Objectification and Physical Attraction are NOT the Same Thing
Some thoughts over on my blog, prompted by men whining that Magic Mike is “objectifying men.” As always, I tried to talk about a lot of things in the span of not enough words, and I hope it at least halfway makes sense. Here’s a snippet:
Do I have a problem with men who want to throw dollars down at a strip club? No. I have a problem with men who think a woman’s only place in the world is as sexual entertainment. I have a problem with the inability of some men (not all, so calm down) to see a woman as sexual and human. Stripping and other sex work is only “dehumanizing” because at some point we collectively decided that it is and made it that way. That’s the root of the problem. It was never about people simply wanting to look at sexy naked people. It’s all about that screwed-up need we have to see sexuality and humanity as separate things.