Pop culture definitely portrays the inequality between men and women. For women, their bodies seem to somehow be a trend in the pop culture nowadays. It's pretty much impossible to find a music video without a sexualized woman in it. Take Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball”: she’s pretty much naked throughout the entire video. Even though her intended meaning was to portray her vulnerability, I think there are other ways to show that. The song is extremely popular, but there are many criticisms on how she received her fame. I’m not trying to say that she can’t reveal her body if that's her choice, but I feel like it’s more of a necessary thing for women to objectify themselves in order to get attention in today’s “pop culture.” That is a stereotype that pop culture creates: women are only judged based on their physical appearance. Otherwise, pop culture teaches women that they have to be dependent on men in order to become successful. Shailene Woodley describes this best when she says this about Twilight: "[Bella] falls in love with this guy and the second he leaves her, her life is over and she's going to kill herself!"
In contrast, if a guy were to expose his body, no one would make a big deal out of it and would not be criticized; it might even be seen as a positive thing. A woman should be able to do anything with her body, just as a man could, without being influenced by dominating opinions and expectations from the media. Women shouldn’t have to sexualize themselves simply because that’s the only way to make it into the so called pop culture. But no matter what they choose to do, they should not be judged or criticized by society only because it does not fit with what society expects.
Pop culture does not only oversexualize women, but it puts pressure on men as well. Since the pop culture today obviously prefers men like Taylor Lautner from Twilight, what does that mean for men who are not? The dominant stereotypes define masculinity as being brave, tough, and muscular. It also teaches that "real men" should be like Edward and Jacob, protecting and fighting for Bella like she's an object or a pet. People who do not fit that stereotype are then considered non-masculine. Worst of all, they have to throw away their own expressions and self-confidence in order to fit in with what the pop culture favours. Being themselves could suddenly be seen as weak. How is that fair? For both men and women, pop culture puts negative stereotypes that are unfair and strip away everyone's individuality. We can’t let the pop culture reduce a person to a few stereotypical, shallow traits. We are all so much more than that.
In contrast, if a guy were to expose his body, no one would make a big deal out of it and would not be criticized; it might even be seen as a positive thing. A woman should be able to do anything with her body, just as a man could, without being influenced by dominating opinions and expectations from the media. Women shouldn’t have to sexualize themselves simply because that’s the only way to make it into the so called pop culture. But no matter what they choose to do, they should not be judged or criticized by society only because it does not fit with what society expects.
Pop culture does not only oversexualize women, but it puts pressure on men as well. Since the pop culture today obviously prefers men like Taylor Lautner from Twilight, what does that mean for men who are not? The dominant stereotypes define masculinity as being brave, tough, and muscular. It also teaches that "real men" should be like Edward and Jacob, protecting and fighting for Bella like she's an object or a pet. People who do not fit that stereotype are then considered non-masculine. Worst of all, they have to throw away their own expressions and self-confidence in order to fit in with what the pop culture favours. Being themselves could suddenly be seen as weak. How is that fair? For both men and women, pop culture puts negative stereotypes that are unfair and strip away everyone's individuality. We can’t let the pop culture reduce a person to a few stereotypical, shallow traits. We are all so much more than that.