The use of the Woman Body and especially the Woman Sexuality in the European Business

The Woman. Never authors found a best subject to write about. Sometimes described as provocative, curious, indomitable, jealous, naughty or timid, they turn the heads of men… and women. “Suspense is like a woman. The more left to the imagination, the more the excitement” said Alfred Hitchcock. "The women are unreal, they walk like angels on rainbow sky of our dreams" wrote one of my favorite French author, Frédéric Beigbeder, in his book Mémoires d’un jeune homme dérangé (translated “Memoirs of a disturbed young man”). Both of them described this passion and this wondering about women and the emotions that always come with the image of a beautiful creature. No wonder the Woman rules the world; from magazines, to fashion, to music, She is everywhere. A “She” with a capital “s” that refers to all woman kind. The Business we are in today use and reuse of this aura through the Woman body and particularly through Her sexuality. When I speak about Woman sexuality, I want to be clear that I am not referring to the private human sexual behavior as the sexual practice in itself (this is the private intimate arena of every women). I am talking about the expression of the woman sexual identity and the image and the use in the European Business today. Indeed, it is not hidden and timidly described like in the poetry of the 19th and 20th century anymore. It is present in our everyday life: the Woman is selling the product thanks to the Marketing, an area I am well-aware of as I am studying business, She is the muse in art gallery, fashion and even for cooks, and She is the object or the independent women in the music industry. All these fields I am going to talk to you about are close to me as they are a part of my true identity: Business has been my life for officially two years now, music is where I find my emotions and my ways of thinking best described (it can make me feel true emotions almost as best as books do) and fashion helps me express my identity.

Let’s begin our journey in the music industry. I always love to discover new or old music and my phone is full with thousands of music. One of my favorite activities when I have time is to watch as many as music video as I can on YouTube, switching from one to another. Two years ago a certain trend started to make me confused. Indeed, among the singers who claim that they want to dance all night, or live only in the present moment to "feel it right now," or the ones who preach freedom to fill life with incredible moments, then there are the inevitable songs that talk about love. In this last category, I was surprised to notice that the play of the women was really different from each song to another.

First, they are those male singers who show the Woman as a goddess. I am thinking about one French singer, Christophe Mae, who describes her as a timid, uncatchable creature in a song (“belle demoiselle”) and as a woman he is crazy about, for whom he could give up on everything, in another (“Dingue, dingue, dingue”). In this category, it is more the beauty of a woman that is being used. The next two categories I am going to talk about are the ones that seem to be selling sex over talent. Indeed, in the music industry there is one role the woman is playing a lot, and that revolts me the most: the Woman as a sexual object. I will not dwell on the subject as it is clear here the woman body is used to sell a product (the song) and to give the singer (usually a man) a certain image of power and a “cool” attitude. The category I am more interested in is when women singers put their own sexuality ahead because it makes me wonder if it is showing an empowerment or if they are still being objectified. The second wave of feminism that introduced the music as a new way for women empowerment started in the late 1960s but the first time I really considered it in my short existence was when I heard Christina Aguilera sings “Beautiful”, “Can’t hold us down”, “Fighter” or even “Dirty”. And how not to evoke American singers when it comes to the music industry in Europe as they are a big part of it. Christina Aguilera is one of many examples of a woman in music dominating the industry and achieving great success by her sexuality empowerment. Madonna, Janet Jackson, Katy Perry or Beyonce. Queen B even being elected the most influential people of the year by the Time. A recent European example would be the singer Marina and the Diamonds with her song “How to be a heartbreaker” where she gives the instructions to have fun without suffering from the behavior of men (by acting herself like a men would). We now live in a world where women express themselves on their own therms and claim true freedom through music… or do they?

I cannot help thinking that for those female artists who believe that they have full control of their sexuality and happily flaunt their bodies to sell records are still being manipulated to target the primary audience: men. One iconic British singer actually helped me managing through this interrogation and it is Lilly Allen. Absent from the music scene since 2009, Lily Allen is back with a clip that is already controversy when she denounces through today's music industry. She speaks in particular about her pregnancies and the weight gain in the current context with the dictates. So, it is not surprising that the video starts on a set where she is having a liposuction surgery strongly recommended by her manager. She is not blaming “the bitches who are doing pop” but more the music industry that creates our need for “pop bitches” and the marketing music industry that creates the need to see bottoms and nipples. She is also coming down on sexism in general (If I told you 'bout my sex life, you'd call me a slut. When boys be talking about their bitches, no one's making a fuss. There's a glass ceiling to break, uh-huh, there's money to make. And now it's time to speed it up 'cause I can't move at this pace) but above all she blames the objectification of the female body, and the pressure that is put on the fairer sex to always be thinner, more tonic (If you're not a size six, then you're not good looking. Well, you better be rich, or be real good at cooking. You should probably lose some weight 'cause we can't see your bones. You should probably fix your face or you'll end up on your own). An example of that is the Adele’s campaign for her album “21”. I found it odd that all of her videos and magazine spreads focused solely on her face, and when her body was shown, she was either covered in layers of black clothing (“Someone like you” song) or photoshopped to look much slimmer. Indeed, it seems as thoug her team was keen to keep her appearance in line with the tastes of the stereotypical, westernized male viewer.

To my mind, the empowerment of women is real and is something women should not be ashamed of. But it is also something that Marketing took back as a tool when it started to produce large profits.

