# What is sexual objectification?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [September 14, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217 "2019-09-14T14:50:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2019, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217/43 "2019-11-13T23:58:08Z")
> [@Max\_S](#):
>
> Actually I think **Kimstu** addressed that in the second half of the post.
>
> ~Max
They did. Apologies for jumping the gun.
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### Author:  [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2019, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217/44 "2019-11-15T04:16:48Z")
> [@Max\_S](#):
>
> To bring this on topic, what do you think are the psychological, philosophical, or moral implications of adjusting the waitress’s tip on account of her breast size? Do you think that is sexual objectification?
>
> And of course, _Mythbusters_ did not undertake a rigorous study. The clip linked shows one female barista collecting tips over three days, working the same shift with the same clothes. The first two days she collected $72 with an average of 90c per customer. The third day she augmented her breast size and collected $98 with an average of $1.23 per customer.
>
> I mean, that is trivially a scientific experiment; but without many, many more trials I wouldn’t use _Mythbusters_ to support wide reaching psychological, philosophical, or moral propositions.
>
> ~Max
Well to be honest I dont think a university could get away with a study like this so its going to be hard to reproduce.
Is it sexual objectification? Yes. We are humans and certain things excite us.
As for me I know I’m more apt to buy something from an attractive woman than any man.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2019, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217/45 "2019-11-15T12:54:20Z")
> [@octopus](#):
>
> Pornography is fine if it’s consensual for the most part. I don’t think it’s proper to do certain actions regardless of consent.
Sentence #1: Does "“the most part” refer to “fine” or “consensual”.
Sentence #2: Wow. What kind of improper actions are you considering here?
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217/46 "2019-11-15T13:22:27Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Sentence #1: Does "“the most part” refer to “fine” or “consensual”.
>
> Sentence #2: Wow. What kind of improper actions are you considering here?
I’m not **octopus** , but if I understand his post I agree with it.
“The most part” refers to “fine”. Most but not all consensual porn is fine.
“Improper actions” would be sado-masochism, degradation, faked rapes, that kind of thing. I would say “immoral” rather than “improper”. Also note the absence of any reference to making it illegal. Things can be immoral without being illegal, and even if the costs of making them illegal outweigh the benefits.
I am judging other people’s tastes and actions, and finding them immoral. I do that sometimes. So do most if not all people.
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217/47 "2019-11-15T17:33:03Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#):
>
> Is it sexual objectification? Yes. We are humans and certain things excite us.
>
> As for me I know I’m more apt to buy something from an attractive woman than any man.
Let’s assume for the sake of argument that I run a business that sells things to men like you, who (and this is another assumption) are “more apt to buy something from an attractive woman than any man”. I’ve got all the best marketing people who tell me female salespersons will make me more money than male salespersons _because they are female_.
Put aside sexual discrimination laws and I’ll tell you right now, I’m going to discriminate against men when hiring salespeople. Would you agree?
~Max
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### Author:  [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217/48 "2019-11-15T17:38:54Z")
> [@Max\_S](#):
>
> I don’t believe I ever responded to this. What do you think about **octopus** ’s example, where a woman is walking in a park and one bystander says to another, “hey, that’s a nice booty!” Or if it matters to you, in one hypothetical the woman hears the remark, and in another she doesn’t.
>
> ~Max
Let me ask you a similar question. Instead of “nice booty”, what if one bystander said to the other “nice hat”?
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### Author:  [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217/49 "2019-11-15T18:42:18Z")
> [@msmith537](#):
>
> Let me ask you a similar question. Instead of “nice booty”, what if one bystander said to the other “nice hat”?
Assuming the reference is to an actual hat, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.
~Max
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### Author:  [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217/50 "2019-11-15T19:26:31Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> Sentence #1: Does "“the most part” refer to “fine” or “consensual”.
>
> Sentence #2: Wow. What kind of improper actions are you considering here?
I think there are certain acts that a person can’t consent too. Now, I can’t write that in a way that would be universally accepted or even entirely consistent but I’ll give an example. That German cannibal case is an example of not being fine regardless of consent. I don’t care if someone consents to being eaten. I think it’s immoral. For the most part… There are always corner cases.
But any sort of pornography that leads to significant and lasting damage to the person I think is immoral.
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### Author:  [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217/51 "2019-11-15T20:00:48Z")
I’m not sure which corners of the internet you lurk, but I feel relatively confident in saying that live dissection porn is not \*readily \*available.
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### Author:  [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-sexual-objectification/840217/52 "2019-11-15T20:09:07Z")
> [@octopus](#):
>
> But any sort of pornography that leads to significant and lasting damage to the person I think is immoral.
Excepting sexually-transmitted diseases and pregnancy? If consent is given?
~Max
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