“I am here today to talk about a lie,” is how political professor, Caroline Heldman, opened a San Diego TEDx talk about sexual objectification.
This video, uploaded almost one year ago to the day, has began trending online again, and we were simply blown away at how Caroline addresses the issue.
“I’d like to talk specifically about the lie, or the idea, that being a sex object is empowering.”
Caroline speaks about the “sexy lie” and how many of us struggle to recognise it, explaining that our sexual pleasure is decreased as a direct result.
“Instead of being involved and engaged in what is happening, you tend to view yourself from a third-party perspective. A spectator’s perspective, where you’re worried about rolls of fat hanging out, what that leg looks like… it gets in the way of sexual pleasure.
“So if there’s anything I can pitch to you about why you don’t want to live in a culture that sexually objectifies: it diminishes your sexual pleasure.”
The most poignant point in the video comes in the last few minutes of the clip. Caroline takes a cleansing wipe and rubs off her lipstick and eye make up, conveying the powerful message that women shouldn’t dedicate so much time to dress and appearance, and use that time to tackle important social issues.
Heldman concludes: “You are the architects of your future, I would like to remind you that sometimes architects have to demolish paradigms in order to build a better world… what better world would you build?”
Video via YouTube/TEDxYouth
Hat-tip: Upworthy
