Objectification: The Human Body as Currency

In modern psychology, objectification refers to the act of perceiving or treating a person as a mere object—stripped of autonomy, inner life, or complexity. Whether driven by cultural systems, media portrayals, or personal dysfunction, objectification fractures the full human experience into body parts and functions, commodifying individuals for someone else’s use. Most commonly studied in the context of sexual objectification, it also extends to labor, race, age, and power.

A man will stare at a woman like he’s watching his last cigarette burn in the wind. He’d say we walk through cities filled with mannequins wearing skin, and most men don’t want the woman—they want the moment she gives them what they want. That’s it. Then it’s back to the bottle, the job, the routine. You think he kissed her? No, he bit into her and left the core on the floor.

The Psychology of Reduction

Philosopher Martha Nussbaum identified key ways objectification shows up:

• Instrumentality: treating someone as a tool.

• Denial of autonomy: treating someone as if they have no will.

• Fungibility: treating someone as interchangeable.

• Ownership: treating them as if they are owned.

This psychological reduction distances the objectifier from the other’s emotional reality. This mechanism can be seen in toxic relationships, workplaces, or mass media. It’s a cognitive shortcut with dangerous effects: anxiety, shame, body dysmorphia, and the erosion of empathy.

But in the bar, nobody’s quoting Nussbaum. They’re just looking at the girl bending over the jukebox. Nobody wonders what her favorite book is, or how many times her old man hit her. They just want her hips in motion and her silence. It’s a lousy thing to say, but it’s truer than your therapist’s couch. The world eats soft flesh with hard teeth.

Media and Sexual Objectification

Media fuels objectification through repetitive portrayals of people—especially women—as passive, voiceless, hyper-sexualized figures. Music videos, video games, and advertising often crop out heads, focus on body parts, and present bodies as consumable. Psychological studies confirm that these portrayals reduce empathy and increase tolerance for harassment or violence.

You ever see a commercial where a burger gets more attention than the woman eating it? Or maybe she is the burger. Sauce dripping down her arm, lips parted like a damn moonrise. It’s not selling hunger—it’s selling domination. She’s not a woman; she’s a vending machine of desire.

Objectification in Japanese Culture

Japan presents a particularly complex picture. On one hand, it’s a society known for politeness, respect, and social order. On the other, it contains a booming subculture of objectification, particularly in its entertainment and adult industries. From “idol culture”, where teen girls are marketed as idealized fantasies, to the widespread phenomenon of rabu dōru (love dolls)—life-sized silicone partners designed for male companionship—the body is often disconnected from identity.

Imagine walking down Akihabara in Tokyo, neon lights twitching like seizures, and you see a doll in a shop window—perfect skin, wide eyes, knees together. She’ll never talk back. She’ll never say no. That’s the dream. But you don’t realize it’s a nightmare with glass skin and a hollow chest.

Clinical Consequences

Numerous studies link objectification with eating disorders, body dysmorphia, low self-esteem, and depression, particularly among women. Men are not immune—growing exposure to hyper-muscular ideals and “performance objectification” also affects male mental health. Self-objectification—where one begins to view themselves as an object—is particularly insidious, leading to shame, distraction, and dissociation.

It starts when the mirror lies to you. It doesn’t say, “You’re enough.” It says, “Fix this. Shrink that. Be what they want.” And suddenly you’re not walking into the world—you’re walking into a stage where the applause is silence and the judgment is eternal. Bukowski said, “We are here to drink beer. We are not here to live up to anyone’s expectations.” But hell, even he sometimes looked at a woman like she was a salvation he didn’t deserve.

Beyond the Body: Reclaiming Humanity

The fight against objectification begins with awareness and empathy. Media literacy, inclusive education, and authentic storytelling can humanize those who’ve been flattened into images. In relationships, it takes intentional listening and a refusal to reduce people to what they offer us. Therapy can also help rebuild internal worth for those who’ve internalized objectified identities.

You want to save someone? Start by asking their name and listening for the cracks in their voice. Everyone’s got a story, and most of them are ugly, soft, and beautiful. When you stop seeing people as use and start seeing them as scars and poetry—you might not be a saint, but you’re finally human.

Sources:

• Nussbaum, M. (1995). Objectification. Philosophy & Public Affairs.

• Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T. A. (1997). Objectification theory. Psychology of Women Quarterly.

• Giard, A. (2019). The Stereotype of the Woman‑Object in Japan: Playing with Dolls, Playing the Failed Man.