Empowered Women or Sex Objects?
This story from the Czech Republic was recently brought to my attention –
Fresh from their success in parliamentary elections, a group of female politicians have posed for a calendar to highlight the growing presence of women in Czech politics. Members of the Public Affairs party will feature in a 2011 charity calendar posing provocatively in revealing outfits. The party’s racy calendar comes after a record 44 women were voted into the 200-seat lower house of the Czech parliament.
Predictably the response to this is mixed. Some are praising the women for being empowered – in their bodies and in their careers. It is classic third wave feminism, women taking control of their sexuality and using it to their advantage to show that they are in control of their own lives. Others though are mocking these women, saying that they are demeaning themselves, setting the women’s movement back thirty years, and playing into the idea that women are only useful as sex objects.
I’d be interested to hear how the readers here respond to something like this. But beyond that I’d like to hear your thoughts on women’s sexuality. Does a woman being sexy imply that she is an object for men to consume or can it be an expression of her reclaiming ownership of her body and being comfortable in her own skin? For Christians, is there any place for a woman to look good or sexy, or is that automatically condemned as sinful or tempting? What options are there for Christian women to affirm her body without sending the wrong message?
I love to hear how the readers here navigate these issues in a world where there are obviously drastically different points of view.
Tags: calendar, Czech Republic, empowerment, politics, sex object, Women
July 20th, 2010 at 8:47 am
Well, as someone involved in an underground sport very frequently connected to 3rd Wave Feminism, I say more power to them! Why shouldn’t there be opportunities in this world for women to celebrate how they look without being referred to in negative terminology?
When we break down to the Christian sub culture, it gets a little more tricksy. After constantly being quoted those verses about jewelry not making us beautiful, and charm being deceptive and beauty fleeting, apparently “fearing the Lord” means donning doudy clothes and hoping I’m not causing the men around me to “stumble.” (Shoot, I just made eye contact with one just now, I hope that wasn’t sinful!)
What happened to God seeing woman’s body and calling it good? (Not to mention Adam’s perfectly sinless reaction?) What happened to the part from the Psalms where we praise him for we are fearfully and wonderfully made? I honestly don’t know if there’s a public venue just yet for that celebration that’s completely free of all the snarky comments that other Christian women will likely make about you.
July 20th, 2010 at 11:12 am
A few observations… First, these women are GORGEOUS and certainly ought to celebrate it, as should every woman. No one should be judged or condemned for making the most of their looks. Second, I’ve spent a lot of time with Christian groups that had what I felt was an oppressive and legalistic approach to modesty, as though a woman should dress like she’s apologetic about having breasts and other lovelies, as though men have no control whatsoever over their own sexuality and might be uncontrollably tempted into all kinds of lust by the mere presence of a spaghetti strap, and as though women should feel sorry and guilty about themselves and responsible for men’s behavior. That’s a bunch of dysfunctional horse doo doo. We’re women, we’re shaped like women, it’s a beautiful thing, and we ought to be able to wear normal, appropriately fitted, flattering clothing and not get a guilt trip for being attractive to men, or even being empowered by our physical appearance. God put a whole book in the Bible (Esther) making a positive example of a woman playing up her physical beauty and deliberately using her feminine wiles on a king to gain political power which she could then use to secure freedom, justice, and protection for her people.
That said, I think there’s a line somewhere where a woman’s dress or public behavior takes sex out of its meaningful and appropriate context, and trivializes it in a way. I think these overtly sexual, provocative pictures would be a great gift for one’s husband, to enhance the relationship, anticipation of intimacy, the woman’s sense of confidence and empowerment in her own sexuality, etc. To me, distributing this for widespread public consumption, rather than sending the message, “I’m empowered, smart, professionally formidable, and sexy and gorgeous to boot,” kinda says, “I’m naked, I’m vulnerable, I’m not sure how I’m going to get my bra down from the ceiling fan, but YOU, sir, would top everyone else’s locker room story if you were to score with me… I am, after all, a high level legislator.”
July 20th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Ditto to all that Jessica says above…and very eloquently, by the way!
July 20th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
In my opinion as a guy, trying to grow:
Women should not have to quell their power, beauty, intelligence, or spirit in order to accommodate the cultural mind-muck that I’ve been handed as a man. If – for the sole benefit of attraction – a woman dresses or behaves in a way that makes her feel uncomfortable, inferior, objectified, etc. then that woman should not have to do so, and every effort should be made in society to make sure she’s free NOT to have to. But if a woman dresses or behaves in a way that invokes her power, confidence, beauty, and sexuality, and she feels empowered by it, then hell yes, she should be free to do so without having to worry that my male hormones might go wonky and be tempted to objectify her.
