Do not objectify women unless they are trying to sell you something, of course. Then, you are more than welcome to do so. At the beginning of the year, I wrote about women selling nudes for money donated to organizations fighting wildfires in Australia.
Objectification is something I am confused about. It seems like it is the new “Is butter good for you?” or “Are eggs good for you?” For years, we have been hearing how butter is good, then, that it is not (and you should eat margarine instead), and the same with eggs (they will help you live longer vs. they will kill you).
The thing that no one has ever disputed is that sex sells. Women know it and are not afraid to use it to get what they want. (But guys should not objectify them!* *without their explicit permission)
Ginger Zee served as inspiration for today’s post. Do not worry, I had no idea who she was, either, when I first read the article. Apparently, she’s ABC’s Chief Meteorologist. I do not know about you, but I do not watch the weather because it appears to be more of a guessing game than an actual science.
What did Ms. Zee do? Well, she realized that when she posts photos of her “body, hair, and legs,” she gets more Likes on Instagram. I think anyone who has had a social media account for more than a day knows that typically selfies get more attention that photos of just random things. I checked Ginger’s Instagram account and it seems that the photos that have fewer Likes are the ones showing a map of the US with weather conditions. Who cares about that? Why would you “Like” such a photo? What would liking it even mean?
Aside from realizing the obvious, she also decided to capitalize on it. She posted a photo of herself in a short dress, sitting on some steps, and asked people not to comment on it until they checked out her next post (a video on climate change). THEN, she asked them to come back to the original photo and drop a line. Really? Who does it work on? First of all, if I am viewing your photo now, I am not leaving to return and comment. Instead, I will comment now. (If you want to read this post of mine, then close it and read some of the older ones, and then come back to comment, please do so. My views go up that way. I am far from even meeting my viewing stats from last year, so go, go, GO!)
My blog is mainly divided into two segments – NROP and CW. There are people who prefer the former, while others read the latter. Some of you read both (which I am SO grateful for!!!). I understand that some things might be more of interest to you that others. I will not beat you through the head with something you are not here for. I am sure that if I now started posting pictures of kittens every day, I would gain new viewers but I would also lose some of my current readership base. It is only natural.
And then, down the hole I went…
Did you know that Friday was National Boss’ Day? (I did because I still use an old-school calendar.) Lady Gaga reminded her fans of that by posting a photo of herself wearing glasses. (I thought sexy teacher/ librarian/ secretary costumes were offensive?) In that selfie, she is wearing a top that has a plunging neckline. What does Boss’ Day have to do with a teasing selfie? From the description, we learn that we are to ask our bosses about their plans for the election day.
“Hey, Happy Boss’ Day, Boss! Btw, are you going to vote? Because, you need to vote. Right? And, by the way, who are you voting for? I need to vote, too. It’s my right. So, I need the day off. OK? Thanks. Bye.” Yea, sounds like a plan… Easy to say for someone who does not have a boss to report to.
Michael B. Jordan posted a close-up of his upper chest + neck + lower jaw, and asked people to make sure they vote this election season.
Then, it was Kylie Jenner, who posted a couple of photos of her wearing a skimpy bikini. She makes it personal by saying: “Let’s plan to vote together.” As if you could actually walk into a polling place hand in hand with Kylie.
However, what I uncovered next, I was not prepared for. It is a video compilation of various celebrities (naked) asking you to vote. Do not worry, though, you cannot see any private parts.
The video disturbed me. One of the women in the video (whose name I do not know), appears to be driving naked to the Post Office to mail her ballot. Imagine if she got stopped by the Police… Or, if, God forbid, she got into an accident. We might not be ashamed of our bodies, but last time I checked, being naked in public was a serious offense. Driving naked to cast your vote does not make sense to me. Amy Schumer tells us to: “Take your clothes off and vote!” Umm… why? What is that going to do?
I have studied marketing, however, I still cannot understand how naked celebrities are meant to convince me to vote. How is them saying “Vote” while naked any different than if they were dressed? Are they trying to insinuate they will show more once we do vote? Plus, who would want to see their bodies, anyway? Yuck.
