Thanks for pointing that out Sociological Images.
“[…][A]nother over-the-top example of the objectification of female athletes. The commercial is for RoadID, a company that sells “identification gear.” Autumn saw it while watching the Tour de France; she found this shortened version online, which she says actually features less objectification than the original did.
The main focus of the ad is a slow investigation of various aspects of cyclist Jenny Fletcher’s body. The camera travels slowly up her leg, then shows her full profile before zooming in on her breasts as she zips up her shirt:
Jenny Fletcher has no dialogue. She exists as a body to be broken down into eroticized parts for the consumption of the viewer. As Autumn put it, it’s frustrating that, a fan of the “the male-centric Tour de France,” that “when they do FINALLY feature a female cyclist, it is as a sexual object.”
bleatmop
Mystro
Dead Wild Roses 
29 comments
September 12, 2012 at 4:10 pm
Reneta Scian
All I can say is, WOW. And my friends tell me there isn’t any sexism… Really?
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September 12, 2012 at 9:26 pm
The Arbourist
Probably the same friends that think that the need for feminism is over, and we’re ready to embrace a post feminist society.
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September 12, 2012 at 9:40 pm
Reneta Scian
Yes, and no. They think sexism is targeted against men and women, and I have a hard time articulating to them that it’s not. They say, men are sexualized to and I know it’s not the case, but I can’t define the difference to them.
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September 14, 2012 at 5:36 am
Titfortat
And? I take it she was well paid for the ad and probably had every opportunity to not “allow” herself to be used in such a “sexist manner.” Agency people, agency.
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September 14, 2012 at 9:24 am
The Arbourist
@Titfortat
Sexism, like the quality of agency does not happen in a vacuum. As a society, we can make a concerted effort not to make one gender be based on how fuckable they are. This a fairly low bar and we can do better.
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September 14, 2012 at 11:07 am
Titfortat
Some individuals regardless of gender like to be viewed as fuckable. ;)
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September 14, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Reneta Scian
That isn’t how it really works. Even if a person “plays that card” so to speak, the cards are still stacked against them in the system. Humans want to be wanted, want to be needed and desired. However, the model of that system is fundamentally flawed and hurtful to women. Women playing along with it isn’t “less cause for concern”, but more. The fact that women have bought off on this, and that if they differ from it they are treated poorly, insulted, threatened.
If the play along they sacrifice their needs and their autonomy to “fit in” not be scorned, and to be wanted. But all that awards you is the place of “second class citizen” they want you to occupy. If you fight to be equal you are scorned, if you don’t you are still oppressed. That doesn’t stop because you have been conditioned to “actually like being fuckable”. You really don’t seem to understand the problem. You really should watch the 3 part Morality Series on Qualia Soup on YouTube.
And remember, knowledge doesn’t deliver, you have to go pick it up yourself.
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September 15, 2012 at 6:35 am
Titfortat
@Reneta
Or you can accept the fact that not all people see the world in the same way. For some they just dont view themselves as a “victim” because some others view them as “fuckable”. I think there are a couple of morality series other individuals want me to watch also, I think I like what my mother taught me best. “Son, nobody can walk on you unless you lie down”. Just because someone views me as a sexual object does not mean it has to be negative and if they view it as negative I still have the choice as to whether I believe their shit or not.
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September 15, 2012 at 9:04 am
Reneta Scian
If the world were equal, and men and women had equal place and gender equality were in place then this would be the discussion. But it’s not. Certainly everyone is different, but it’s clear that you don’t understand the issue in your state of privilege. Men and Women aren’t equal, and the force pushing women to demean themselves by being sex objects is overwhelming. It’s called ignorance, and it’s also called tradition fails if you don’t update your understanding with the best available information. I am sorry, but it would appear your morality (from your mother or not) is a little out of date.
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September 15, 2012 at 9:26 am
The Arbourist
@Titfortat
Woo hoo hoo! So sayeth the one speaking from a seemingly privileged position. Sounds like you need to here and do a little reading because the sounds you’re making resonate on 101 level when it comes to how our society is set up and how it works.
Women do not have the choice NOT to be in the sex class, it their position in the hierarchy regardless of how they choose to view themselves.