If I objectify a confidently sexy woman who is empowered by being herself and sharing her beauty, that’s my problem, not hers. I need to grow up, get real, and experience the fully beautiful woman rather than just look at the sexy imagery. Don’t be less than who you are just to compensate for me being less than I ought to be.
July 20th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Definitely objectifying. The point of the message is to move away from this whole idea that women are sexual toys. Taking risque pictures is moving in the wrong direction, no matter who is behind it. Quite honestly, I would much rather see men in politics who enforce equal protection under the law than have woman sending out these kind of images. I think feminists need to lay off on blaming men for degradation if they are going to let other females pull the same crap. I feel as if the biggest enemy to feminism are…well..females.
Also, as far as this idea that woman are using their sexuality as empowerment…people need to take a side. Are women sexual objects, or are they not? If women want respect rather than degrading images of themselves, they need to get over the need to flaunt sexuality. But you can’t go around flaunting boobs and vagina, and then blame men for drooling and wanting more. If you’re going to play that card, expect the degradation that comes with it. If you want to be equal and work along side men, than use brains rather than boobs!
I’m also not advocating women being little innocent angels at all. After all, it’s already been mentioned that there was a sexual revolution in feminism as well. Women should be able to flirt away. I just have a problem with using sexuality as a career booster. It’s hypocritical, and it’s taking a woman’s success in the wrong direction.Being sexy is one thing. Being sexy as a way to flaunt success or to boost your career. No.
A outcome of the sexual revolution should be a woman’s ability to go out to bars, show more skin, and have fun…all in their free time. Being sexy is great, but when woman use it for career oriented purposes…it’s disgusting and very old school.
Also, If a male politician were to hire a bikini clothed model and posed in a calendar…it would be degrading. So this is also very hypocritical.
July 21st, 2010 at 7:33 am
Stacie,
Well put, and you make several valid points. I completely agree with you in terms of motive making all the difference in the world.
“Power” is a tricky thing, I suppose. To use one’s sexuality to exert power OVER another person or to manipulate someone is just as wrong as using physical or emotional power to force someone into doing things she or he would consider degrading.
In that sense, I think a woman who uses her sexuality as a means of exerting power over a man is objectifying the man by treating him as though he’s just a dumb flesh-sack of hormones unable to resist the woman’s wiles. And I also think that when we act as if men are “just that way” and are only capable of drooling and wanting more when boobs and flesh are flashed, well, that’s a generalization that is its own form of objectification. I stand by my earlier notion that it is ultimately my responsibility – in spite of my male hormones – to refuse to think of a woman as anything less than a fully human complex personality regardless of what she’s wearing (or not wearing) and how she is presenting herself. I’m not saying it is that simple in practice, considering our cultural conditioning and our hormonal impulses – but it is still something I believe we can and should aspire to.
I also think that *any* use of one’s natural attributes, traits, etc. – whether it be using sexuality/femininity/masculinity, or using one’s intelligence, verbal eloquence, wealth, or political connections – to exert power *over* others is wrong. But the wrongness is in the motive, not in the tools themselves.
And so exerting power is, in my mind, a whole different thing than “empowerment”. Empowerment is authentic, and it doesn’t feel the need to exert itsself to manipulate something because it is comfortable existing side-by-side with the empowered authenticity of others. In short, I guess you could say that it’s exactly like the contrast between the kind of power Caesar exerted and the empowerment that Jesus taught.
So in that sense, I still believe that a woman who is authentically celebrating her womanhood, her confidence, her beauty, and her power as a human being – as opposed to her power *over* another human being – ought to be free to express herself in any way that gives her joy, including whatever expression of sexiness and physical attraction she chooses. And I ought to be free to celebrate her, too, while at the same time making it MY responsibility to make sure that I’m celebrating her beauty as a woman and a human *with her* instead of making it about me and getting all sweaty over this sexy “thing” that’s showing itself off for my pleasure.
Does that make sense? I’m not claiming any authority here, I’m working this out along with you as we go. Please feel free to counter my opinions.