While various studies have confirmed that sex sells, it also dispels the myth that sex can sell anything. Sex is often successfully used in sales of alcohol, entertainment, and beauty products. Not so much in banking services, appliances, and utility trucks. Maybe someone read the headline without reading the entire article. (Is this not what we learn to do in the world of social media?)
- Do sexy pics grab your attention?
- Do you pay attention to the more important issues if you are lured in with a sexy pic?
- If you did not plan on voting, would a nude photo convince you to vote?
Stay golden,
***
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One day at a time... 
That video is disturbing and distasteful. I don’t get it!
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I am with you Ruth. What are they thinking??????
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Either they are not. Or, they just think the world is upside down (which it might be).
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Either way, it is very sad for America. 😦
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Seriously, makes me wonder why would the stars go for such cheap tactics? Just to grab attention? Doesn’t makes any sense to me as well. 🤷
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I guess sometimes you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do…
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I thought I was missing something. But it looks like the only thing that was missing were clothes.
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I’m pretty sure all this is sensationalized sex for global warming sex voting is to keep the notion of both of those in the public’s mind. Remember the lesson DickWadDrumpf taught us, the more often something is mentioned in the media, the more normal it becomes.
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Global warming. Ha! Two birds with one stone.
“(T)he more often something is mentioned in the media, the more normal it becomes.” I am terrified of that.
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And the ugly problem with that is decent folks would never stoop to that level. But the nasty ones have no qualms with “going low”.
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Precisely.
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I re-posted your blog post today because I think many should hear what you’ve written. And it was really funny besides. I answered your questions in my own post there:
https://sparksfromacombustiblemind.com/2020/10/19/clothing-optional/
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I’m hopping over to hear your thoughts on the topic.
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Sometimes sexy pics grab my attention, but I don’t necessarily think that naked is sexy. It’s more of an intangible quality, having to do with the whole person, especially facial expression. No on the last two questions!
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Thanks for pointing out the naked/ sexy differentiation. I do have to agree. However, someone is considered sexier when they part their clothes here and there.
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If you take your clothes off before casting your ballot your vote gets counted twice. Shh…..🤫
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I think you might have cracked the code.
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Wow, this is disturbing, but unfortunately not that shocking. The fact that people are resorting to base tactics like this, using sex as the lowest common denominator, to “inspire” others to vote shows that even our sense of voting has been reduced to visceral motives. Many people act and speak and vote based off of pure feeling, untempered by rational thought. Voting is supposed to be a rational act: you vote for the candidate you have reason to believe is best. Not the most attractive candidate. Not the candidate some attractive celebrity is paid to endorse. But apparently some think that titillating an audience will drive them to the polls– and possibly without their clothes! Yikes! Remind me to wear blinders AND a mask when I vote!
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“our sense of voting has been reduced to visceral motives” Well said. Do we really need to manipulate people to vote? Think of those that wouldn’t have voted but will. What choice are they going to make? Absolutely terrifying.
And then people are surprised why I don’t have much faith in humanity.
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That naked ballot was indeed disturbing… I guess it was supposed to have some kind of comedic concept to it in the end. I do think that the idea of sexualizing yourself to then promote voting is to do just that… To first draw your attention to the idea of a naked celebrity to then be reminded that you need to vote… I’m convinced that there are probably some people who will have went to vote thanks to this kind and naked reminder though… As for the whole underlying “objectification” going on… Welll…. At least they didn’t dare say they’d show more explicit content IF you voted…….
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COMEDIC? I think I have a dark sense of humor but this isn’t funny by any means.
Maybe that will be part 2. “And to show our appreciation for your votes, here’s bleep bleep, bleep.”
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I don’t care much for this Ginger woman.
Her husband however looks like an excellent piece of meat.
I wonder how many hate emails I will get from men after saying this 🤔
I know of 3 cases in Europe which caused some issues regarding sexiness and cleavage showing.