Except that misogyny and sexism are systematic features of our society (aka Patriarchy) and colours almost every interaction that takes place within said society.
So, hey if you’re not busy objectifying or submitting to be objectified (not really possible) you get a cookie. Congrats on not actively adding to the problem.
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September 15, 2012 at 9:34 am
The Arbourist
@ Reneta
It is really quite amazing how many times I get to have this argument. The notion that there is a level playing field, or anything other than a vague resemblance of equality is usually position number one that needs to be discussed before stating any other discussion of society, women and gender.
I think it all the heteronormative reinforcement that goes one implicitly that really reinforces that idea that that prevalent biases in society are somehow “normal” and “egalitarian”.
*sigh*
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September 15, 2012 at 12:26 pm
Reneta Scian
One of the things I hate the most though is that I always struggle to explain it. I know it’s fuck up, but sometimes I just can’t articulate it and it makes me feel backed into a corner and makes me question myself at it’s worst. They always have an excuse for it and I don’t always have a defense.
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September 15, 2012 at 12:47 pm
The Arbourist
@ Reneta
That is the neat part of being on the dominant side of a cultural paradigm. The answers and responses have been carefully hashed out specifically to exclude debate. Questioning accepted truths is so damn hard because of the cognitive framework people build up around concepts that defends them from alternate views and interpretations of how things work. Because we need to explain everything, step-by-step and in meticulous detail is because what we’re saying is fundamentally opposed to what is commonly accepted or believed. The status-quo is useful and powerful and people are often invested in maintaining it because it works for them.
Reneta, believe me, I understand where you are coming from. In addition to being a feminist, I also am a firm believer in social-democracy and socialism. Look at any pretty much every conversation I’ve had with V.R Kaine, I can quote stats, use logic and reason till I turn blue and most of the time I’m calmly told I don’t have a clue what I’m talking about and the ideas I propose are pie-in-the-sky fairy tales that are certainly *not* for adult conversation. It is because I argue against the status-quo that everything I say and state is scrutinized and dissected; versus the often uncritical acceptance of what the status-quo offers for argumentation.
Fact may be on our side, but it is not enough. Changing people’s cognitive frames is key, only then can change happen. The road we have is the harder one and it sucks, its the price we pay for being right. :)
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September 15, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Titfortat
Oh you two……..the world will never be equal. Never, nada. I dont begrudge you attempting to make it that way but that still doesnt mean it will be so. Here’s a favourite motto of mine, independent of my Mom. “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”
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September 15, 2012 at 2:30 pm
Titfortat
@Reneta
By the way, I tried to leave a comment on your blog but I think the monsters known as wordpress ate it. ;)
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September 15, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Titfortat
I would sooooooo love to sit down and have a beer and hash out some stuff. Where abouts do you guys live?
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September 15, 2012 at 2:38 pm
The Arbourist
Oh we all live close together when we have the internetz! I am a dweller of the Great White North, a Canadian through and through(for whatever worth it is). :)
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September 15, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Titfortat
I just realized you are from ALBERTAaaaaaaaaa. Im in the Nations Capital. Send me some of that Oil youre hogging. :)
So, what did you think of Ezra Levants book, Ethical Oil?
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September 15, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Reneta Scian
Well, the problem is that we aren’t making it up. And it doesn’t suck to live in my world. I surely don’t suffer for it. I am just aware of it. I have hats. When I am ready to discuss social issues I put on that hat. Seldom to the two worlds meet. But sexism is a problem, and I think you seem a least intelligent enough to pull yourself out of the ignorance of what women face. There is always a fundamental failure of the statements that maintain the status quo, in that the status quo always changes. But morality doesn’t changes, nor do the basis of harm, or any other such principle when it comes to morality.
The problem with the status quo of American and other Westernized cultures is the intrinsically negative, and lose/lose situation presented by sexism, segregation on the basis of sex, and any kind of codification that places peoples value around their sex, or their capacity to be sexualized. Feminism dissects that and works toward stopping the negative and dire effects it has on women by pointing it out, empowering women, and by fighting against those intent on preserving male privilege, the patriarchy or the oppression of women.