Speaking of Marketing tools, woman sexuality is also used through their body but mostly through nudity.

Whereas Americans are a bit uptight and puritanical about nudity and sex, Europeans countries in the contrary use and reuse of the woman body to sell a product. Many women are naked. Everywhere, in advertising, media, art, film posters on the street, on lighters… On a huge black and white photograph in the lobby of an hotel in Brussels or for the brand Burger in Zurich. Ah, the woman and her unspeakable purchasing power and seduction ! What would marketers do without her? Not much regarding American Apparel's controversial master of the ladies undressing, limit post-pubescent. Latest controversy: a photograph of a young model of Bangladeshi origin, appeared in a North American issue of Vice magazine. Maks, 22, breast visible, is covered with the slogan "Made in Bangladesh". Not everybody did enjoy the joke due to poor working conditions in this country. This widespread advertising technique, called “shockadvertising”, is about mixing sex and beauty by putting them on the same level of pleasure while playing violent or disturbing notions in mismatch with the product sold. One goal: to make an impression.

However, when the nudity is not exploited for consumption purposes but conveys a political or artistic message, Internet bristled. About a month ago, Apple judged "inappropriate" the book cover of La Femme (translated “The Woman”) from Bénédicte Martin. The reason for the scandal? A black and white photograph of the body of a naked woman melted into a dagger. While the controlled naked marketing poses no problem, the "conscious" mind nudity does. Photos and videos of topless women are regularly censored on Facebook and YouTube and profiles of users who share them are being blocked. Women who choose to wear a political meaning to their bodies and to appropriate it as a flag concerns the patriarchal puritanism which attempts to neutralize them. Couple months ago, in January in France, the actress Frédérique Bel revealed her anatomy on Twitter to defend abortion following an anti-abortion demonstration in Paris and the recent decline of the Spanish Government on the subject. Instead of her sex, a sticker shaped as an open mouth stands with the caption: “j'emmerde profondément et sérieusement ceux qui veulent m'empêcher de disposer de mon corps : ma chatte. #IVG” (meaning : "I deeply and seriously screw those who want to prevent me from making use of my body: my pussy. # Abortion”). In this part, I cannot help thinking about a photograph of Cameron Diaz, taken by the photograph Michel Haddi. She is wearing a t-shirt that, to my mind, making my point and I will not need to express myself more on this subject: on the t-shirt we can read “Our pussys our choice” with a little cat underneath. I think the photograph is fancy, not vulgar and it is just clearly expressing a point of you. Cameron Diaz is American but she is addressing to any woman in the world and as a European I wanted to share this simple photograph with you to express my mind.

Speaking of intimate part of women, a new trend is having a moment. Indeed, feminist creatives from the world of art, fashion, photography and craft have a new muse: the vagina. The female form is being, this time without any doubt, objectified in new ways, by women and men keen to represent it in all its glory. From art galleries to trendy bakeries, vaginas seem to be everywhere. Reactions to this new trend are shared again. On one hand, some are saying that it is a way to show differences between women in a world where the “norm” is defined by YouPorn. What Jamie McCartney wanted to show with his “Great Wall of Vagina” was that every woman’s vagina is different and the demystification of their private parts helped on the path to the liberation of women’s sexuality. This trend is also a way to aware people of the female genital mutilation. Indeed, a lot of women suffered from those practices when they were only little girls. When in France, in 1982, a three-month-old girl bled to death after being cut, her parents were successfully prosecuted and France has since led the way in punishing this crime. In the UK, the female genital mutilation is a growing issue. An estimated 66 000 British women have undergone the procedure, and 24 000 girls under 15 are believed to be at risk – the highest number in Europe. On the other hand, when American Apparel (this brand again) decide to do a “period” shirt featuring a screen-printed, vivid illustration by Petra Collins of a menstruating, masturbating vagina it is a bit shocking and I admit I am missing the point.

We should be proud of every bit of our body. And I think this nudity of woman’s body in Art, media or in advertising is a way to express it, to show others they should not be ashamed of any bit of it. It is true that with new trend always come the extreme part of it. Designers will always use a new fashion trend at its deepest, marketers will always use the woman bodies as it is one of the best-selling process they could found. I ashamed of the too much objectification of the woman’s body in the media but I am proud it is an inspiration for any artist.

Yes, we are now exposed to a more raunchy culture than before and it may come as a shock to some. However women in music are now challenging the old outdated hypersexual critique. To say that women in music sell sex over talent for sales may be true. Sex does sell after all. But, this does not mean that women can’t express their sexuality with confidence, bask in their femininity, sell music successfully, all without jeopardizing their authority in that boardroom full of male music executives the very next day. Women should be able to express themselves through their body not only as an object in advertisement but as a message to other people. Let’s be true, the woman’s body is still going to be naked on TV and banners for the next decades, so why not to express something deeper? Why would it be shocking ? Finally, even if I must admit that the “vagina fever” is making me a bit skeptical, celebrating the vagina in all its 3D glory is surely much healthier than obsessing over Miley’s twerking bottom. Nobody is saying we should all stick our phones in our pants and start sharing intimate selfies, but I do thing we should applause the women who are brave enough to do so (in an artistic way).

For the sensitive eyes who feel offended by this woman empowerment coming from so many sides, you don’t have to look, but maybe you should listen.

- Brontë