Only recently, Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin, did a photoshoot wearing a suit, but no top below it.
Prime minister of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar, was criticised for previous bikini shots.
And even Angela Merkel was accused of dressing too sexy.
And yes, women definitely use the cleavage area to their advantage. Consciously.
I however, have always considered my larger chest nothing more than a huge inconvenience.
Kim kardashian gets between 300k and 500k for each sponsored post on Instagram.
If a brand would approach you to make a post wearing their skimpy bikini and promote voting, would you do it for that money?
Also….for 3 years I have been wondering what your education was and now you just casually drop that bomb?!?! 😉
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I do agree with Goldy on how low the world has sunk that nudity is being used to promote a good cause.
But, ‘women definitely use the cleavage area to their advantage’? I do hope you’re not one of those people who’re judging Sanna Marin and other women in power for their attire.
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I wasn’t judging here, just stating some recent events.
But I don’t just judge women in power for showing cleavage consciously, I judge EVERY woman who does that. Unless it’s their job, e.g. Kylie jenner.
Please tell me why Sanna didn’t wear a top below the suit.
With her job title, she has to take the responsibility of being a role model. And what is the message here?
That women can go like this to the office?! I certainly hope not.
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I responded to magicquill, too. Men wear shirts under their jackets. Why shouldn’t women? Would we be OK with men (other than models) wearing no shirts under their suits?
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Pardon me, but judging women based on their attire is a clear sign of internalised misogyny. The double standards baffle me- no one ever questions a man for wearing whatever he desires. But when it’s a woman? Bam, there go the trolls, reading more into the outfit of a woman than her persona.
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Judging someone on something is a sign of being a human. We all judge. Consciously or unconsciously. It’s hard for a man to dress… differently. There’s not much variation. Maybe that’s why no one questions it?
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Now that’s just an excuse to justify misogyny.
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Which part? That humans judge or that men don’t have as much variety in their closet as women do?
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That men don’t have as much variety. I’ve seen women shopping in the men’s section of clothing stores and even I’ve done so myself sometimes.
What I want to say is that if you don’t judge men on what they wear, don’t do it for women either.
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What I’ve said is that men don’t have as much variety. They have shirts and pants. Women have bras and dresses and skirts, etc.
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And second of all, Sanna didn’t ‘go like that’ to the office. She wore that blazer for a photoshoot, for heaven’s sake.
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What was the photoshoot for?
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For a fashion magazine. How is that relevant anyway?
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It’s very relevant. You dress differently for different occasions. I would love to go to work naked, but can’t. But I can do it while at home.
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I believe there’s a difference between stark nakedness and a plunging neckline?
Anyway, apart from other things, my point was that Sanna didn’t wear it to an official meeting or something, so I didn’t see why it riled people up the way it did.
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Of course, there is a difference. I was just trying to make a point that some things are less appropriate than others for specific situations. I understand your point.
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I don’t think it’s about judging. It’s about consistency and hypocrisy. People know what kind of effect their image has on others. As long as they own up to it, I am fine with that. But they pretend that it’s our problem.
Professional men wear shirts under their jackets. I’m not sure why women (who want to be equal in everything; or so they say) shouldn’t.
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What kind of effect are you talking about? Are you blaming molestation on women’s outfits?
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No. Of course not.
Some people don’t go out at night. Why? To not get into trouble.
Some people avoid protestors? Why To not get into trouble.
Some people try to mitigate danger. Others don’t.
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Tell me something, Goldy. If somebody has blood cancer, will you drain out all their blood or try to destroy the cancer?
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I don’t see the relation between what I asked and how you answered. However, I will say that draining someone’s blood is actually part of treatment.
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I couldn’t verify your claim, but I will give you the benefit of doubt.
The analogy I was trying to draw is that the blame for rape/molestation incidents can’t be pinned on how women dress or what time they go out. Restricting somebody’s freedom in the name of protection is just not right. We’ve drained that blood for long enough- isn’t it time to destroy the cancer cells now?
