Objectification of Women

A few years ago, while watching the sci fi classic "Forbidden Planet" made in the early 50's, I noticed something I hadn't noticed before. In the movie a young girl had been raised by her father alone on a distant planet. She had no experience of men, so when a bunch of spacemen turned up their leader (our hero) saw fit to tell her to dress more appropriately (she was in the habit of wearing skimpy short things - much like you see every day in the street these days). What struck me was not how patronising and sexist this was, but how, if the movie were made today, no one in it would mention the girl's wardrobe and the hero would, no doubt, have managed to shag her by the end.

What I noticed was how women are still being objectified by our culture, despite the intervening years seeing the rise of the women's movement, one of its aims being the elimination of the objectification of women.

In the 50's and 60's women were babied. For example, they were not allowed to compete in endurance sports and they found borrowing money difficult. Many professions and pasttimes were completely barred to them. There were powerful and successful women in many fields but they were the exception rather than the rule. The women's movement succeeded in changing all that but ...

In those dim dark ages there was sexual objectification of women, but it only involved certain "types" of women (a sexist concept in itself) and was kept very firmly behind closed doors. Nowadays it's in your face 24/7 - on television, in all modes of advertising (banks are advertised as extra-marital affairs, sanitary products are advertised with "cute" little furry creatures, cattle "do it" in Toyotas) and in the general culture (Boobs on Bikes anyone?). Now I know the owners of these boobs believe they have been liberated to flash their assets, but I believe they are deceived. The men who line the streets are not there to celebrate their liberation. They're there to oggle boobs.

Women have been liberated to be objectified sexually. Now men expect every woman they meet to be sexually available, because that is what the culture tells them. I recently read two magazine articles from radically different points of view. The conservative writer lamented that women who engage in casual sex have trouble forming intimate relationships (maybe that's been men's problem all along?) and the liberal writer lamented that sexually predatory women are as bad as sexually predatory men (and this surprises you how?). It's been a jolly good win for men though. They might have to compete with women for jobs and what not, but they've gained a whole lot of "liberated" sexual playthings.

The Unique Perils of Loving Dr Who

Last Sunday we saw the end of David Tennant's Dr Who and the first appearance of the new one played by Matt Smith. Regeneration is something old time fans of Dr Who are used to and look forward to to a certain extent. But to my children the demise of Tennant's Doctor was a wrench. We saw a few seconds of the newer younger variety (Ew - he looks weird!) I tried to reassure them that all Doctors were cool in their own way. You always start off thinking - he's not right - but eventually you become fond of them.
However, my Dr Who memories go back all the way to William Hartnell (yes, the first Doctor) and I clearly remember the shock when he turned into Patrick Troughton. In any case the Doctor's regenerations are part of his appeal and absolutely the reason he's still going strong after nearly 50 years. (Yes, there was a gap. But the new Doctor has managed so far to be even better than the old Doctor.)
But Tennant's Doctor was becoming a troublesome character. The Doctor's always been a smart alec but Tennant verged on megalomania from time to time, and a new aspect to the Doctor's character - a tragic preoccupation with death and suffering - meant he was actually not such fun company as he had been. It seemed the character had nowhere further to go. He was too hurt by the suffering he was causing his companions to invite any more to join him, so he was lonely. He was without family or home, and was the last of his race (give or take the evil council imprisoned in a time lock). He had friends but put them in danger by his very presence. Tennant played the whole last two shows as if he was in great pain all the time. It was almost as if ending the character was a blessing.
I hope the young new fellow gets to have some jolly fun before he starts losing companions and making serious life and death decisions.