Afternoon of Alterity - Nazareth College

objectified creature. “Cultures objectify some features of the femalebody and conceal others as a way of coping with the reminderof their animal nature provided by childbirth and other femalebiological functions”(Roberts 137). Readers have witnessed themaking of the monstrous woman with characters such as Grendel’smother, Errour, and Sin. This evolution from early literature of thefourteenth century to now, show that women went from a monstrousbeing due to her reproductive capabilities, to being objectified inthe twenty-first century. Literature and media will change and soperhaps may the monstrous objectification of the female.The implications of the objectification of women are negative forany female living in the world today. Growing up as a young adolescentfemale is a difficult time of questioning and experimentation. Ayoung female who is already vulnerable due to her specific age andthe pressures of society will be quite susceptible to this objectificationand self-objectification. According to Johnston-Robledo, “womenwho internalize the sexual objectification of their bodies willalso behave in ways that minimize the salience of reproductivefunctioning but accentuate sexual availability” (Johnston-Robledo29). This means that young females will associate their biologicalability with negative ideas and will believe their outer sexuality iswhat gives them worth. These patriarchal views were established asearly as the development of Christianity and have evolved over time.The female is viewed as monstrous, as early literature clearly depicts,as “other,” as something less than human, and as the objectifiedbeing. Patriarchal society has made it evident that the female will notassert the control and authority that comes with her being able toreproduce. In today’s American society, the objectification of femalescan be seen by young females attempting to act older than their age,by older females grasping for eternal youth, and by media pushingthe idea that a beautiful women is a good women. Minimizing orerasing their biological ability, allows women to be viewed as goodsara cruz 89