ok but…we’re talking about two different things here. “Objectification” and “unrealistic body standards” while related, aren’t exactly the same.
Hollywood does ask unrealistic and harmful things of actors and actresses. The thing is, this is not objectification. It’s shitty and dangerous, but it’s still not objectification.
Hugh Jackman and Chris Evans and Brad Pitt were not objects in those movies, in these scenes. They are active, powerful figures, and while a person might get pleasure from viewing them, that’s not the sole purpose of their appearance.
Objectification 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.
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 side–because the women are meant to be looked at.
Again. While Chris Evans, Hugh Jackman, etc, etc, can and are objectified by these movies, that’s not their role in the movies. Their characters have agency and we are meant to see them as powerful–if they happen to be nice to look at while looking powerful, that’s 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 Dormer’s 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.
The fact that this posts starts by talking about Game of Thrones 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. It’s not meant to show us how powerful these women are. It’s there just to be there.
There’s a post, somewhere–it may even be in the replies of this post–about 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 Jackman’s magazine covers for Men’s Health vs. Good Houskeeping. On Men’s Health, he’s sweaty, ripped, looks like he could kick your ass, easy. On Good Houskeeping, he’s wearing a sweater, his hair looks nice–he looks like he just put a casserole in the oven and is ready to bingewatch something with you while giving you a foot rub.
Everyday men aren’t 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.
But the girl, by and large, is always the same. Skinny, conventionally attractive, moderately fashionable. She’s something to be obtained. She’s a status symbol. She wears impractical clothing because she’s not there to be believable, she’s there to be beautiful.
(I’ve got nothing om Magic Mike, though. I’ve never seen it but I’m willing to accept other conclusions and say it’s objectifying)
Like, for fuck’s sake let’s keep talking about Hollywood’s interpretation of a male power fantasy and how heteronormative it is! Let’s talk about unrealistic body expectations and how nobody’s ever allowed to have stretch marks! Let’s make noise about how there’s more than two body types: muscled and skinny! Let’s talk about how “celebrity diets” are bullshit because most of us don’t have personal trainers or chefs! Let’s talk about being healthy instead of just looking healthy! Let’s talk about fatphobia and eating disorders–let’s talk about how toxic masculinity feeds into these unhealthy male body standards! Let’s burn bullshit beauty culture to the ground!
But like, let’s just make sure we’re all talking about the same thing and using the same vocabulary first.
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