!)

One can be attractive without being a sex object.

I first noticed my wife [to be] because she was attractive, I married her because she was funny, smart, ambitious, willing to compromise, genuinely nice, and we had compatible life goals...oh, and because she was attractive.

She's wasn't an object (short for 'objective') to me. I wasn't just out to get in her pants. That's what a sex object is: something used for base personal gratification and nothing more.

 

[JesterRaiin]

But I don't understand why.

Because being just ourselves is soooooo yesterday. Think different. Become overly civilized, politically correct, boring, unfunny and uninteresting.

 

[FernandoV]

Because it's dehumanizing. The issue is that the message it sends is that women are useful only for their sex appeal and little else. Not much consideration is given to their perspectives and characters and thoughts and feelings, because developers think that all we gamers want is a little T&A to look at while we shoot things.

A lot of men say things like "Gosh, I wish people would 'sexually harass' me, haha, wouldn't it be nice to get all that attention!" and no... you don't want that. You might think you want that, but what you want is a fantasy that in no way exists in real life, and also betrays a lack of understanding of how many women view such attention. It's annoying, intimidating, and makes them feel like they're not being looked at as equals.

It's very much like saying "I don't understand why asians get offended when we say they're all good at math; isn't that a positive stereotype?" It's still a stereotype. It's still dehumanizing and reduces an individual into something less. An object. A symbol. Not a fully actualized person with individual agency and identity.

So the issue that people have with the 'sexualization' of women in video games is the negative message it sends. "You're eye candy, and that's all we want you to be. We don't care about who you are, and we don't care to portray things from your perspective, or represent you with realistic goals, emotions, and habits. We just want you to look nice in skin-tight leather." It's insulting.

Well first of all I think people are smart enough to know that just because a female (or male) character is just used for their sex appeal that doesn't mean all the entire gender is good for is sex. I'm angered that people think that I am so feeble minded that I can be persuaded that all women are good for is sex just by playing Tomb Raider or Dead or Alive.

You're right I would not like to be sexually harrassed but sexual harrassment is when sexual attention is unwanted. Right now I would welcome pretty much any sexual attention from a female.

I think its a bit of a streach to say that just because the a game creator had created a sexy video game character in skin tight leather that means all he thinks women are good for are as eye candy. A more reasonable explanation is just that he just likes sexy women in skin tight leather, with no sinister motivations.

I like Catwoman and Lara Croft and I don't think women are just sex toys. And to say that I do is highly insulting. I have a mind and am capable of telling the difference between fantasy and reality!

I like this comment; I don't like over sexualized characters only because there is usually no other redeeming quality attributed to it but after reading this I can better tolerate them in my games.