The believe that the world will never be equal is a pessimistic stance, and it is “disempowering”. But the fact of that matter is that this has changed. Humans have the capacity with science to change things, and to update our moral code in ways represented by what we have learned and what we have come to know. If equality was impossible then it would not be possible to improve the state of the world. In my opinion, the belief that equality is impossible is false, and intellectually or otherwise lazy. But it is your right to believe so.
I also fished you comment out of the spam filter and approved it. The first step to understanding oppression is to understand privilege. As for where we do or don’t live some of us have very specific reasons for privacy in those regards. Being atheist, GLBT and other intersections sometimes makes us the targets of less than savory folks who would do bad things to us. Trust me on this, sometimes a little anonymity is needed.
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September 15, 2012 at 2:58 pm
Titfortat
@Reneta
Feminism is not a monolith. So, because of that there are many things that people espouse and claim to be feminist that I cant or wont ever get on board with. Call yourself an Egalitarian and I will be your staunchest supporter. You can talk until your blue in the face about “patriarchy” but I as a male I feel that is a completely sexist stance. Kyriarchy is such a better word to describe power imbalance. One thing I believe any woman who is fighting for equality should remind themselves of is the fact that if you piss off and alienate the moderate male you will have an even bigger freaking hill to climb.
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September 15, 2012 at 7:29 pm
The Arbourist
Your opinion is noted.
Like these moderate males helping themselves to someones private space on a train? If this is what moderate dudes are like, we need to be pissing them off more, not less because their actions are unacceptable.
Another favorite pastime of females and minorities is being told how to solve their problems or how they should think by dudes, there is even term for it:mansplaining. I suggest, as your friendly internet host, you stop it. :)
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September 16, 2012 at 3:09 am
Reneta Scian
Patriarchy is still a valid address for the oppression women face. And upon reading anything in my blog, one quickly realizes that I recognized the intersectionality and kyriarchy. However, male privilege is still at the apex of privilege (since men are actually a minority, and all men enjoy it to a degree), it just happens to also be male, white, hetero, cis, able-bodied, wealthy, well-to-do, et cetera privilege, especially in the Western World where brown skin, a different majority religion, differently shaped eyes, or different wardrobe apparently makes you a conspirator of the enemy and duly bomb-able. Feminism changes, as it should, to match the best information it has, and their are different breeds of feminism. However, it’s not up to you to decide what makes feminism sexist.
The patriarchal historical order of most human societies is more than valid to modern feminism. Feminist can be sexists, hell, feminist women can even be misogynistic in the way they apply feminist philosophy or through internalizing that (AKA Transphobic/Femmephobic/Heterophobic Radical Feminists), but the core idea behind mentioning the patriarchy is about mentioning the portrayals of gender, behavior, and society when it comes to gender and they are still valid and hardly sexist. Privilege speaking I fear. Cultural images that reinforce the cultural messages of the patriarchy are everywhere, and women are scorned and portrayed through the straw feminists that the patriarchy patronizes and picks apart when they object to the class they are placed in by said idea.
Portrayed as “Man-Hating Sycophants”, or “Really Angry Lesbians” who despise the phallus or anything resembling it, to include objects, names and things that have nothing to do with me, or males and more to do with physics and gravity. As I said, there can be sexism directed and males from the feminist movement, but most intelligent feminists I know can dissect that for what it is… Same shoe, different foot. But there is no singular “Patriarch”, because the “Patriarchy” represents the male rule, and female oppression said system represents, and is a culturally or sociological system that is hard to represent in codified “blacks and whites”.
Every male enjoys male privilege, though to differing degrees, some men act on it actively, some don’t and others only do so partially. it’s a complex system to identify especially since it’s been the long reigning “historical author” of culture. The kyriarchy is reality, but so is the patriarchy. One may encompass the other, but your point seems less valid when realizing that the patriarchal system exists in more homogenous cultures. Even when other intersectionalities are marginal, patriarchy is still very much present. Especially with the influence of Westernize Cultures, especially cultures heavy on Judea-Christian philosophy.
