Objects of Sex

This week's readings by Laura Mulvey illustrate a major issue that has existed within cinema for over seventy years. Women, more often than not are simply presented as objects of visual/sexual pleasure by means of scopophilia, which refers to the pleasure taken by viewers in this method of presentation. Often, material such as this is void of all substance and is purely there to for the viewers visual pleasure. Mulvey argues that it exists to pleasure the viewer visually by presenting the woman in a sexual way, which is true and what makes this a very controversial topic.
Unfortunately for some, we live in a world where sex sells, and the cheap amusement is often the one used in film, advertisement, and other visual media. Personally I agree with her article, but I think it would be interesting to examine the opinions of persons from outside of the United States, which to this day holds many Puritanical values that are not shared by other places. In many European countries, sex in the visual medias is not nearly as censored or taboo as it is here, so I wonder if that audience would have the same sort of reaction to Mulvey's article. Perhaps is it our very system in the United States that makes he or she who is presented in a sexual manner feel objectified? I don't have an answer, but it sure does make me wonder if there is some kind of correlation.


http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/10/playboy-pinups-on-meeting-the-male-gaze.html

Above is a link to a very recent article written by Noreen Malone and researched by Anne Lemon and Lisa Mehling for the latest issue of New York Magazine. It takes this issue and relates it to some of the other concepts we have been discussing in class. It may not be related to film exactly, but nonetheless deals with the same concept of women being presented as objects of visual/sexual pleasure in visual media. Without doubt, it is a very compelling read.