Annotation 3 –
Commodification of Showgirls
In the exhibition, we can see a
lot of companies selling their products; and beside the various products, there
are something that catches our eyes even more, showgirls. They are the center
of the spotlight; the lights, the cameras, and the customers’ eyes are all on
them. Comparing to the products companies meant to sell; showgirls are more
like the products on the shelf waiting to be picked. People look at them for
their youth, pretty faces and sexy bodies. Showgirls’ beauty is like a
commodity that can be browsed and bought, as if their value is based only on
their flesh. This is called the commodification of female bodies.
A few years ago, there was a TV commercial
featured a young girl “Yao Yao” that shook her breasts and made sweet voices
during this commercial. And this immediately became the most controversial
topic people discuss at that time. Some people thought that she was the
innocent victim because she was just trying to make money and did what the
company made her did. And others saw her as a girl who sold her body and
created a sexual image out of herself. Either statement shows that women have
no control over their own bodies and sexual desires; instead, they’re dominated
by the commercial system, in which the girls have to degrade themselves
(exposing body parts in front of the camera, for example) to cater to some male
customers. When the target customers are male, companies often use sexual
images of women to make the customers notice their products. To put it simply,
they are objectifying female to gain commercial benefits. The relationship
between showgirls and the businesses seems to be mutually beneficial, but if we
see behind this objectifying, we can understand that showgirl is a kind of
career that is manipulated by chauvinism and capitalism.
Capitalism made most of the young
girls desired material things more than before; and being a showgirl means they
can make their way quicker to the grown-up world and enjoy all the material
things. In the process, however, these girls also became the materials being exploited.
They were manipulated by chauvinism. Girls were often taught either to “please”
men, or to dominate them; they established their confidence by the approval of
men or overpassing men, both of which still under the dominion of patriarchy.
Although showgirl may seem like a
glamorous and dream-like career, and they may seem to have sovereignty over
their bodies, they’re actually constrained in the system of commercial interest
and patriarchy.
Resources:
I agree with your viewpoint. The way you associate showgirls with capitalism is very convincing.
回覆刪除it's true that lots of people at first focus on showgirls' body rather than the products, however i think showgirls, who are professionally trained, will properly direct their attention from showgirls themselves to the product. That is also a strong marketing strategy i guess.
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