One could surmise that women continue to be evaluated as objects, evaluated by their sexual appearance and reproductive capabilities.

Really ladies when you think about it, have we ONLY come this far in the last 100 years?

This was just one of the questions discussed at the Feminism 2.0 conference where we came together to identify the various methods we can use to inject feminism into popular culture and combat the objectification of women. If we want to stop the continued objectification of women we need to:

1. Stop being our worst enemy. Women need to be cognizant of their public image and stop perpetuating negative stereotypes. Case and point, in just 30 seconds Danica Patrick, was reduced from a talented IndyCar driver to simply a sexual object in the GoDaddy Superbowl Ads.
   

2. Support women who are currently involved in the media and generate great content. Demonstrating support for our colleagues will help them remain in the media spotlight as well as boost their confidence. Show your support by sending positive feedback to the news station, publisher, newspaper, etc.,
   

3. Be a Mentor and introduce more women into the conversations. Let’s face it, the news is primarily generated and communicated by white males; by leveling out the gender ratio we can impact the social agenda and how women are represented in popular culture.
   

4. Don’t be a bystander. If a something is entertaining, we watch it. Unfortunately many images in the media reinforce the objectification of women, it’s subversive! Sitting back and watching simply reinforces the imagery and buys into the system. Affect change, where negative images exist, write a letter of protest, take it to the blogosphere, stop watching the show or using their products.

In the crowd of smart, talented professional women, all feminists, many of us were found guilty to some degree of perpetuating the objectification of women. I can tell you first-hand that there has been more than one weekend where I have glued myself to the television to watch the Rock of Love or Flavor of Love marathons and even the Duggar family specials on Discovery.

So knowing what I know now, what will I do to do my part and end these negative stereotypes?

I will continue to encourage women to be cognizant of their public image. I will continue supporting women making news in the media, featuring them on my blog and sending kudos to their employer. I will continue mentoring women in marketing and video games so that it increases women entering these fields. Last but not least, when I see strong female characters that I identify with, I will write to the television shows so that they are motivated to bring on more personalities like her.

About Tina Tyndal

Ever since I started bragging about working at a comic book store, my close friends dubbed me “Queen of the Nerds” and I wear the title proudly. I’ve been a gamer for life, starting with the Atari 2600 ending to the latest generation consoles. My favorite material possessions include my mint in box game and watch collection, consoles and various gamer shirts I’ve collected through the years.

The zombiepocalypse, comic books and the latest tech toys round out my list of obsessions.

XBLA/PSN/Steam: Bawdess
WOW: Prissywissy
 

Cross-posted with permission from Gaming Angels