July 21st, 2010 at 7:45 am
Also for what it’s worth, I just now looked at the pictures in the linked article and I think that the best image by far is the one of Lenka Andrysova brushing her teeth.
July 21st, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Hmm, this time I’m at the ‘conservative’ side, which doesn’t happen that much with me being the most postmodern type in Belgian evangelicalism…
I would say definitely objectifying, and it would make some girls and women I know who’ll never have the type of body that is percieved as ‘sexy’ in this kind of pictures only feel more bad about their own body. We should stop associating that ‘sexiness’ with female power. A woman’s worth does not depend on her looks, and we should not agree with anyone sending that signal. It’s very discriminating to those who don’t have ‘it’. This kind of beauty is something that not every woman has, and something that only lasts for a certain time.
It’s totally superficial to me, and I am not able to take people who pose that way very serious, third wave feminism or not… It’s a bit too shallow for me, sorry. And in the end not so sexy. But I’m that kind of guy who doesn’t find most porn sexy either so I’m in a minority anyway…
The real ‘womanhood’ to show the world should be something that can be expressed in both a bikini or a burka alike, something uplifting, something with soul, or more in the vein of an ‘aura’, not some stupid way of using your body to arouse the animal side of men. Some of the most beautiful women I know are totally not ‘beautiful’ in the eyes of the world, but they are a beautiful radiating person, and that is the better part, the part that’ll last and shine until eternity, not something that dissapears like the grass that dies when the sun comes and thet gets thrown in the oven to burn…
We as Christians should affirm the God-given beauty in every person, even if they are ugly in the eyes of the world.
shalom
Bram
July 21st, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Mick,
I agree with your statement:
“In that sense, I think a woman who uses her sexuality as a means of exerting power over a man is objectifying the man by treating him as though he’s just a dumb flesh-sack of hormones unable to resist the woman’s wiles.”
Society often ignores the fact that men are often objectified as well, so it’s sometimes harder to catch it.
Over all, I don’t mind pinups. In fact, I love 1950 style sexy pinups. I have posters in my bedroom of the little cartoon pinups. I agree that woman should celebrate their sexuality. Humans in general should celebrate their sexuality. Obviously not by actively having sex every time you turn around, but it’s a pleasurable trait in humanity.
I just think that this particular incident is focusing on successful women in politics. Maybe doing a pinup as a way to show empowerment is one thing, but to me personally, these women were using it more as a “look at how successful we are in our government”. It was drawing attention to their career successes, by using sexuality, which is a step back from what we’ve worked for.
Like I said, women using pick up lines with men rather than the other way around, that to me is a woman using a woman’s sexuality to her benefit. Posing for a cute little pin up, go for it. But not when it’s related to a woman’s career. I feel like people need to have two faces in society. Their professional face, and their play face. You don’t need to mix the two unless you’re asking to be judged at work not by your brains or intelligence or ability to get the job done…but your looks.
Sorry if this is all rambling. I’m tired lol.
July 21st, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Better to get those photos out for charity rather than have them pop up on the internet for free!
I think the charity aspect changes it slightly. Here in Lane County, OR, we had a “Men of the Long Tom Grange” calender a few years running that raised money for a rural school district. The men were mostly middle aged farmers posing nude with strategic props like a tractor or banjo. Some college boys in the honors college put out their own “Boys of the Honors College” calender for the charity. It was a laugh.
I think what these politicians do with their bodies is their own business. Clearly they aren’t coerced into the porn industry. They have power enough to put a stop to their own objectification and others’ if they want to.
July 22nd, 2010 at 5:39 am
I haven’t sorted this one out yet. I think it comes down to why you do what you do. I think a woman can be just as empowered or just as insecure when she wears a power-suit as when she wears a bathing suit. And she can do either to intimidate, too.
I totally agree with those who point out men are objectified and marginalized too. I’m just not sure how we get to the point where we value each person for themselves, their insides, instead of placing value on external things.
July 22nd, 2010 at 8:21 am
The naked farmer calendar sounds hilarious! If you haven’t, you should see the movie Calendar Girls– similar concept; perhaps it even inspired the one you’re talking about. It had older British women posing nude for a Women’s Institute (kind of like their version of the Junior League) calendar behind strategically placed baked goods and flower arrangements. I doubt it inspired much lust though.
