The hyper-sexualization of women in the entertainment industry is something that has been in existence for as long as recorded history. Everyone knows the adage \u201csex sells,\u201d and this is often taken literally when marketing females in the industry through performances, music videos, and the general selling of a woman\u2019s body and persona over their musical talents and abilities. This rampant hyper-sexualization poses a problem to the authentic study of female artists because it takes attention away from their talents and performances, placing more attention on females\u2019 bodies, clothes, and looks than the actual music they create. Female artists are either seen as too sexual or not sexual enough, leading to them being immediately defined and rated by their bodies and both their implicit and explicit sexuality rather than their merits as an artist, distracting from the study of the artist for their music and the contributions to greater society that are achieved through their music.<\/p>\n
The Virgin-Whore Dichotomy <\/strong><\/p>\n Hyper-sexualization has presented itself in various forms throughout history, but one theme that has remained a relative constant across centuries is the virgin-whore dichotomy. The idea and the effects of the virgin-whore dichotomy are well articulated in Susan McClary\u2019s Feminine Endings<\/em>, where she explains a classic example of the virgin whore-dichotomy as seen through the nineteenth century opera Carmen<\/em>. In the story of Carmen, <\/em>the character Micaela is portrayed as the \u201cvirgin\u201d of the story, as she is sexless, submissive, and acts as the ideal of woman of the bourgeoisie of the time.1<\/sup><\/a>McClary, Susan. Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality. <\/em>University of Minnesota Press, 1991.<\/span><\/span>