Speaking of exploitation (and our tendency to look away), many of us didnt realize

that October 5 was International Day of No Prostitution. As commemorations go, it

was, to quote the Bard, more honord in the breach than in the observance.
Prostitution, after all, is not called the worlds oldest profession for no reason:
serving one of mans most basic urges, it is easy to peddle and just as easy to
acquire. And by the admission of the two main groups in Davao City advocating for
the rights of abused and prostituted women and children, it was virtually impossible
to expect the flesh trade to cease even for a day. The reasons are varied but they
boil down to two things: one, women who are forced into prostitution need to work
in order to supply the needs of their families, and two, there are always men who
will engage their services.

JOAQUIN J.. (2015, October 16). Objectifying women. Retrieved from

http://www.pilipino-express.com/editorialopinions-sp-161843661/pov-
philippines/3133-objectifying-women.html

Writer Karen Kunawiczs Facebook post a few days ago of a sweatshirt she found at
the SM Megamall Department Stores boys section went viral almost immediately. It
had nothing to do with the garment as an item of fashion, but with the message
silk-screened on its front: Its not rape: its a snuggle with a struggle.

Kunawiczs post adds, SMthe same mall that has a daily angelus and refused to
show Tim Burtons Sweeney Todd in the cinemas? Boys, listen to Tita Karenif a
girl says NO and pushes you away, just err on the side of caution, she likely means
NO. And go watch Sweeney Todd. WTF, SM.

The issue was taken up by the international press, one of them The Independent, a
UK-based news organization, and Australias news.com.au.

In 2013 there were 7,409 cases of rape in the Philippines; 4,234 of those cases were
against children, an increase of 26 percent over the 2012 figure of 3,355 children.

To whoever made that shirt: Rape is not funny. Trivializing crime is not funny. Putting
this message on a garment for children is not funny.

The kind of mindset that produced such a message stems from the rape culture,
wherein rape is normalized due to societal attitudes about gender, sex, and
sexuality. Behaviors associated with rape culture include sexual objectification,
victim blaming (Its her fault for wearing a miniskirt!), and trivializing rape (Its a
snuggle with a struggle).

One latest display of the rape culture was at the Bench Naked Truth show, touted
as a denim and underwear fashion show and held last Sep. 19 at the MoA Arena.
At the show, actor Coco Martin dragged around a scantily-clad acrobatic woman on
a rope like a pet. Female models performed antics bordering on soft-porn. Mens
bulges were fetishized. The models, both female and male, were hypersexualized.

Why do men rape? A 1985 study by sociologists Diana Scully and Joseph Marolla
linked the crime to dominance (to put women in their place), punishment (for
instance, revenge rape, which has the element of collective liability, as in the Elliott
Rodger case), male entitlement (seizing what isnt volunteered), control, and
power.

In their conclusions, the researchers said, The pleasure these men derived from
raping reveals the extreme to which they objectified women. Women were seen as
sexual commodities to be used and conquered rather than as human beings with
rights and feelings.

This sort of commodification of women is what happened in the Bench show with
Martin pulling the female model around on a rope. Maza called it dehumanizing.
Such displays reinforce already prevailing anti-women attitudes in society.

This mindset can also be perceived in something as simple as the posting of sexist
jokes. Such jokes reward men and victimize women because the butt of these
jokes are usually females; the same goes for dumb blonde, mother-in-law,
shrewish wife, and similar jokes at the expense of women.

Anything that contributes to normalizing rape, sexual aggression, commodification,

and objectification in society, and to reinforcing such existing attitudes, is downright
wrong and inexcusable. There can be no reasonable justification for it.

ORTUOSTE, J.. (2014, September 25). The culture of rape in Philippine fashion.
Retrieved from

http://manilastandardtoday.com/mobile/article/158432

Bench should be held accountable for this degrading and dehumanizing portrayal
of women and should apologize, former Gabriela congresswoman Liza Maza said on
her Facebook page. Her call has made rounds via social media since. Whether or not
Benchs statement was made intentionally, it was made irresponsibly in a country
where women, although protected by law and assured time and again that they
enjoy the same rights as men, remain vulnerable and marginalized.

In 2013, the number of reported rape cases rose to 1,259 from 1,030 in 2012, the
Philippine Commission on Women said, citing police data. But that figure is only a
small part of the total 23,865 reported crimes against women last year. It included
16,517 cases of human trafficking, mostly for purposes of prostitution; 3,564 cases
of physical injuries; 1,035 cases of acts of laciviousness; and thousands of other
crimes such as abduction, seduction and incestuous rape. By showing a woman held
captive by a man, Bench was in effect saying that Filipinas should submit to their
husbands. Worse, by having a celebrity portray the dominant male, it was as if
Bench was saying women should be proud to be mans pet.

Gays, too, were not free from apparent discrimination at the Bench fashion show. As
first look, the event may be deemed laudable for having Filipino-American
transgender rights advocate Geena Rocero walk the runway proud. But aside from
Roceros stint, LGBT themes in the fashion show included a longing stare and an
almost-kiss between Dennis Trillo and Tom Rodriguez, stars of a defunct gay-themed
primetime drama in broadcasting giant GMA-7. The two male stars didnt kiss and it
would have been perfectly fine, if not for a girl-to-girl kiss that followed while the
actors watched. Not only was the kiss in bad taste, it also ostracized gay men while
objectifying women.

I think Bench was inadvertently highlighting a truth in the Filipino society: Its
perfectly fine for two women to hold hands or even kiss in public, but it is almost
scandalous for two men to walk too close to each other. The fashion giant was also
saying that its okay for two women who are not lovers to kiss for public
entertainment, because hey, theyre just women. This crooked mindset is the root of
pornography, live shows and prostitution.

PATRIA, K.A.. (2014, September 23). Naked contradictions at 'The Naked Truth.'
Retrieved from

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/out-and-proud/naked-contradictions-at--the-naked-
truth-062328445.html

Wurtzbach, during a one-on-one interview with CNN Philippines anchor Mitzi

Borromeo on January 24, said that beauty pageants do not market women as
objects.

She defended that when beauty pageant contestants go the extra mile to dress in
elegant dresses, wear makeup, and go out well-dressed, is to get people noticing to
affect positive change.

"The reason why we dress this way, we have to put on make-up, we have to look
good, is to get people's attention."

She added that getting the public's attention is only the first step, because what
follows is the important part.

"I guess you could say it's bait. Now that we have your attention, here are our
advocacies, " she said.
TAN, L.. (2016, January 25). Do beauty pageants objectify women? Miss Universe Pia
Wurtzbach weighs in. Retrieved from

http://cnnphilippines.com/lifestyle/2016/01/25/Miss-Universe-Pia-Wurtzbach-beauty-
pageants-objectify-women.html