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September 16, 2012 at 6:22 am
Titfortat
@Arbourist & Reneta
As the son of a single mother, I understand much of what you talk about. To say I understand it personally would be false as my gender does not see the world from your lense. But and this is a BIG but, yours does not see the world from my lense either. Remember my words as you have probably heard similar ones from other men. Calling it “mansplaining” and continually using gender terms(patriarchy) to describe your challenges will not help your cause one iota. It may get you cheers from the chorus but it will continue to alienate others that are needed in the struggle for equality. Kyriarchy and Equalitarianism ladies, they are inclusive words which show that we are all in this together. Arbourist, as a friendly internet commenter, I respectfully ask that you ‘stop’ it too. :)
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September 16, 2012 at 8:41 am
The Arbourist
Oh we can, we can. I must respectfully disagree with you not on one, but two levels, the first for making sweepingly general statements about all of a particular gender, but more importantly the idea that dudes can’t get it is false.
Abourist <—- Dude. I get it. I understand how patriarchy and privilege work in my favour and how it can (and still does) shape my responses and reactions to society.
There you go doing it again though…
Telling people further down the power gradient how to do it properly. Here is the thing, you (and me, the dominant class) do not get to prescribe how the struggle is to unfold, or the strategies to take. This is akin to asking white people when racism is over. I do okay at feminist theory because I read a fair bit, and more importantly I try to listen and give space to people who are in the oppressed class.
I have no problem (semantically speaking) with Kyriarchy and egalitarianism (I’m assuming this is what you meant). Patriarchy is a subset of kyriarchy and thus application of either term depending on the situation should be fine. As said earlier, we don’t get to say definitively which is a better tack to take. We can certainly express our opinion, but expect that it won’t have much weight (same for all *opinion*) just because it was said by a white dude, expecting the societal norm of being white and male ergo – “right” doesn’t fly in most feminist circles.
Not seeing your privileged opinion getting the time it usually gets can be distressing for dudes, I know it is for me, but then again we just need to go back to the rest of society for that “imbalance” to be corrected, things will be right as rain 99.5 percent of the time for us as the societal paradigm works in our favour.
Here is the issue, here in the internetz, we can actively create safe spaces for oppressed classes of people. This blog is one of those spaces – it is important to listen and understand just as much as it is to share and contribute. It makes this small segment of da web a safe place, because people don’t have to fight the feminism/patriarchy 101 level battles here *each and everytime* they want to say something or make an argument because my stable of writers and much of my commentariat gets it.
So dude, take it from another dude (see the privilege working here?), when I can see that your mansplaining you really are mansplaining, and generally speaking it isn’t very helpful and is generally not well received in minority spaces. :)
Nope.
You are welcome to post here, currently, but be please aware that this is an inclusive safe space and I enforce it as such.
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September 16, 2012 at 9:22 am
Titfortat
“but be please aware that this is an inclusive safe space and I enforce it as such”
Loud and Clear. Have a nice day.
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September 16, 2012 at 9:50 pm
Reneta Scian
And I greatly appreciate those things, Arb. It is really tough sometimes, as not all blogs out there really do that, and there is plenty of “mansplaining” in the blogosphere for those who want to partake. It’s also though to have a conversation with someone who has unchecked male privilege talking.
I also hope that I do a decent job of avoiding pitfalls or derails myself, though I know I am hardly perfect. Sometimes I comment when I am in “a mood” and come back to them later only to shake my head, but yeah. I can be rather verbose, and have very strong opinions about varying matters. But I can say though that the perspectives of your blog have been incredibly helpful to me over time. If you remember, I was a questioning Christian when I first came to your blogs and something of a closet social democrat. I felt aligned to some degree with many of the things you were saying, but it acted as a catalyst to me come to where I am with it now.
It has helped me formulate opinions about things I already felt, but couldn’t articulate as the past 3 years of my life has been a process of coming out of the fog of the status quo and commonly accepted, but ultimately false cultural truths. I started in a state of cognitive dissonance, and for the most part, that is largely gone now. Anyhow, I just wanted you to know I appreciate it.
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September 16, 2012 at 11:32 pm
The Arbourist
@Reneta
Your welcome, and thanks to you Reneta for helping form the culture here at DWR. Having a robust and varied commentariat makes blogging much more interesting and engaging for me. As it seems, everyone wins. :)
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October 5, 2012 at 6:22 am
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