Politics of Sex by Tiffany G.

Tiffany Gamboa

Professor Doris Cacoilo

Media 384

11 April 2017

The Politics of Sex

         Time and time again we have seen examples, in which women are seen as inferior to men. Plagued with the burden of having to abide to impossible standards, just to appear more "feminine." For example, instead of being seen as a human being, women are looked upon as sexual objects. Her beauty is seen as the only quality going for her. She must have no sign of aging, no scars or blemishes. "She is thin, generally tall, and long-legged, and above all she is young" (Kilbourne 122). Women that do not conform to these standards, begin to question themselves and their worth. They begin to feel ashamed and guilty, and feel as if their essence is dependent upon physical beauty. Jean Kilbourne also writes, in addition, women are “somehow supposed to be both sexy and virginal, experienced and naive, seductive and chase” (Kilbourne 124).

Some women go through great lengths to receive the "perfect body."

Not only do women have to face this problem, but they also barely have rights to basic reproductive and abortion rights. For example, in January, our president, Donald Trump, signed  signed a ban on federal money going to international groups that provide information on abortions. Many people reacted to this outrage, including author J.K. Rowling who said "Men making decisions about women's bodies," a phrase we hear time and time again.

If you look closely, not a single woman was present in the Oval Office during the signing of this ban.

Twitter reaction to the outrage

It's a sad reality, that abortion rules are often determined by male officials. This order can have grueling effects and be dangerous for females in developing countries who usually have to turn to hazardous and unsafe ways to terminate their pregnancies. Roxane Gay, a feminist writer, wrote in Bad Feminist, “We [women] will risk our lives if these politicians, who so flagrantly demean women, force us to do so” (Gay 269). Sadly, it is true. According to The World Health Organization made an estimate that more than 21 million women a year have unsafe abortions in developing countries, accounting for about 13 percent of all maternal deaths. The link to the fact sheet can be found here. A quote from the reading From Abortion to Reproductive Rights written by Jennifer Nelson, women should “maintain the right to bear children was as important to the productive freedom as the legal right to terminate a pregnancy” (Nelson 2). This is something that politicians don’t listen to because a majority of them do not understand the female body. Instead of allowing women to terminate a pregnancy, there are political officials such as Tom Corbett and Terry England, who make it difficult for women to do so by attempting to pressure them into making decisions not to end their pregnancy (Gay 272). There is more information about a woman feeling abortion pressure, that resulted in tragedy, in an article produced by Times Magazine here.

Men making decisions for women is just the tip of the iceberg. Sexism within any field, especially politics, is nothing new. Reproductive freedom should be an absolute right, but it is something that can be easily revoked. Gay makes a good point, when she stated "I don't feel free. I don't feel like my body is my own" (Gay 274). The female body is not a force that should be legislated or regulated by others, except women. Yet, laws that were passed by the state of Arizona, has allowed an employer to dismiss a woman for using birth control (Gay 275).

An image poking fun at the government for having the "knowledge" to make executive decisions for a women's body.

Unfortunately, there is a huge gender gap in political ambition. Women are less likely to be considered qualified to run for office than men. As stated by Linda B. Glaser, there is a false perception that women have to work twice as hard as men to get half as far and overcome obstacles that men never have to undergo (Gender and Politics). In a video I watched in class, Hilary Clinton was called a b*tch and Sarah Palin was considered the hotter of the two, as if that's all these women have to contribute. If Hilary were elected president, there is no doubt in my mind that things would have been different. Women would definitely have a greater voice in the decision of their bodies. However, it is interesting that Hilary supports Roe v. Wade which grants women the right to make decisions on abortion. She has stated that she would defend Planned Parenthood instead of defunding it like Trump said he would. Hilary claims she cares about women's rights to make their own health care decision.
What the media and these political figures have in common is that they continue to see women as a dismembered object (Kilbourne 124) . In terms of abortion and reproductive rights, women are mainly seen as a stomach holding a fetus. Most lawmakers do not account for the emotional and psychological journey it took for a woman to make a decision on keeping or getting rid of her baby. They mainly think about the womb and assume because it is growing a life, it must live. In addition, they also don't think about how it will affect the women economically, socially, and other aspects of her life.

Works Cited



Gay, Roxane. “The Alienable Rights of Women.” Bad Feminist, Harper Perennial, New York, 2014.

Glaser, Linda B. “Gender and Politics Expert Examines Sexism in Campaigns | Cornell

Chronicle.” Gender and Politics Expert Examines Sexism in Campaigns | Cornell Chronicle,

Accessed 11 Apr. 2017.

“Hillary Clinton on Abortion.” Hillary Clinton on Abortion,
www.ontheissues.org/2016/Hillary_Clinton_Abortion.htm. Accessed 11 Apr. 2017.

Kilbourne, Jean. “Beauty and the Beast of Advertising.” The Beauty and the Beast of

Advertising, p. 122.

Nelson, Jennifer. “From Abortion to Reproductive Rights.” Women of Color and the Reproductive Rights Movement, New York University Press, New York, 2003, p. 2.

“Trump's Order on Abortion Policy: What Does It Mean?” BBC News, BBC, 24 Jan. 2017. Accessed
11 Apr. 2017.