The term "politics of sex" covers a wide array of issues from birth control to the portrayal of such issues in media. One issue with the politics of sex is the policing of bodies in media. Print ads and movies are consistently dictating that women's bodies and the way they dress fit the standard to be deemed acceptable by society. The E! Network's Fashion Police does a fantastic job at policing female celebrities' fashion choices, praising them one week for wearing incredible dresses then berating them the next week for going outside with sweatpants and no make-up.
The policing of bodies often becomes hypocritical; Nicki Minaj can be told that she is being inappropriate for prominently featuring her rear end for her new album cover while supermodels can get away with doing the same thing for the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated. Girls can be sent home from school for wearing a skirt that may be too short by the school's standards, but boys will never be sent home from school because their shorts might not quite reach their knees.
While men are subjected to look a certain a way, society is less likely to diminish his worth if they cannot reach that standard. A man can be overweight, old and unattractive but if he is funny or offers something more he can still be accepted; women who fit any or all of those descriptions are scathed. Shows like The King of Queens and any recent Adam Sandler film feature men who may not be physically attractive but are still rewarded with beautiful women; there are very few shows and movies that feature an unattractive women attaining an attractive man.
Body hair is also another topic of hypocrisy when it comes to policing bodies. Men can be as hairy as they want and it will be accepted but if a woman does not shave then she is seen as unclean or unfeminine. In recent years, online movements like #NoShaveNoShade feature women reclaiming their body hair from scrutiny to say to the world that what they do with their bodies is not anyone else's business.
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