Exploitation of the Image of Women

This week I will be a panelist at a discussion about the image of women in the media. The discussion will be based upon the film "Miss Representation"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gkIiV6konY

The film and discussion on Thursday along with the booths supporting Operation Beautiful (http://operationbeautiful.com/) on Friday are organized by USU's Center for Women and Gender and my sorority Theta Nu Xi. The goal is to increase awareness of how the images of the woman's body are constantly being used in power plays that continue the oppression of women within our country and globally. This will be a great opportunity to explore the portrayal of women in the media in multiple ways; from exploitation to accomplishment as well as promote self confidence and acceptance.

As I've been thinking about this very political, important, and pro feminist opportunity I've been hyper-aware of other oppressive actions towards women that have been flitting across social media today. Here are two from my Facebook feed:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/12/ces-booth-babes_n_1202320.html

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/31/146160911/susan-g-komen-halts-grants-to-planned-parenthood

The first link takes you to a video on the Huffington Post's website that exposes the technology trade show practice of hiring "booth babes" to model products...like holding a camera or sitting at a computer. The documentary highlights the fight of women who work within the tech industry who are working to create these amazing things for consumers and then must endure the sexist and oppressive atmosphere of the trade show while their product is peddled by a scantly clad woman who is hired for her body.

The second link is even more disturbing and truly showcases power being applied to an organization that supports women in a ploy to achieve political control and decrease affordable health care for women. Radical conservative politics has forced the Susan Komen Foundation to withdraw their funding and sever ties with Planned Parenthood to keep their governmental funding for cancer research. The effect this will have on Planned Parenthood is that thousands of women will not receive breast exams or adequate health care.

After looking at each of these media moments about women's rights issues in the U.S. I can't help but feel that we've taken a step or two backward. How can we be reducing lifesaving preventative health procedures for women and promoting the exploitation of a vapid image in 2012? Should my daughter aspire to be a technological inventor or computer engineer or a "booth babe"?

Even though some may see the "booth babe" as a silly stereotypical ploy to encourage the attendance of potential customers (men), the degradation of a woman as a person to the level of an accessory for a technological device creates a less than human quality. Objectification of women leads to the perpetuation of unacceptable behavior towards women in society.

I would be less upset if the "booth babes" we're actually selling something that required the physical assets they possess rather than just eye candy for men to leer at in sexist ways that in a work place would be considered sexual harassment and be illegal. For example the Nikon woman dressed in an elaborate costume that is colorful, beautiful, and could be seen as art, is actually used in their ad campaigns. To use that image inside the trade show is a connection that the consumer can connect with and actually makes marketing sense through brand recognition.