The hypersexualization of society

Hypersexualization means the fact of put all or a good part of the attention on sexual attributes and values, delegating other qualities to the background possessed by an individual (specifically, women). Although hypersexualization as a phenomenon is not new, the debate that exists around it, as well as the use of this term, is more recent.

To understand the phenomenon it is necessary to go back, on the one hand, to the 60s and, on the other, to the 80s.. In the 1960s, what has been described as the “sexual revolution” movement originated in the West. This was born out of the desire and need to live sexuality freely, as well as with the intention of breaking the codes that regulated people’s sexual behavior.

Although the sexual revolution was a liberation for all people, it was a double-edged sword for some sectors of the population.. For many men, this revolution made it easier to “use” their sexuality freely outside of marriage. On the other hand, for women, who also wanted to enjoy sexuality without limits, it also meant being sexually available to men.

On the other hand, around the 80s, through fashion, aesthetics or television, a sexual canon represented by women began to be established. These were at the service of the free market, where the sexualized female figure represented a way to promote products.

Hypersexualization and society

The most efficient way to transmit and modify thoughts in a society is the media.; This is how hypersexualization has won the battle. Through advertising, television programs, movies, music videos… the media has contributed to creating a social representation of what a woman should be, placing emphasis on her body: young and thin.

These qualities that govern the female body respond only to the idea that a woman must be sexually attractive. She should always look pretty, healthy and seductive. Drawing an image promoted as a reference that can lead to risks for the physical and psychological health of women.

While it is true that men are also subjected to beauty canons, the structural and hegemonic problem that occurs in women reaches greater levels. Femininity has been objectified. They, wearing makeup, give awards to the athletes, but they don’t get them. They, accompanied by other women and with little clothing, move their bodies in positions that do not even allow their faces to be seen around the men. Girls in catalogs… posing seductively.

Causes and consequences

The origin of hypersexualization lies, fundamentally, in the culture of sex that has been built around the female figure. This centralization and the “duty” to exude sexual attractiveness have become a normative model that affects women at all stages of their lives.

This sex culture is its own perpetrator. The image of women continues to be commercialized. This image is internalized with little or no spirit of criticism and, in this way, the system of gender inequality persists over time.

At the same time, women continue to be victims and, why not, slaves of the image that is imposed on us. The problem, as Susan Sontag already stated in 1975, is not wanting to be beautiful, but feeling the obligation to be so.

Furthermore, this representation is already part of the collective imagination in which heterosexual men become accustomed to extreme and idealized beauty, as well as reified and at the command of their desires (as pornography indicates). This can lead to demands, evaluations and judgments towards the rest of the women that do not fit into that canon (which are the majority, if not all).

Childhood hypersexualization

The problem grows and perpetuates itself because commoditization always requires new products and new ways to sell an idea. So, With new technologies, this message has transferred to social networks; a much more powerful medium in relation to what we knew until now and capable of reaching an increasingly younger audience.

The idea behind a virus is that it states that social success is determined by the image we project to others. This, furthermore, is reinforced by the amount of likes that young women receive on Instagram, TikTok or Twitter when they publish personal and sexualized content.

Childhood hypersexualization is a concept that began to be used in 2001 and that seems to have more and more weight. It is defined as the sexualization of expressions, postures or dress codes considered too precocious for a certain age. Among girls and adolescents it is natural to want to imitate adult behaviors; The difference is that they now have the means at their disposal to do so without having reached sufficient maturity to manage the consequences.

Social networks are the best commercial showcase that exists today, being an inexhaustible source of entertainment. In them, exposure behaviors are highly reinforced, since those who show them gain popularity and social recognitiontwo aspects highly valued in adolescence.

In short, hypersexuality is so deeply rooted in our society that surely we are not aware of all the times we fall into it. It is necessary to open our eyes and criticize this type of values ​​and recognition that do nothing but harm people and society, perpetuating inequalities and complexes. It especially has to be combated when it affects boys and girls, since by accelerating their sexualization we adulterate their childhood and condemn them to adult demands that they are not yet prepared to manage.