I don’t think degree of undress is the only issue here, and I think our attitudes and reactions to certain exposed body parts are culturally learned to an extent. For example, in some tribal cultures, it is customary for women to be bare breasted in public, while a woman exposing her knees would be quite scandalous. As far as these photos go, a woman at the gym in workout shorts and a tank top or at the beach in a modest swimsuit would be showing more and few people would consider that inappropriate. For me, it’s an issue of context and whether a photo is designed in such a way as to evoke lust or anticipation of sexual intimacy, which is a private and holy thing, from a widespread audience that can’t do anything about it except… well, you know.
July 22nd, 2010 at 12:59 pm
I suppose I think of my nieces, 9 and 12 when it comes to this kind of stuff. I am not sure it helps in the discussion to think in terms of is it right or wrong to appreciate women’s (or men’s for that matter) beauty. Yes, let’s celebrate it!!! yes, let’s not make those people who have pretty faces and lovely figures feel ashamed! What I do have a problem with is when we continue to underscore that women’s value is primarily in her attractiveness/sexiness/beauty. It is difficult not to feel like these women underscore that very thing by posing for this calendar. So arghh…I admit I just don’t get it how we get empowered by showing the world how beautiful/sexy we are. I want my nieces to not have to come out from under the suffocating message that as women their worth is found in their external beauty.
July 23rd, 2010 at 4:38 am
Our local fire department sells a calendar with beefcake pictures of the guys – mostly bare chests. I had one mom in my congregation ask me whether it was OK for her teenaged daughter to have this calendar. I was a little surprised by her reluctance – I live in Florida, and people wander around all the time with hardly anything on at all. I told the mom I thought it was fine.
I think that what we need to examine more closely is not the pictures, but our cultural attitudes about sex. Underneath all of this is the simmering idea that this desirable, pleasant, and natural activity is dirty, wrong, shameful, and forbidden. Even some feminist objections ultimately are grounded on this, for if sex weren’t both taboo and titillating in our culture, there would be no power issues to worry about. If we could become more mature about our own sexuality, then these pictures (and the firefighter calendar) become more art and even humor than attempts at asserting power over against another.
CS Lewis’ essays on chastity and lust start getting to the point I’m trying to make. But the bottom line is this: someone using their sexuality as a power move works only if the recipient is vulnerable to that kind of power play. I believe my sexual appetite is relatively healthy, otherwise living on the beach in Florida would have me in a heaving dither most of the time. As it is, I can appreciate the beauty of the fellows who traipse along the shore without turning them into fantasies. If these women are making a power play, AND it “works” (either by turning another into a puddle of lust or by shocking their moral sensibilities) then I think it points to those unhealthy underlying views about sex I mentioned above.
August 5th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
God made us women beautiful, what’s wrong with that. To use our bodies (sex) to control is as bad to use money or anything else to control something or somebody.
Christian women can and should look good and sexy. Sexy doesn’t need to be half naked.
September 8th, 2010 at 7:30 am
As long as the majority of societies all over the world define femininity and womanliness as “purposed primarily and solely for sex with men”, and women all over the world are denied the opportunity to be human first and “women” second – to the point where we don’t get basic health care or education or even food, or the chance to be born at all, because we’re female – then pandering to “third wave feminism” is just bullshit.
It’s not that we need to be ashamed of our lovely bodies; not at all; but we need not exploit them or even make them a reference point. We all have bodies, so *what*?
Looks aren’t important to God. That’s where we should start from. And just as women need not be in a burqua to be modest – and women who aren’t in a burqua shouldn’t be judged to be immodest – women need not be prick-teasing in photographs to show they’re “liberated” and “sexy”. it’s not relevant.
What is relevant is that by conforming to the expectations of the male gaze they participate in the oppression of other women; and that’s just selfish.
February 15th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Totally agree with those who are of the opinion that this is inappropriate. The point of women being liberated, being seen as human, is for us NOT to be seen as sex objects. While we are still being liberated (and let’s face it, there’s a LONG way to go), these sorts of images are not helping the cause at all. How does reminding us of their sexuality help society to see them as real people? Mick mentioned cultural conditioning, and this is exactly the kind of thing that *does* that conditioning. We can’t be ‘deconditioned’ while this sort of thing is still around. It’s “too soon.” Like Katherine implied, we need for women, as a whole, to be treated as human before they can truly be sexually liberated. I am of the belief that true feminism would not encourage public displays of sexuality as not only is it continuing the objectification of women, it’s making it look like we’re into it. Save that for when humanity is enlightened.
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