Essay: Objectifying theory

Objectifying theory explains the importance girls and women unconsciously have when observing their physical selves in media and/or social platforms (Crawford, 2011). Due to society, women’s bodies tend to fall more frequently under this paradigm to insinuate the importance of physical appearance. The film “Princesas” demonstrates how the women indulge in self-objectification, comparing themselves to the others in the park across the salon, describing the other women’s body shapes compared to their own. Self-objectification, a habitual and preoccupation with self-surveillance that interferes with a women’s connection to her subjective experiences and divides her attention (Crawford, 2011). There is a clip in where Caye is cutting photos of her face and placing them on various pictures of topless women, as to measure up herself with what she believes men desire. Caye believes that once she can save up enough money for a boob augmentation her clientele will rise.

 

Self-objectification often occurs when women themselves objectify their bodies from a third person perspective, creating the idea in their head that others who will be looking will enjoy the alternations. When Caye meets Manuel a computer geek, she deliberately informs him of the type of work she does but he does not believe her. On their next date, Caye asks him what he prefers her boob size to be without a hesitation she responds her own question “to be the size of your hands”, in that moment he realizes who she said to be. According to the text, when women’s bodies are sexualized in media, the women themselves are often reduced to those bodies—or even just parts of them (Crawford, 2011). For the rest of Caye’s clientele see her as sexual object, becoming an epitome of objectification.

As for Zulema, when she meets the government clerk who promises to help her with her immigration paper work, she falls for his lies. He objectifies her without remorse, treating her as an article of trade and sexual object despite her feelings, beliefs and dignity. Abuses his power, tricks her and rapes her after she denied his proposition in exchange for her papers.

2.Gender is socially constructed through our actions, roles, our verbal and non-verbal languages, and our cognitive processes. Gender is also socially constructed through physical appearance (Crawford, 2011). It is also constructed depending on the choice of clothing and accessories a person may wear. For, example the tightness of a pair of pants which is a neutral object might communicate femininity. As well as a T-shirt another neutral piece, depending on how low cut is a man or a woman might defer gender of the object.

Zulema, in the film is portrayed as a Latina with curves, clothes tend to fit her very nicely and insinuates her body well. Caye expresses how much she likes her clothing and asks her to take her shopping for similar pieces. Caye still struggles with the clothing and expresses to Zulema if she had bigger breasts the clothes would fit her better. The choices of clothes the women in the film would wear created a gender stereotype in between them. The textbook defines gender stereotypes, as networks of related beliefs that reflect the “common wisdom” amongst them (Crawford, 2011). All of the women portrayed in the salon and the park all portrayed a similar gender stereotype even though they all considered themselves different. Most of the women share the same schema, or mental framework of how they should look, and act. The way they think, look, and behave and the type of work they all do links them into a particular group, creating a stereotype for them although they seem to be in different teams of groups.

3.Body image refers to the mental picture one has of one’s appearance (Crawford, 2011), weight and body size. In a research conducted in Washington heights, Latina women were asked about their body images as well as their ideal bodies, and what does it mean to be real women. The article reports conflicting findings regarding Latinas body image and body satisfaction. One finding was the acceptance many Latina have towards women of heavier figures, and the less dissatisfaction provoked as compared to white women. In fact, this type of dissatisfaction and low body self-esteem have been found to be higher among White women rather than Latinas or any other minority (Bruning, Viladrich, Weiss, & Yeh, 2008).

Regardless, the study conducted in Washington heights states that Latina women do suffer a greater body shame and fear of weight gain higher than white women. Researchers also report a higher prevalence of obesity/overweight in Latina women. In the report conducted, the women where asked about the reason to want to control their weight. Many of the participants explained how because of the media they felt the need to fit to mainstream standards to look good. Although, most participants also acknowledged how slowly but increasingly, alternative body types are capturing society imagination. An example would be Jennifer Lopez, who only a few years ago her prodigious backside catapulted her rise to stardom, making society and women more accepting of their curves.

The film jokes about how the new Latina women working the park had their body type due rocks in their shoes so when they were younger. The other women in the hair salon, the Spaniards in this case, believed such anecdote to be true. Even so, in the end Zulema to tease the ladies confirmed such behavior to be true, making it even more believable to them. The article states, between fiction and reality, and the desire and possible, many women for whom subjective notions of personal beauty are drawn from multiple cultural commands, leading the, to challenge their own boundaries and dare to go when no other women have gone before (Bruning, Viladrich, Weiss, & Yeh, 2008).

Sex, Love & Romance.

1.The traditional romantic script, usually the men are who actively initiate and pursues the women; on the other hand, women tend to resist for a while until finally gives