in political world depend much on how her physical appearance is valued by the society.
3. Hillary Rodham Clinton as Sexual Object
Women’s body in the media is the patriarchal exploration in defining women’s role in the society. A woman is regarded as the ideal woman when she has
the ideal body. This measurement of ideality is absolutely based on men’s perspective and based on Illegard 2004, is based on men’s gaze satisfaction.
A good woman is being objectified on her body figure whilst on the same time a bad woman is also objectified on the exaggeration of sexual body part
function. To be called a good woman, someone must have good looking appearance, domestic and centered in home. Thus, how is about Hillary Rodham Clinton who is
not considered as domestic and centered in political stage? Following Barker’s theory, a woman not fitting the criteria of a good woman
will be signed as deviant woman. She will be demonized in many ways to be ridiculed as the bitch, the witch or the devil. The media also manipulates her body
portrayal so that it looks like she is lack of sexual appeal. In contrast, the media also exaggerates her sexual body part function.
These following findings show how Hillary Rodham Clinton is being
objectified as the sexual object.
Pic.9 pic.10 Steven Heller, Drawing the Candidate 2008
Pictures above are taken also from the same source to the previous caricature. Even if the pictures are not named, people will readily recognize that the one with big
buttock is Hillary Rodham Clinton. Next to her picture, calmly and cool Barack Obama will be exactly guessed. The narration and the pictures demonstrate a pattern.
It is nearly about the angle media takes. Hillary’s image is caricatured through her back; emphasizes only her sexuality, her buttock. Hillary Clinton’s activity in
caricatures is barely captured. If they do, they will focus only on trivial things that represent the mockery of her femininity and sexuality.
Women’s buttock is considered as part of sexual appeal. Here, the caricature tries to exaggerate Hillary Rodham Clinton’s buttock. The caricaturist takes Hillary’s
buttock as the point of view. It implies that her exaggerated buttock is misused that is to attract men for bad purpose.
The angle of this caricature does mean devaluation toward Hillary Clinton. A caricature always emphasizes or exaggerates some parts of body which can be easily
recognized as the individual. Hillary Clinton’s image is being exaggerated in her buttock. It implies that Hillary Rodham Clinton means nothing except of her buttock.
In combination with her tiny-but-long neck and chicken’s feathers-like, her image from the back is similar to an ostrich. The imagination of ostrich is of course leads
the readers to think about a fowl which is fast in running and is very aggressive. And, no one wants to get closer.
This angle also leads the readers to think of her shake buttock. The woman way, based on media portrayal, to seduce men to follow what she wants. It also says
that Hillary Clinton’s competence is only to seduce and to manipulate people. Many independent websites manipulate the image of Hillary Rodham
Clinton’s sexual properties such us this website,
Pic.11 pic.12 The comparison between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama sexuality’s exposed in other media text
The pictures compared above, is the example of media imbalance treatment toward Hillary Rodham Clinton’s sexuality and Barack Obama’s sexuality. Hillary
Clinton’s picture obviously overwhelms her part of feminine body – the breasts – into flirtatious and sensuous object whereas Barack Obama’s picture remains his natural
shape. He is very macho with his muscular shape. Ironically, if Hillary Clinton is
pictured for her sexual properties she will be assigned as having bad motive: to seduce and to manipulate. In contrast, Barack Obama’s sexual properties are
considered as natural. Those pictures are taken from other media texts roguejew.wordpress.com and politicalhumor.about.com to support the comparison
of the Hillary Rodham Clinton’s sexuality exploitation and the media setting of naturalness for Barack Obama’s sexuality.
A generalization taken from the three comparisons is that every caricaturist sets the angle based on gender stereotypes in the society. All the pictures of Hillary
Clinton portray her as an object in the picture. The first picture is Hillary Clinton’s cackle
with some exaggerations to her teeth and eyes. The next picture is Hillary from the back which emphasizes on her big buttock. The third caricature is Hillary’s
exposed breast. The pictures set Hillary Clinton as the passive object which needs analyzing. On the other hand, all Barack Obama’s pictures show his activity on
something such as speech and walk. Even in the caricatures, men are set to be the player of every game.
Through the analysis of images and articles above, the attitudes of the writers or the caricaturists can be found. To publish such pictures containing mockery toward
Hillary Rodham Clinton’s sexual body parts is to show the negative attitude held by the writers.
B. FEMALE AND ABILITY
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