By Neil Patel
Women have been hyper-sexualized and objectified in films throughout history. Movies, like any other art form, represent the values of society, and they are a profound way to get a picture of what the world looks like. In the film industry, many female characters are simply used for their physical appearance to attract male viewers. The female characters act promiscuous and wear revealing clothing, and they tend to have secondary roles that do not enhance the plot. Sexualizing a significant portion of women may contribute to males viewing women as eye candy at younger ages. Also, viewing sexualized images of females in film may contribute to self-objectification in girls, which may increase body shame and appearance anxiety. The Transformers film series, directed by Michael Bay, epitomize the hyper-sexualization and objectification of women in film.
Transformers is a series of science fiction action films where a race of robotic aliens travels to Earth and creates chaos as they fight each other while humans are caught in the crossfire. Throughout the four films, three different female actresses are subjected to hyper-sexualization when they play the main female character. The first two transformers movies feature Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes. Her main purpose in the films is to serve as the sexy girlfriend who needs to be saved by the protagonist Sam Witwicky. While the other characters are bruised and bloodied throughout the countless fights and explosions, Mikaela is always clean and sexy looking in her low cut shirts and short skirts. In one scene, Sam is so distracted by Mikaela’s sexiness that he asks if he can ride her home instead of asking if she needs a ride home. When Sam’s car breaks down, there is an entire scene dedicated to showing off Mikaela’s body. She leans over the hood of the car while the camera slowly pans over her entire body, and in the meantime, Sam is staring her down. The two movies feature multiple slow motion scenes of Mikaela’s body while no male character seems to get this attention. The dozens of male characters are commenting on her physique, and even the alien robots can comprehend and discuss her promiscuity. It is clear that her only purpose in this film is to attract heterosexual male viewers, who the producers assume are the majority of the audience.
In the third film Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replaces Megan Fox as Sam’s girlfriend. The movie offers no explanation to the ending of the previous relationship or the fate of Mikaela, showing how she had no meaningful role in the previous movies. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s character Carly Spencer is introduced in a minute long scene that features her nearly-naked butt and legs as she walks up a flight of stairs. It is nearly comical at how helpless/useless Carly is throughout the duration of the film, and it is painfully obvious that she is only a tool for the purpose of lust. She wears stiletto heels while running from murderous aliens, and like Mikaela before her, Carly always looks pristine in her white jacket while all the other characters are left filthy after battling the bad guys. While there are nearly no scenes of her picking up a weapon and contributing to the fight, there are multiple scenes that showcase her physical appearance.
The fourth installment in the series changes the paradigm by having a father-daughter relationship between the main characters. Nicola Peltz plays Tessa Yeager, the 17 year old daughter that is also introduced legs first as the camera pans up her entire body. She's paired up in the film with a 20-year-old boyfriend who carries around a laminated copy of a Texas statute sanctioning their technically illegal relationship. Tessa’s low cut shirt and physique are highlighted by the camera as she screams for her father Cade to help her in multiple scenes. In a few scenes, a friend of Cade’s (a much older man) is seen sizing her up and calling her hot. This film has stooped even lower than the previous films by objectifying a young actress and a 17 year old character. These movies epitomize the hyper-sexualization of women in film, and they show the distorted views society has of women. It is time for Hollywood to create strong, realistic female characters that add depth to the story being told.
Women have been hyper-sexualized and objectified in films throughout history. Movies, like any other art form, represent the values of society, and they are a profound way to get a picture of what the world looks like. In the film industry, many female characters are simply used for their physical appearance to attract male viewers. The female characters act promiscuous and wear revealing clothing, and they tend to have secondary roles that do not enhance the plot. Sexualizing a significant portion of women may contribute to males viewing women as eye candy at younger ages. Also, viewing sexualized images of females in film may contribute to self-objectification in girls, which may increase body shame and appearance anxiety. The Transformers film series, directed by Michael Bay, epitomize the hyper-sexualization and objectification of women in film.
Transformers is a series of science fiction action films where a race of robotic aliens travels to Earth and creates chaos as they fight each other while humans are caught in the crossfire. Throughout the four films, three different female actresses are subjected to hyper-sexualization when they play the main female character. The first two transformers movies feature Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes. Her main purpose in the films is to serve as the sexy girlfriend who needs to be saved by the protagonist Sam Witwicky. While the other characters are bruised and bloodied throughout the countless fights and explosions, Mikaela is always clean and sexy looking in her low cut shirts and short skirts. In one scene, Sam is so distracted by Mikaela’s sexiness that he asks if he can ride her home instead of asking if she needs a ride home. When Sam’s car breaks down, there is an entire scene dedicated to showing off Mikaela’s body. She leans over the hood of the car while the camera slowly pans over her entire body, and in the meantime, Sam is staring her down. The two movies feature multiple slow motion scenes of Mikaela’s body while no male character seems to get this attention. The dozens of male characters are commenting on her physique, and even the alien robots can comprehend and discuss her promiscuity. It is clear that her only purpose in this film is to attract heterosexual male viewers, who the producers assume are the majority of the audience.
In the third film Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley replaces Megan Fox as Sam’s girlfriend. The movie offers no explanation to the ending of the previous relationship or the fate of Mikaela, showing how she had no meaningful role in the previous movies. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s character Carly Spencer is introduced in a minute long scene that features her nearly-naked butt and legs as she walks up a flight of stairs. It is nearly comical at how helpless/useless Carly is throughout the duration of the film, and it is painfully obvious that she is only a tool for the purpose of lust. She wears stiletto heels while running from murderous aliens, and like Mikaela before her, Carly always looks pristine in her white jacket while all the other characters are left filthy after battling the bad guys. While there are nearly no scenes of her picking up a weapon and contributing to the fight, there are multiple scenes that showcase her physical appearance.
The fourth installment in the series changes the paradigm by having a father-daughter relationship between the main characters. Nicola Peltz plays Tessa Yeager, the 17 year old daughter that is also introduced legs first as the camera pans up her entire body. She's paired up in the film with a 20-year-old boyfriend who carries around a laminated copy of a Texas statute sanctioning their technically illegal relationship. Tessa’s low cut shirt and physique are highlighted by the camera as she screams for her father Cade to help her in multiple scenes. In a few scenes, a friend of Cade’s (a much older man) is seen sizing her up and calling her hot. This film has stooped even lower than the previous films by objectifying a young actress and a 17 year old character. These movies epitomize the hyper-sexualization of women in film, and they show the distorted views society has of women. It is time for Hollywood to create strong, realistic female characters that add depth to the story being told.
Works Cited
Acuna, Kirsten. "The Most Annoying Thing About 'Transformers' Is Michael Bay's Fixation On Objectifying Women." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 30 June 2014. Web. 30 July 2015.
Rose, Megan R. "Feminist View of Transformers Movies." What Did You Learn Today. N.p., 5 May 2013. Web. 30 July 2015
Acuna, Kirsten. "The Most Annoying Thing About 'Transformers' Is Michael Bay's Fixation On Objectifying Women." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 30 June 2014. Web. 30 July 2015.
Rose, Megan R. "Feminist View of Transformers Movies." What Did You Learn Today. N.p., 5 May 2013. Web. 30 July 2015