Does the objectification of male sexuality means more gender equality?

Question

In todays consumer culture men are often portrayed as womens objects of desire. This is a very recent evolution, probably a contingent effect of modern western feminist activism...
But what is to become of the traditional male pattern of sexual dominance ?
Is this objectification of male sexuality a crucial factor in the evolution towards gender equality? Is it becoming easier for a girl or a woman to seduce, to deceive a guy, making sex a personal conquest? Is she bound to search more actively since he is being desired just as well? Or will men use desirableness as a new means to negotiate pleasure?
What sounds most logical? And what is your opinion?

I would like to ask to excuse my bad English. As Baba Yaga has noticed, it's not how it should be. I'm not used to write in English.
But for the 'lack of evidence', Baba Yaga.
I did confine this topic, hazy as it is, to 'consumer culture'. But it consists of a lot of things, as media imagery and regular consumer goods... all the way to cosmetic surgery. Of course this asks a bit of imagination, but i will give one strong, well known example, namely the Coca-Cola Light commercial. It is about a heterosexual man adored and sexualized (i.e. objectified) by heterosexual women.
This should clarify some of it.
However, a nuance is clearly in its place: in the recent evolution in gender relations not one sexualized man has emerged, but a multitude of masculinities (some of them are indeed gay, Baba Yaga).
Nevertheless my main point remains the same.

Answer 1

I don't think it will be equal since men are more visual than women. It's not that women aren't, but no the caliber of men, generally speaking. There are many things that are targeted towards gay men. But, what is annoying is that people think all things with men is homoerotic, because a guy with a good physique is being displayed. Things have changed, all I know is that there was some movie called a date with Ted Hamilton and I'm sure ladies saw that movie. There were quite a bit of ladies who liked Daniel Craigs body in Casino Royale movie. Things have definitely swung in the past years with ads where a big amount is still of women, of course, but only 10 years ago or 20+, there would hardly be anything showing anything of men being sexualized on tv. It seems like this is being shown more and more. I used to go shopping every once and a while to get some new clothes, of course, at Amber Crombie and Fitch back in my middle school and early highschool, but I stopped after I gained some common sense with a waste of money being spent on the clothes, which were expensive because of them being supposedly "trendy".

All I know is everybody got clothes there including the guys in school. But I remember the first time I went in, I wasn't exactly sure if this was a store for both guy and girls, but just girls because of the pictures. But, the thing is that this isn't store that has gay dudes there. Mostly girls and straight dudes go to that store. I'm sure a few gay dudes go in, but it's not like it was put up for gay dudes, because percentage wise, there were much more girls and striaght dudes that go in the store, because it's a clothes store, wheras a commercial can try to attract a follwing demographic. It would be stupid if this was the case, because a large following would be left out such as girls and straight dudes. PEople obviously go for the clothes, but I think it just goes to show how things have changed with dudes being objectied more and more. I think there are other clothes stores just like Crombie with similar pictures. Even though it's not to the extent where women care so much, but I can't help but to think that these are there to provide some scenery for the ladies. I already gave my explanation to this above, so..there you go. I don't think it will ever be to the caliber of women being portrayed, because of the difference between men and women, but there definitely has been some change over the past few years.

And for the posted who said men think with their "other head" is generalizing. I respect women and don't look at women as sexual objects so stop trying to blend all men into one group. Yeah, we are visual, but not all guys are to this extent. And that is avoiding the fact the even though men are more oriented to sex than women, there are a lot of promiscuous and shall I say much more "active" girls nowadays compared to the past, so stop.

Answer 2

Baba Yaga is an idiot, she is compairing apples and oranges. The reason you don't see men getting anorexia and bulimia is because men who are extremely skinny aren't viewed as sexy, so we mostly don't do it. Same thing with plastic surgery. It's easier being an attractive man than an attractive woman, and we don't need so much "work" for the most part. But that doesn't mean we are not being used for sex by some women.

Answer 3

No one should objectify anyone. I know that I hate it when I watch a sitcom, the wife is so smart and they make the husband look like an idiot. I don't care that men have been thinking with their "parts" since the beginning of time, two wrongs don't make a right. Women being loose and picking up men just seems trashy. Maybe that is old fashioned, but it's my opinion.

Answer 4

Objectification of a person's sexuality regardless of gender does not mean more equality for anyone. If anything in this overtly sexualized candy culture of ours, we could use less objects of lust and more persons of depth and substance. To make a person a sex object is just too easy.

Answer 5

To speak in a Kantian way individuals must be ends never means. Objectification usually turns individuals into means to serve other individuals desires, it can't be good.

So I would say men objectification ain't the key to a better way of life it's a fake equality in domination. It can't be.

The key to equality and a better way of life is in less objectification.

excuse my English I know I should improve it...

Answer 6

I think there will be a political shift from man vs women to beautiful people vs regular people because of this increasing trend.
Objectification is not an act of immorality, it is a natural psycho-sexual reflex that we have put a lable on.
From another angle, though, I kind of agree with Leah Lo, above. LOL!

Answer 7

I think it is a poltical shift in thinking responding to the way women live. Many postpone marriage until later and are out to be more than Mrs. Brady (not that there is anything wrong with being a stay-home Mom... its important). It is a way to show women have power.

however, it still comes to to objectifing... which in my book, is still wrong.

Answer 8

I believe that objectification , whether it be of females or males, is not the way to equality of the sexes. Rather, we should be striving to abolish objectification altogether. I like the sentiment embodied in the statement, "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house."

Answer 9

Is not gender equality an oxymoron? As in, I want to have a baby but lack the necessary bits, therefore I am unequal. Happy, but unequal.

Answer 10

"this objectification of male sexuality...". First of all, that doesn't even make sense!

What you are hoping to suggest that as women have been objectified (made into 'sex objects) by western culture so too now have men: 'MEN HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO THE STATUS OF MERE SEX-OBJECTS BY MODERN WOMEN". If that's what you mean then come straight out and say it, instead of dancing 'round the issue by using crappy english composition as a smokescreen. But WAIT: if you come straight out and say what you mean to say, that: "men have been turned into sex objects by women" you KNOW people will laugh themselves silly. It sounds ludacris: it sounds ludacris because everyone KNOWS this claim is completely false. It is that very paradox - the paradox between what you claim and what we know to be true - that makes that makes it so hysterically funny in the first place.

Examples of which are obviously RARE indeed: you present NOT A SHRED OF EVIDENCE to support this claim. Logically, if this were as widespread as you would like us to believe then you would have had no difficulty in providing examples. You haven't - not even ONE such example, hmmmm. Let me take this opportunity to effectively blow your baseless allegation "right out of the water":

1. How many men have cosmetic surgery done in comparison to women? How many young men as compared to young women are diagnosed with anorexia and/or bulima? How many male fashion models do you see on the catwalk looking like a rack of bones? The disparity between the statistics - male/female - are ENORMOUS as is well known even to beings currently living on planet Mars.

2. You are completely ignoring the fact that it is MALE HOMOSEXUALS who is the target market for much of "this stuff".

3. Look at the history of Playgirl magazine: it never had a large following. Does it even still exist??? The lack of prosperity enjoyed by this magazine underscores the well-known fact that sexually speaking, men are far more 'visual' than women. There is no shortage of male 'porn' magazines: many have been around for years and years and continue to do well in the marketplace.

I have provided you with irrefutable EVIDENCE in the form of examples to underscore my point. All you have done is to posit a BASELESS ALLEGATION. Sorry, kid: you lose!