After I read this article, it made me realize how everything comes down to control and power. I had never really seen it in that way but it completely makes sense. When it comes to women, everything is sexualized to the point where it can be uncomfortable for women. For instance the cat calling, when a man shouts something or whistles at women it makes them seem like animals or objects. This makes women very uncomfortable which makes them even switch the path they were originally going to take. Also the leaking of celebrities’ photos, this makes women who are strong and act with class seem as if they are weak. Or also like you said, exes releasing pictures because they can’t have someone. This pictures where shared with them in private it is not fair for the man to release these pictures just because he feels like he is not in control. Lastly the wonderful example was the one about the sexual attacks on Egyptian women. It is sad that men have to go so far just to feel as if they are controlled, they are threatened by women because they know how much potential all women have.

This post highlights the important point that the misogynistic treatment of women may “look like sex” but is “really about power.” The article refers to the situation of leaked nude photos that so many Hollywood actresses have faced as clearly an “invasion of privacy.” As an example, Jennifer Lawrence recently refused to apologize for the nude photos of her that were leaked online and instead called the act a “sex crime.” The article accurately pointed out that men are expressing the need to control women through their images. These Hollywood actresses are vulnerable and now at the mercy of the men who are on a quest for power and their “15 minutes of fame.” As stated in the article, actress Emma Watson speech was highly publicized and was a rallying point for women. However, threats issued by men underscored the hard reality of “sex” being used to “disempower women.”

In the viral video, The People’s Girls’ “Creepers on the Bridge” depicts the sexual harassment that women in Cairo receive for walking across a community bridge all alone. This powerful video depicts the objectification of women as they walk facing intense and unnerving stares from men. There have been several times when I have been in my car or walking along the street and men have whistled or yelled inappropriate comments. Their actions are an attempt to objectify me as a sex object and subsequently makes me feel uncomfortable. Sex equals disempowerment is an accurate title for this article and for the situation facing so many women across the world. It is important for women to stand up and not allow this treatment.

I loved this post! It had a lot of points that I could resonate with as woman. I agree that it every man may not par take in ogling at women, but I do feel that there are still far too many that do. As a girl I was brought up to never go on walks by myself, especially at night, and as a woman not much has changed. I feel a lot more comfortable to take walks in the day time, but have still been numerous occasions where I have felt uncomfortable and objectified by men in a day outing. I have actually been followed by men in their cars while I am on my morning runs, to the point where I had to go and ask for help from a stranger or neighbor. My guy friends do not know what this would feel like, because for the most part it doesn’t happen to them. I am not saying that men don’t get objectified by women, because they most certainly do, it’s just not nearly as often as women or in as many ways. However, I do see it, I am a bartender at a nightclub and I see men getting mistreated by women all the time. My male co-workers have also shared many stories where they have felt extremely uncomfortable and violated by women. They also would agree with me though, that they don’t have to feel scared when they go out on a run at any time of day. Men don’t have to worry about what they wear when they go out. Men don’t have to make decisions that limit there lives in fear of being attacked sexually. Although rapes and other unjustifiable acts do happen to men by women, it is not on such a level that it has effected men in the masses. Unfortunately for the good guys out there, there are so many other men that are choosing to objectify women for either sexual desires or for power. It disgusts me how many books or articles that I have read, that mention how much rape and incest have not much to do with sexual infatuation, as much as it does with the need for dominance, control and power. I have had male friends that have come to their defense when caught disrespecting women by ogling etc, by stating that it is their biological need to look at women because they are wired to do so to pick mates to procreate with. Although there may be merit to this theory because men are more visually stimulated, it does not give them the right or the excuse to objectify our bodies, treat us like cars on a lot and or rape. There should be no excuses made for such acts, and if there is truth in their defense, then whatever happened to the concept of evolution? We don’t just stop evolving as a species, these are things that should be worked on to help build hope for a better world that does not base it’s needs around power, sex and money. Women have been kept in the control of men for far too long, be it our education, how we dress, whether we can vote or note, speak our opinions or join men in the work force. There have been and still are, way too many rights that have been kept from us due to our gender. I hope that posts like yours and videos like the one you shared, continue to be voiced and I hope that people continue to watch and respond. Getting people talking about the right things, gives us the opportunity for growth as a nation.

I disagree with the statements that specifically blame men. Because, quite frankly, I don’t believe that it is all men’s fault. And I can’t be the only female out there who sees it this way. But regardless, I do think women are overly sexualized, especially in the media. Specifically, a photo of a woman is leaked and it is sexy, while if a photo of a man was leaked, it would end up being a place for guys to just compare, or they would just make fun of him or anything like that. It just makes me mad that just because these things don’t happen to males, we automatically ASSUME it is a male’s fault. This could all be done by a woman who is jealous of the women and they find a way to post the pictures. We just don’t know.

This just goes to show that it doesn’t take a “slut” to take nudes, are infamous celebrities can be naughty too. I believe there is nothing wrong with taking a sexy selfie on your phone and sending it to your loved one. I have a few girl friends who really enjoy taking naked photographs of themselves because they said it helps them feel sexy and in control. With a camera they can control what parts of their body they want shown, they can also control the angel to help them hide or enhance a certain area of the body. I’ve also been told that it makes them feel more desirable, that once they take there nude and send it they get a lot of positive feed back from their partner who usually in return sends a nude.

