The Joy Of Bondage

Object

Objectification is a notion central to feminist theory. It can be roughly defined as the seeing and/or treating a person, usually a woman, as an object. In this entry, the focus is primarily on sexual objectification, objectification occurring in the sexual realm. Martha Nussbaum has identified seven features that are involved in the idea of treating a person as an object:

•     instrumentality: the treatment of a person as a tool for the objectifier’s purposes;
•     denial of autonomy: the treatment of a person as lacking in autonomy and self-determination;
•     inertness: the treatment of a person as lacking in agency, and perhaps also in activity;
•     fungibility: the treatment of a person as interchangeable with other objects;
•     violability: the treatment of a person as lacking in boundary-integrity;
•     ownership: the treatment of a person as something that is owned by another (can be bought or sold);
•     denial of subjectivity: the treatment of a person as something whose experiences and feelings (if any) need not be taken into account.

Rae Langton (2009, 228–229) has added three more features to Nussbaum’s list:

• reduction to body: the treatment of a person as identified with their body, or body parts;
• reduction to appearance: the treatment of a person primarily in terms of how they look, or how they appear to the senses;
• silencing: the treatment of a person as if they are silent, lacking the capacity to speak.

© 2012, Andrew Conway. All rights reserved.

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