This is such a butthurt defensive response. It was 100% clear what your statement was intended to mean, and when someone legitimately pointed out the very real biological and kind of "eternal" undercurrent that is a major contributing factor, you tried to argue semantics. Then, in true internet warrior fashion, you tell him to "read properly".
You can't just up and arbitrarily decide that the phenomenon of men looking at women is the byproduct of a sexist media and "rape culture". Yes, we are inundated with images of scantily clad women, and yes I think there has been a net negative effect on the perception of women's value by constantly boiling them down to their fundamental sexual desirability. I won't argue that, "men are objectified too!", because while true, there's no comparison in terms of raw frequency.
In other words, there are some ideas about gender roles and women that are harmful and perpetuated in popular culture, but that doesn't happen just because. Meaning, men don't "gaze" at women because advertising and film characters brainwash them to do so....advertising and film representations are what they are BECAUSE men gaze at women.
The survival of the species literally hinges on men continuing to be incredibly and viscerally attracted to women....visually. I'm not saying that in order to excuse or justify what can be pretty despicable behavior on the part of men (some men, some of the time, other men, all of the time, a lot of men, basically none of the time), I'm just pointing out what should be obvious yet that seems to always get lost in these critiques.
And, just because I want to say something a little provocative and unpopular:
Where is women's culpability in all of this? Someone has to agree to pose nude, or mostly nude in these ads that a lot of people find degrading. Someone has to agree to sing a song written by a man that has incredibly suggestive lyrics and narrows the female experience to solely pursuing and pining after boys. Someone has to decide to take endless cleavage, ass, and face selfies and spam social media with them and constantly focus on their physical appearance. Someone is buying the products that these ad campaigns pitch.
I know someone will want to argue along the lines of, "Well, if a woman wants to follow her musical passion, or her acting passion, she has to play the game and compromise their integrity or they're blackballed". Well, ok. So then, I guess that would be something of a personal sacrifice due to matters of integrity, principle, or even the greater good. So, if women are collectively and overwhelmingly bothered by these negative and demeaning representations in media and pop culture, isn't there some responsibility to take action and/or refuse to participate in the process?
I don't directly blame women for how they're "sold", because I'm at least smart enough to know that men have controlled the media machine from the gate, but with the dawning awareness of a problem, or a consensus being reached amongst women that this is an ugly reality, when does it at least in part become on women to take action to move in a different direction?
