Female bodies: caught between debate and the scales
An anonymous comment thread reveals how women's bodies are still judged and objectified online. How much longer will it go on?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
What does the ease with which we reduce a woman to an object say about us?
In the internet's least moderated corners, anonymity remains an alibi for objectification. A comment thread in a digital space shows how, without any provocation, a woman's body becomes material for crude jokes, animal comparisons and scrutiny of her weight that nobody asked for. The remarks range from sensual innuendo to outright contempt, all delivered with the casualness of someone who believes other people's bodies are fair game.
Some call it "bar-room digital sens". Others see it as a symptom of something deeper: the persistence of a male gaze that measures, weighs and classifies everything. In the end, it doesn't matter whether the woman is overweight or not: the mere fact that her body becomes a matter of public debate says more about those talking than about her.
The irony is that while her weight is being debated, those passing judgement don't feel they're being heavy-handed. At least on social media, a woman's body remains open for debate, and the yardstick is the scales.
In the internet's least moderated corners, anonymity remains an alibi for objectification. A comment thread in a digital space shows how, without any provocation, a woman's body becomes material for crude jokes, animal comparisons and scrutiny of her weight that nobody asked for. The remarks range from sensual innuendo to outright contempt, all delivered with the casualness of someone who believes other people's bodies are fair game.
Some call it "bar-room digital sens". Others see it as a symptom of something deeper: the persistence of a male gaze that measures, weighs and classifies everything. In the end, it doesn't matter whether the woman is overweight or not: the mere fact that her body becomes a matter of public debate says more about those talking than about her.
The irony is that while her weight is being debated, those passing judgement don't feel they're being heavy-handed. At least on social media, a woman's body remains open for debate, and the yardstick is the scales.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (47 replies).
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