What does objectification mean?
Objectification is the process of treating a person as an object rather than as an autonomous individual with dignity, feelings, and agency. In its most common modern use, the word describes situations in which people are reduced to physical attributes, sexual characteristics, social roles, or their usefulness to others. The term frequently appears in criticism of advertising, pornography, consumer culture, and unequal workplace or social expectations. Objectification differs from simple observation or appreciation: the defining feature is the reduction of a person to something that can be used, possessed, displayed, or categorized. The word can also have the broader sense of representing or regarding something as a discrete object, as when a landscape is treated as a commodity. It is especially useful in discussion because it identifies not merely an objectionable representation, but a broader social process by which people may be denied recognition as subjects in their own right.
nounThe process of treating a person as an object, especially by reducing them to their appearance, attributes, function, or usefulness. It can also more broadly refer to representing or regarding something as a discrete object.
- The process of treating a person as an object rather than as a person with autonomy, dignity, and agency.
- The broader process of representing, conceptualizing, or regarding something as an object.
"She criticized the advertisement for its blatant objectification of women."
"The film was criticized for reinforcing the objectification of women through unrealistic and repetitive imagery."
"The philosopher examined how advertising turns ordinary objects into objects of desire."
Used when referring to distinct instances or types of the process.
"The study compares different objectifications of the human body in visual art."
Objectification names the moment a person is made to matter only for what they can do for someone else.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does objectification come from?
Objectification was formed from the English verb objectify by adding the noun-forming suffix -ation. Objectify derives from object, which comes through Old French from Latin objectum, a past participle of obicere, meaning “to throw before” or “to place before.” English cognates such as object, objective, and objectivity belong to the same Latin-derived family, while objectification developed as a nominal term during the 19th century.
How objectification is actually used
The term is most common in academic, political, feminist, and cultural criticism. It is often associated with the treatment of people according to their appearance, sexuality, social role, or economic usefulness, but it can also be applied more abstractly to objects, ideas, or landscapes.
Easily confused with objectification
Objectification is the act of treating someone as an object, whereas objectivity is the practice of judging a matter without being influenced by personal feelings or bias.