(24) Quote Integration

I think defining and explaining sexual objectification is imperative for the development of my argument, since it is the major evidence I use for the sort of “anti-feminist” perspective that people use when watching Dollhouse.

So what exactly is sexual objectification and how is it employed in the plot of Dollhouse? In her article in 1995, Martha Nussbaum tackled the many different ways in which sexual objectification can be carried out:

“Instrumentality: the objectifier treats the object as a tool of his or

her purposes; Denial of autonomy: the objectifier treats the object as lacking

in autonomy and self-determination; Inertness: The objectifier treats the

object as lacking in agency, and perhaps also in activity; Fungibility: the

objectifier treats the object as (a) interchangeable with other objects of the

same type, and/or (b) with objects of other types; Violability: the objectifier

treats the object as lacking in bodily integrity, as something that it is

permissible to break up, smash, or break into; Ownership: the objectifier

treats the object as something that is owned by another, can be bought or

sold, etc., and Denial of Subjectivity: the objectifier treats the object as

something whose experience and feelings (if any) need not be taken into

account.” (Marino, 2008)

Basically, acts of sexual objectification can be identified by these seven characteristics. It deals with how the objectifier sees and treats the “object” or person that is being objectified. This can be observed multiple times in the sixth episode of Dollhouse, by the way that the male characters express their thoughts about the girls and treat them when they don’t think anyone is around.