The idea of sexual liberation in some feminist circles- especially those rooted in liberalism- is often affiliated with hyper-sexualizing oneself to appeal to the male gaze and the ‘empowerment’ of sex work. Many ‘choice feminists’ argue that they are expressing freedom but fail to understand that the rhetoric of ‘choice’ focuses attention on the individual choice-maker and thus takes the focus off how societal structures and cultural traditions often influence women’s choices.
Most of the time, individual sexual liberation is linked with the reclamation of power from the hands of men by sexualizing yourself to what you think is powerful and empowering. Yet, too often, the same images elevated to be the epitome of empowerment look exactly like images out of the male imagination. The trend of "bimbofication" on TikTok is one of the many examples of this.
It is essential to understand that even though we don't necessarily dress or act a certain way to appeal to the likes of men, many of our views on femininity are socially constructed, including both sexual desire and internalized beliefs about what society expects from women.
Studies present a further consequence of women who self objectify themselves; the perception of having personal free will to make conscious choices. Many women and misogyny affected people who objectify themselves, engage in gender relationships where they occupy – and accept –socially disadvantaged positions. They are less likely to “say no” in particularly ambiguous situations and are often in relationships that are characterized by asymmetrical power, in which women are subordinate and less prone to engaging in activities to change the status quo.
Experimental research has shown that heightened self-objectification promotes body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, hinders task performances, and depression. Mass media plays a significant role in this, and there is a correlation between viewing objectified models and self-objectification.
Today's adolescent female has the worst of two worlds. The likelihood of sexual exploitation not only exists from male chauvinists but also from those who seemingly espouse women's freedom and liberation.
Among many of the disadvantages of social media, is the constant glamorization of sex work. Many people are groomed to take up careers in X-rated content creation, especially through popular platforms such as onlyfans as soon as they turn of legal age. They are often young and financially vulnerable and falsely told that the sex work industry is glamorous and full of luxury goods and money.
The industry misleads young people to believe they can sell their sexuality online as a side hustle that is always empowering and never exploitative. They claim that content creators hold control and power in all situations, but the reality is often far from it. And even if one may seemingly find ‘success’ in the sex work industry, it is important to remember that it is the owner of the company (usually a white cis male) that genuinely benefits from your labour.
Feminism is not asking you to resolve your internal conflicts, but rather it asks each woman to reflect on her own desires and wants and consider how these choices uphold the binary gender system. For example, some women who enjoy being dominated need to question if their desires stem from themselves or is it the result of socialization.
Sexual liberation is liberation from demeaning sexualization and not reducing yourself to be an object of the male desire. As Bell Hooks put it, “Women will only be truly sexually liberated when we arrive at a place where we can see ourselves as having sexual value and agency irrespective of whether or not we are the objects of male desire.”
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