why do women use social networking to objectify themselves?

[Nova]

Every piece of writing about the media, blames the media for it's pressuring women to look unreal. Yet, social networking is filled with women posting images of themselves identical to the type they complain about?

If media is bad for sexualizing women and pressuring them to unrealistic standards,
who and what is blamed for when they do it themselves?

[Under Siege]

The media objectifies women by removing their identities- by using rape as a visual tactic in ad campaigns- even integrating female bodies with objects. A woman posting a picture of herself that she likes is not objectifying herself; she's posting a picture she likes because she feels she's FREE to do so with her body. It's people like you who try to judge or shame women from doing as they please with their own bodies that are, in fact, objectifying women.

Really- the only reason this 'issue' angers you is because a woman has taken control of how her body is viewed, and it makes you angry, doesn't it? You don't feel she should have that power. On a social level we see this with things all the time. Recently, Miley Cyrus, for example, has been shamed endlessly because of a music video where she swings naked on a wrecking ball- yet everyone is praising the "Blurred Lines" video- where women are fully nude, having smoke blown in their faces, and are bending over. No one cares about those women- in fact, he's gone on to be nominated for that video. When a woman's sexuality is in a man's control, you think it's okay. When a woman takes a hold of her own sexuality, suddenly it's scary and wrong. You think you should have the power to degrade images of women because you dislike how they present their own bodies on their own terms.

[Ya Coffee]

Social media -like facebook, even if it there is a picture there, is about a person's thoughts and her life - her education and her music - this is about a woman being a person.

Objectification is about a woman being only the picture - only body parts to be lusted after - like in porn or a girl in front of an expensive car - she is the trophy you get if you buy the car - she is not a real whole person with thoughts and emotions that need to be respected.

[895]

Objectification is something we've grown up surrounded by, so it's become almost normal to the younger generations. It was everywhere during my childhood.

I would see Porn magazines above the children's sweet section, car advertisements had women sprawled upon them, and women were referred to by their genitals.

I was one of the few teenagers that didn't have several Social Networking sites, and I didn't upload tonnes of sexual pictures. I wasn't cool or popular because I avoided this - I was weird for not doing it. There's huge pressure to join in with the crowds.

Furthermore, the vast majority of the women posting those types of images aren't usually the women complaining about objectification and unrealistic standards.

[.Jerry.]

Anybody is free to 'objectify' themselves any way they like, if that is what they choose to do.

The real problem lies in OTHER peoples responses to those choices. The typical feminist for example will never see a woman's choice to 'objectify' herself as anything other than a man forcefully 'objectifying' her, no matter what free choices any women may have made.

[Haysanov]

Two points here

First, It's none of your business what other people do with their life. I mean, come on, you are not internet police, are you? This is not only creepy, but also judgmental and hypocritical, because in fact, men usually put pics of themselves on social media too. Not only women, men also brag about their 6-packs and their biceps muscles.

Second, the sexualization of women starts in the TV, movies, fashion magazines, etc. and then girls think this is normal, so they simply imitate what they see in the media. I don't blame them, I blame the misogynist patriarchs who are shaming women and portraying women as subordinates to men.

The solution is simple: Both the media and the people should stop shaming, stop ridiculing, stop blaming. Both men and women should be respected and treated as human beings.

[858]

I am sure we are all adult enough to know what we are doing when we post pics of ourselves; whether it be in good taste or not. Nobody is to judge others. If pictures disturb you, pass it by and be done with it. Do not categorize a simple picture as somebody objectifying themselves.