what is going wrong . Sometimes it can be more di�cult to recognise objectification . Consider , for instance , the improvement in attitudes towards breastfeeding in public . In a 2015 Start for Life poll , 72 % of people said they supported breastfeeding in public .
Nonetheless , some people still see breastfeeding as sexual and research from 2022 shows that this perception continues to deter some mothers from breastfeeding in public . Again , this involves prioritising how a viewer may see women ’ s bodies over the woman ’ s own attitudes and aims .
However , as social media censorship shows , there ’ s still significant stigma around women ’ s bodies � and it ’ s harmful .
�esearchers have explored the effects of objectification on women ’ s mental health . Studies have found that women may begin to view their own bodies primarily as objects for the use of others , and to see themselves as failures if they do not match up to whatever is currently regarded as the �ideal� body shape . Common effects include shame , anxiety , depression , disordered eating and reduced productivity .
‘ Vagina ’ and ‘ vulva ’ are dirty words This view that women ’ s bodies are sexual regardless of context is so dominant that the algorithm does not recognise alternative reasons for talking about or showing women ’ s bodies . The algorithm does not recognise that content about women ’ s bodies may be aimed at women . Women thus lose out on the opportunity to talk about their own bodies or to find out information about their bodies .
In 2023 , a campaign from period products brand
Bodyform was muted by social media for �sexual content� .
The campaign didn ’ t feature any nakedness but did include the correct anatomical terms for women ’ s body parts , including �vagina� and �vulva� . In response to being shadow-banned , the brand went on to highlight a list of forty words relating to women ’ s health that are regularly censored on social media � the list includes �clitoris� , �discharge� , �menopause� , �miscarriage� and �polycystic ovary syndrome� .
In 2022 , the Center for Intimacy �ustice studied 60 women ’ s health companies and found all of their ads were rejected on both Meta and Instagram over the previous three years , with almost half of those companies having their accounts suspended during the period . But in several instances , the ad policies only penalised content related to women and nonbinary people ’ s sexual health , while men ’ s sexual wellness brands were approved .
Philosopher Kate Manne argues that even when we push back against the shame many women feel about their bodies , we often end up unintentionally entrenching the idea that women ’ s body exist for others .
Body positivity is the idea that you should see your body as beautiful no matter what shape it is . Body neutrality suggests that we should aim to feel neutral about how our bodies look . Manne offers instead body reflexivity : my body is for me , and my perspective on it is the only one that matters .
It may seem obvious that my body is for me . But women grow up being told in so many subtle ways that there body is primary an object for others . Against that background , body reflexivity is a radical idea . n
Body positivity is the idea that you should see your body as beautiful no matter what shape it is .
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com ISSUE 1 | 2024
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