As for Jennifer Lawrence, i was watching an interview where they asked her how she felt about her nudes being leaked to the public and she said she was devastated and didn’t know how to leak the news to her parents. She also said that she has no shame in those photographs because at the time she was in a very healthy, long term/long distance relationship. Where she felt that it was better for her boyfriend to look at naked pictures of herself rather than porn.

Taking nudes is just as healthy for a persons ego as taking a normal selfie and putting it on instagram, except this one goes to one person. It’s one of the ways in which people are able to hold on to long distant relationships. Ultimately you know what could happen to those photos when you send them, and you agree to the consequences when you do. I’m not saying every person you send a nude to will leak them, but you should be aware. Hope for the best but expect the worst, kind of thing.

I believe women are seen by a lot of men around the world as secondary to them but then not all men do think that way. In some parts of the world it’s part of their custom and culture to do what they do and for us as American’s we must see it in the light of the people in their own country for a change. But from American thinking I believe it’s true that some men use photos that were very private to feel a sense of pride and prove the their ex partner that they are the dominant one. It’s a way of backlashing the woman for doing something the man did not totally agree with or liked at all. But everyone is different some men think before they take action and some don’t but then there are some like someone else that there are the crazy ones too. But it doesn’t matter what their mental thoughts or state is, the same idea of male power comes to mind to those that do those use sex as disempowerment to the woman. As time goes on, people evolve and then men began to use this as a way to have power over women.

In the general circle of men, it has always been seen as an accomplishment to make a girl orgasm, when it is known that only 1/3 of women can do this. This is an example of how sex can empower a man, not saying that this is true for all men, but it is definitely something that men objectify and treat as the prize trophy of his manhood. I do think it is ridiculous how men can use a lady’s nudes as a way to blackmail them because 1) the woman probably trusted you to have them in the first place, so you’re just a jerk and 2) having the balls to expose someone in a way that makes them vulnerable. These two things don’t just apply under the subject of using sex as empowerment but also in our own community, to respect one another and their privacy. The situation here when men are sexually harassing women is just one of the problems that exist in our world.

Ok first off, its obvious that everyone is looking at the individual video taping. Anyone is going to look at someone walking down the street with a camcorder pointing at them. Pretty poor experiment, imho.

Yes, men look at women and women look at men. Go find the video of women staring at the bulging crotch of a male on the subway. Second, women know what theyre are doing, wearing low cut blouses exposing themselves and then complaining when people look at their breasts falling out of their shirt is just idiotic. Im not saying that wearing clothes that one likes is wrong, just dont complain when you make the choice to wear 6″ stripper heels and clothes 2 sizes too small. Likewise if I went out in a skirt and blouse, people would stare…I dont really have the right to complain.

Now we all know men are objectified too and its perfectly ok for a woman to chase, tackle and rip the clothes off of a man. But lets not get into that right now.

Blaming an entire gender for the bad decisions of a few morons is just as moronic. Its like saying all women are crazy who will destroy youre belongings and cut off your penis if you break up with them. So my advice, dont make such broad generalizations of a gender solely based off the actions of a select few.

BTW, what makes you so sure that it was a man or men who posted the nude photos? Seems pretty ignorant to think that only a man would do such a thing. Because women never do anything immoral or demeaning to individuals right?

It is crazy to realize how true this all is. There are many guys in our world who believe that objectifying a woman will empower them. I think that they have learned this through history. The superiority of men comes from the inferiority of women and continuing to make women feel inferior will make them seem superior.

It is true that this all relates to sex because women are viewed as sex objects. Sharing nude photos makes women vulnerable and by this, men feel empowered. This exposes her and everything about her sex appeal making her less desirable. I think men do this out of jealousy.
When men cannot contain themselves and feel the need to uncomfortably stare down or give comments to girls in public, they make women feel like they are nothing but pieces of meat made to give pleasure to a man. I, like so many other women, have experienced catcalls. They are far from flattering, instead they terrify and disgust me.

Last summer, I visited Turkey with my mother and two sisters. Like the woman in the video, we were not completely covered up like many of the women there. At one point, there were two men following us for about 10 minutes. We walked into a store an they waited outside until my mother went outside, yelled at them, and threatened to call the police. We were in public the entire time, but these men had no shame. This is the 21st century and guys can’t get used to girls walking around in shorts? Why is it that we have to worry about showing to much skin?

Men have this set superiority and them continuing to empower themselves by objectifying women is completely absurd.

“One of the benefits that oppression confers upon the oppressors is that the most humble among them is made to feel superior; thus, a ‘poor white’ in the South can console himself with the thought that he is not a ‘dirty (n-word)’ – and the more prosperous whites cleverly exploit this pride.

Similarly, the most mediocre of males feels himself a demigod as compared with women.”

– Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex

I’ve noticed that men who harass sexually, shame women sexually and catcall tend to have less formal education than those who don’t. Educated men don’t have to prove their worth by belittling women, they can hold their own amongst other men through personal achievements. What this boils down to is extreme self-consciousness, low self-esteem and anger resulting from not having achieved any worthwhile personal power on the part of those men. Their go-to tool of easy superiority and instant ego boost is the double standard of sex that discriminates against women.