{"id":53789,"date":"2013-02-11T12:00:32","date_gmt":"2013-02-11T17:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/socimages\/?p=53789"},"modified":"2017-09-17T08:35:06","modified_gmt":"2017-09-17T13:35:06","slug":"the-relationship-between-sex-appeal-and-sexual-objectification-beyonces-super-bowl-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/socimages\/2013\/02\/11\/the-relationship-between-sex-appeal-and-sexual-objectification-beyonces-super-bowl-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"The Difference Between Sex Appeal and Sexual Objectification"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2\"<\/a>Over at Feministing<\/a>,\u00a0Maya Dusenbery made a great observation about the conservative response to Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s\u00a0Super Bowl halftime show. \u00a0Conservatives widely criticized\u00a0her for sexually objectifying herself. \u00a0She made her “sex appeal the main attraction,” said one commentator<\/a>, who said that\u00a0Beyonc\u00e9 “humping the stage and flashing her lady bits to the camera” made her “sad.” Another said<\/a> that her performance was “tasteless and unedifying.”<\/p>\n

Dusenbery notes that the definition of sexual objectification<\/a> is the reduction of a person to their sex appeal only<\/em>. \u00a0And, ironically, this is what the conservative commentators did to\u00a0Beyonc\u00e9, not something she did to herself. \u00a0Sexual objectification is not found in a person’s clothing choices or dance moves; instead:<\/p>\n

[Objectification is]\u00a0watching Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s\u00a0show — where she demonstrated enormous professional skill by singing live, with an\u00a0awesome all-women band<\/a>\u00a0I might add, while\u00a0dancing her ass off<\/a>\u00a0in front of millions of people — and not being able to see anything besides her sexy outfit.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Indeed, these conservative commentators are arguing that\u00a0Beyonc\u00e9’s talent can only be fully be\u00a0appreciated in the absence<\/em> of sex appeal (whatever that might look like). \u00a0And that is the problem. Dusenbery continues:<\/p>\n

These commentators reflect a “culture in which too many people seem to find it difficult to understand that it is possible to simultaneously find a woman sexually attractive\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0treat her like a full human being deserving of basic respect.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Right on. \u00a0To me,\u00a0Beyonc\u00e9’s performance — along with those of her band mates and fellow dancers and singers — embodied strength and confidence; the pleasure of being comfortable in one’s own skin and the ability to use your body to tell a story; and the power that comes from being admired for the talents you’ve worked so hard to cultivate. \u00a0I don’t see how you could watch this and only see a sexual object:<\/p>\n