ok butā¦weāre talking about two different things here.Ā āObjectificationā andĀ āunrealistic body standardsā while related, arenāt exactly the same.Ā
Hollywood does ask unrealistic and harmful things of actors and actresses. The thing is, this is not objectification. Itās shitty and dangerous, but itās still not objectification.Ā
Hugh Jackman and Chris Evans and Brad Pitt were not objectsĀ in those movies, in these scenes. They are active, powerful figures, and while a person might get pleasure from viewing them, thatās not the sole purpose of their appearance.Ā
ObjectificationĀ is when a character or person becomes a collection of body parts, when a person is reduced to an object of sexual desire. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Chris Evans as Captain America are not on screen just to be sexy.Ā
Men absolutely can be objectified, but men are in no way objectified in pop culture to the extent that women are. Do an image search for perfume and cologne ads. How many headless women do you see? Legs, arms, perhaps. How many men do you see, staring in the camera while the women in the picture are gazing at the man, looking off to the sideābecause the women are meant to be lookedĀ at.
Again. While Chris Evans, Hugh Jackman, etc, etc, can and are objectified by these movies, thatās not their role in the movies. Their characters have agency and we are meant to see them as powerfulāif they happen to be nice to look at while looking powerful, thatās secondary. Female characters, particularly when they are side characters in action movies, are designed to look pretty first, and powerful second (and only if she can still be sexy while doing it)
Do these movies promote unrealistic body standards for men? Absolutely. But again, in media representation, men see more diverse body types than women do. But again, this is not Natalie Dormerās original point. This is not objectification. Unrealistic body types and unhealthy demands made of actors and actresses is not the same as being a sexy piece of furniture for the hero to win at the end of the day.Ā
The fact that this posts starts by talking about Game of ThronesĀ is wild to me. There is no frontal male nudity in GoT, but there is plenty of female nudity. This nudity does not advance the storyline. Itās not meant to show us how powerful these women are. Itās there just to be there.
Thereās a post, somewhereāit may even be in the replies of this postāabout how these body standards are, by and large, an extension of a male power fantasy, and that you can see this when you look at Hugh Jackmanās magazine covers for Menās Health vs. Good Houskeeping. On Menās Health, heās sweaty, ripped, looks like he could kick your ass, easy. On Good Houskeeping, heās wearing a sweater, his hair looks niceāhe looks like he just put a casserole in the oven and is ready to bingewatch something with you while giving you a foot rub.Ā
Everyday men arenāt expected to look like Chris Evans and Hugh Jackman ready to rip your head off. Again, this is something media shows us. Guys can be ripped and beefy and get the girl. Guys can be nerdy and schlubby and get the girl. Guys can be okay looking and rude and get the girl. Guys can be pervy and average and get the girl.Ā
But the girl, by and large, is always the same. Skinny, conventionally attractive, moderately fashionable. Sheās something to be obtained. Sheās a status symbol. She wears impractical clothing because sheās not there to be believable, sheās there to be beautiful.Ā
Thatās objectification.
(Iāve got nothing om Magic Mike, though. Iāve never seen it but Iām willing to accept other conclusions and say itās objectifying)
Like, for fuckās sake letās keep talking about Hollywoodās interpretation of a male power fantasy and how heteronormative it is! Letās talk about unrealistic body expectations and how nobodyās ever allowed to have stretch marks! Letās make noise about how thereās more than two body types: muscled and skinny! Letās talk about howĀ ācelebrity dietsā are bullshit because most of us donāt have personal trainers or chefs! Letās talk about being healthy instead of just looking healthy! Letās talk about fatphobia and eating disordersāletās talk about how toxic masculinity feeds into these unhealthy male body standards! Letās burn bullshit beauty culture to the ground!
But like, letās just make sure weāre all talking about the same thing and using the same vocabulary first.
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