# The objectification of men **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 7, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165 "2005-04-07T03:56:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WeRSauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f19dbf/32.png) [@WeRSauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WeRSauron)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/1 "2005-04-07T03:56:35Z")
Do men like being objectified? Do they not mind being objectified? What about being objectified by other men? WRS ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/2 "2005-04-07T04:04:59Z")
If it means somebody finds me attractive, then objectify me baby! ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/3 "2005-04-07T04:17:17Z")
I am all about the objectification. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/4 "2005-04-07T05:40:15Z")
Sure. I’d be flattered. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/5 "2005-04-07T05:46:03Z")
Er, I don’t know, I mean, I think there’s a difference between being found a hot ticket and being objectified. If a woman finds me attractive, it is officially a Good Thing™. If she can’t see beyond my stunning good looks, or truly uses me only for my hot bod and that’s all she valued me for… I don’t know, I think that would get old mighty quick. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/6 "2005-04-07T06:05:52Z")
I’m sick and tired of people seeing me as just another pretty mind. I have a body too, you know. I really wish people could appreciate me for who I am outside. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/7 "2005-04-07T06:09:04Z")
“Objectify” is too fuzzy a term. An example? ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/8 "2005-04-07T07:23:58Z")
Well, I don’t know much about objectivisim. But damn, that Ayn Rand dude had just about the hottest ass I’ve ever seen on a man. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/9 "2005-04-07T09:11:06Z")
It might get old after a while, but honestly no, I wouldn’t mind. Kind of like that girl who shagged me rotten because she wanted to piss off her parents by dating a foreigner. It never went any deeper than that and we broke up pretty soon afterwards, but I had no objection to the objectification. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/10 "2005-04-07T12:47:37Z")
From [this week’s Savage Love](http://www.theonionavclub.com/savagelove/index.php?issue=4114): > [@](#): > > “Objectification” is a word that’s usually tossed around in a negative context; mostly, we hear it when someone is complaining about the objectification of women. But being treated like an object—when you want to be treated like an object—can be intensely sexy. Hell, we all long to be objectified. Why do you work out so much, FTBT? So that people will admire your body, yes? And you’re not only interested in being admired by people you know, right? You want to be admired by strangers on the street, other guys at the gym, people on the bus. To strangers—people who know nothing of your beautiful mind—you’re only an object. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/11 "2005-04-07T13:27:28Z")
I don’t think you can equate males objectivfying to women. They seem to do it much differently. I’ve been leered at by men, and seen men leer at my wife and it’s generally not subtle and more dirty somehow; doesn’t seem to matter weather the leerer is straight or gay, we’re all pigs. Women seem to glance and look away. I’m not sure that they’re minds are moving a filthy mile a minute, but they don’t seem to let on to it at all. For example, how often do you see a man do the full-fledged turn around to watch a woman’s butt after she passes him in a head-on passing? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman do that. I guess what I’m saying is that we men tend to “objectify” the target of our affections, while women seem to more “appreciate” theirs. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/12 "2005-04-07T17:01:19Z")
Some of the difference in male-on-female and female-on-male leering, etc., is because of the difference in perceived danger or risk. Yes, female-on-male rape happens but male-on-female is much more common. If a man is receiving unwelcome attention they can more easily laugh it off than a woman because the power tends to fall toward the male side. The Coke commercial where women gather to ogle the sexy male construction worker got some flak because it supposedly showed the same objectification as male construction workers hooting at female passersby. But a man can take the attention if he wants and laugh it off if he doesn’t; women don’t always have that luxury. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/13 "2005-04-07T17:10:00Z")
Well, if you define “objectification” as viewing others as objects for the benefit of oneself, then some women do objectify men in a way I don’t think they like - as wallets and meal tickets. I’ve never heard a man say he enjoyed that at all. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/14 "2005-04-07T20:10:27Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Well, if you define “objectification” as viewing others as objects for the benefit of oneself, then some women do objectify men in a way I don’t think they like - as wallets and meal tickets. I’ve never heard a man say he enjoyed that at all. Very interesting point. After all, women who see men as meal tickets are are looked down on as “Gold diggers” or even whores by many men. But I still don’t think it’s the same because the attention a gold digger shows a wealthy man is usually intended for a serious hookup rather than a display of intimidation or macho posing. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/15 "2005-04-07T21:09:18Z")
I always have problems with the term “objectifying”. Honestly, any person that I don’t know can only be seen as an object with qualities, by me. Michael Jordon is an object. He is a basketball player shaped like a human. I don’t know him as a person at all. Yo-Yo Ma is an object. He is a source of incredible music, shaped like a human. I don’t know him as a person at all. Mother Theresa was an object. She was a source of light and good works, but I didn’t know her at all. Now when my limited knowledge of someone leads me to treat them as less then a human being, with all of the dignity that deserves, then it’s a problem. ---
**Author:** ![huk24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f0a364/32.png) [@huk24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/huk24)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/16 "2005-04-10T08:31:41Z")
I may be being thick…but what exactly do you mean by ‘objectify’? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/17 "2005-04-11T04:00:22Z")
I made the mistake of walking into a pub one time that was supposed to be closed to the public because they were having a bachelorette party there. So, I walk in, the bartender tells me I need to leave but then all the ladies there started screaming “No, NO! let him stay!” (Apparently, they had just got through whatcing a male stripper do his thing. So they were pretty worked up at the time) Now don’t get me wrong folks, I’m a handsome man but not so handome women start screaming in shear lust at me. This was all just a matter of timing is all. Anyway, I proceed to walk into the bar, I sit down and these ladies are all surronding me like they’ve never seen a man before. They were buying me drinks and shots; the whole nine yards. Which at first I thought was pretty damn cool but then after a while it started to become overwhelming. I started to feel claustrophobic because these girls weren’t giving me any breathing room. So yeah, it got a little weired and I eventualy had to leave. But other than that I don’t mind admitting that my ego has a tendacy to swell after a little objectification. ---
**Author:** ![WeRSauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f19dbf/32.png) [@WeRSauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WeRSauron)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-objectification-of-men/298165/18 "2005-04-11T08:17:27Z")
> [@huk24](#): > > I may be being thick…but what exactly do you mean by ‘objectify’? The appreciation and depiction of a person without regard to abilities, personality, feelings, emotions, thoughts, preferences, etc. The reason I ask is because it seems that women mind being objectified, and so I want to know if the same is true about men. Example: when advertising undergarments for women, attractive models wearing the merchandise are used. Until recently, not so with men’s undergarments. (Thankfully, they have started doing so. Yum!) WRS