Women in Society in the Last 40 Years

Song of Solomon was written in 1977. Right now, it is 2017 (obviously). 40 whole years, and the disgusting idea of objectifying women has not budged even a bit. In Song of Solomon, when Reba and Hagar were walking in, Milkman was so awestruck with Hagar that “he had no need to see her face [because] he had already fallen in love with her behind” (Morrison 43). Within just a few seconds, he had the audacity to think he had fallen in love with her without even saying a single word to her. Sad enough, this is still the case in some situations today. Objectification of women has been, is, and will continue to be prevalent in society unless a change is made.

Women are often dehumanized by men even today. Social media, TV shows, and news broadcasts often depict a misleading portrayal of women. With perfect bodies, models are seen as the ideal image of a women. They have the perfect lifestyle…right? Think again. According to a Model Alliance survey in 2012, 64.1% of models have been asked to revise their eating habits by their agencies and more than 31.2% have actually admitted to having had an eating disorder. Also, this trend has been noticed in schools nationwide. This means that people are taught that men and women have completely different roles in society at such a young age. One of the most common examples is homecoming dances. The boys ask the girls to the dance; not the other way around, because that would be completely preposterous right? If girls ask guys, they are seen as desperate and attention-seeking which is simply wrong – there’s nothing else to it.