Nowadays, the general populace is well acquainted with the sad reality that is female objectification. It has gotten to the point where some would even say that the war against it all has gotten out of control. People have been parading the streets rallying for equality, but what does that equality really look like? Recent analysis is showing what effects the outcry of the people has brought us to, but its results aren’t quite what people seem to be vouching for.
When people took to the streets for the last Women’s March, their voices were that of a cry for equality. Among the MeToo movement, citizens are taking a stand against the mistreatment of women. Claims of unequal pay and the over sexualization of women in media have finally been enough. All people seem to want is for women to be treated the same as men; yet, as it turns out, it seems that it’s actually men who are starting to get treated the same as women. Data collected by researchers at USC Annenberg and the Harnisch Foundation have shown that while the objectification of women in the media seems to remain stagnant, the hypersexualization of men has increased by 6.6% since 2007. How men and women are portrayed in media is slowly reaching equality, but instead of women rising it is the men who are falling.
Some would argue that even though more men are being objectified, it still isn’t as big of a deal as that of the women. Because of this, when the male population is mistreated, it doesn’t rally as much of an outcry. When prompted, Pleasant Valley junior James Guest said “Men don’t deal with the same amount of oppression as women do, so I think that is why it normally goes unnoticed.” Yet, one shouldn’t ignore the fact that in the people’s fight for equality, people are being dragged down instead of being raised to a standard.
It will always be debated in society what really is ‘moral’ because of the fact that as time changes, so do values. As time goes on it seems nearly impossible to reach a state of moral perfection, but that doesn’t mean one should stop trying. “Men have not dealt with years of oppression throughout history, but I believe that there is good enough in people that both men and women can work to eradicate objectification,” states Guest. “The only way to go from here is to decrease it on both sides.”
Equality is important, but the best way to reach it isn’t by bringing others down, but is to instead help hoist everyone up. It is an endless battle, but as long as people remember to treat each other with kindness and respect, it will be a battle worth fighting.