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Of course! I agree.
Restraining someone’s freedom… Our freedom is restricted in more than one way. Many of those are unspoken rules that we choose to obey. But not all.
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It’s funny because when I first saw the photo of the weather woman, I noticed she has some sort of a print on her shin. Like she was kneeling on something. It’s distracting. But I guess it should be praised because it might mean the photo wasn’t photo-shopped.
It’s ok to objectify men. It’s NOT ok to objectify women. Get on with the program!
Angela Merkel sexy. Best joke I’ve heard all day.
I think 300k for KK is nothing. For me… it would be a lot. Yes, I probably would do it.
I drop hints about myself here and there 😉
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I had the same reaction as you: just… Why? Personally, I’ve come to consider women to be more naturally adept as manipulators (for good as well as ill, despite the typical connotations of that word), so this… This fills me with shame. After all, they’re butchering a fine art! To be so careless, so BLATANT… It’s horrible.
I’m only half serious; though, there may be more truth in that than I’d like to admit… Maybe I’m just cynical today. But I think “Why?” perhaps accompanied by a gentle facepalm and a shake of the head, really does sum it up.
Oh, and where you mention having studied marketing, you say “I am still cannot understand.” I don’t think that “am” is supposed to be there…
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I agree with your assessment of female manipulation. Someone will find these comments when we’re successful and ruin our careers.
Ha! Thank you for this pointer. I shall fix it right away.
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If anyone were able to identify us as us, I’d be quite impressed, and consider that level of effort to be the ultimate sign of success.
Ah, much better, thank you! 🙂
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True, true.
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Yep, Goldie. you went down the rabbit hole and made an exit through China.
Yes, a sexy pic would get my attention. Lenny Kravitz at 56 on the cover of Men’s Health is hot! I don’t mind acknowledging that as a straight man, and it wouldn’t put my attention on bigger issues.
A nude pic wound not convince me to vote. The issues we face does that well enough.
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Hahahah!
It sounds like you’re following logic. Stay golden!
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This made me laugh so hard because it’s so bizarre.
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It truly is!
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A sexy pic would grab my attention but no it would not lure me in to pay attention to more important pics and nope a naked person telling me to vote would not convince me to vote if I were not planning to vote.
Now that got out of the way, years back I remember running into something about some broadcasting network with something called Naked News dont know if its still thing *might Google it out of curiosity*
Oh and I have seen some very interesting vote campaign video with… erm ..exotic dancers urging people to get your booty to the poll look it up at your own peril ^_^
what kind of world?
~B
Hmmm but I did see one that made me consider voting but unfortunately I am not in Jamaica Lisa make Jamaica look good this definitely got my full attention and no its not naked persuasion look it up on youtube I would be curious on your thoughts search for this phrase Lisa Hanna, Jamaican politician, gaining online attention for campaign
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Yes, others mentioned the naked news, too. I think I remember reading about it, too. But no details. We complain about news being so serious. Maybe the naked news is easier to stomach…
Thanks for the recommendation. I think it’s super silly, BUT “take your booty to the poll” is a smart double entendre.
Lisa Hanna hmmm I have to admit that I don’t know her but I kind of like her now. She seems down to Earth and fun. I think it’s a great campaign video.
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Apparently Naked News is still running on some Canadian network …
I like the symbolism of it though, when someone embodies uncovering a story to give you the naked truth hahaha
I once attended a Naked Poetry reading… its really not like it sounds hahaha but yeah there may have been varying degrees of undress
Had never heard of Lisa till I ran into that video some months back and I was like I should file for this for when I decide to run for presidency or something
If you live on an island are you automatically the president or ambassador or governor depending on territorial jurisdictions????
~B
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Good question. You need to declare independence first!
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If I weren’t planning to vote and there were naked celebs everywhere except the polling place, I’d probably vote, and I would probably take my sweet time doing it.
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ROFL
Well, at least you’re honest about it.
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