16 Days Campaign 2020 - Day 14
Ownership and Objectification of Women

Women frequently face sexual objectification in daily interpersonal interactions and through the active and passive consumption of multimedia. This can lead to internalization of society’s scrutiny, resulting in habitual body monitoring and self-consciousness. In turn, it can increase feelings of body shame and appearance anxiety.

Faridah’s Story  

In October 2016, I attended a job fair, looking for a full-time job. I was in line to talk to a firm when a male student whom I had never met, began talking to me. I told him that I was a little anxious. He said it shouldn’t be an issue for me to talk to them due to my assets. "Assets" is a slang word used to refer to a woman's body.

I didn’t want to believe what I heard, so I asked him what he meant. He said that as a woman, things are easier for me because of my "assets" - as all recruiters (men) would love to talk to me. I knew people thought like that but I had never been told all of this to my face, so seriously. It was disgusting and uncalled for.  

Click here to view Leaflet for Day 14