Women as animals or animals as women?

Introduction

Women and animals – are both subjected to objectification as a common system of oppression.The sexual objectification of women has been challenged in the last two decades with increasing global awareness. But ‘breasts’, ‘legs’, and ‘thighs' are coveted in more than just women.

Women are ‘chicks’ and ‘birds’. Using women's bodies to sell products, giving women animal names, and the sexualization of girls and women are ways in which females are demeaned and objectified in society. For example, women can be judged or rated based on breast size or shape, turning them into sexual objects for the male gaze. Women look, too, which can lead to self-objectification and the body shaming of other women.

Women as Animals

Women are portrayed as beings that can be tamed or subdued when they are depicted as animals. Pictures like this imply that women require dominance or subordination.

If a woman does not conform to the stereotype of a "acceptable" woman, she may be referred to as an animal or in other demeaning ways throughout history. Despite the belief of many that we no longer do so, this belief is maintained in common terminology and slang. For instance, a strong lady is referred to as a "bitch," which is another word for a female dog. We refer to girl battles as "catfights," and the weapons of choice are the girls' "claws" or nails. A "cougar" is a predatory older woman who is after a younger male. Yet, not all animal references are intended to be offensive. The British slang for an attractive young woman is “bird” or “pigeon”.

Greek Mythology

Greek mythology contains a number of themes in which women are represented as beasts, animals, or men-killers. Medusa comes in first. Once upon a time, Medusa was admired for her beauty. According to some tales, Athena was envious of Medusa's beauty since she served as a

priestess at the temple of Athena. Her vow of virginity was broken, according to other traditions, when she fell in love with Poseidon, the sea god. Then Athena changed Medusa into the recognisable creature we know today. Her skin is covered in scales, she has scaled hair, and her stare has the power to turn any man to stone. Among the other mythical female animals are mermaids, sirens, and harpies.

Harpies:

Once supposed to be lovely maidens with golden wings, harpies have now undergone a transformation in appearance, appearing as ugly animals with wings and birds with the heads of maidens. They are there to commit theft. For the gods, they steal food and humans. Every time a person or precious thing vanished, Harpies were said to be to blame.

Sirens:

According to Greek mythology, sirens are stunning creatures that resemble half women and half animals. They sing stunning tunes that make people feel sleepy. They would become disoriented and typically pass away from hunger. Several legends depict sirens as sisters who seduced sailors into drowning. Similar tales have also referred to mermaids as sirens.

The phrase "Just another piece of flesh" is also used to compare women to animals. In some horrifying ways, women are used as an example of animals in Peta's most recent campaigns against animal abuse: The purpose of these tools is to draw the reader's attention and to be humorous, but it is still unclear why women are used and why they are portrayed in such a sexualized manner in these particular commercials. The most straightforward explanation is that, like animals, gorgeous women might occasionally be viewed as "simply a piece of meat." Hence, this nebulous justification supports sexual objectification of women and the use of violence against them as a marketing tactic.

The “B” Word

Throughout history, "bitch" has been used to mean a variety of things. In the 15th century CE, it started to be used as a pejorative name for women despite originally being used to describe a female dog. It compared women to female dogs in heat.

With the publishing of "The Bitch Manifesto" by Joreen Freeman in 1969, or by performance artist Bitch and "Pussy Manifesto," feminists in the 20th century tried to redefine "bitch" as a term of empowerment. Nonetheless, the word is still used to denigrate women. Some people attempt to cast the "B" word in a favorable light, while others do it in a more unfavorable manner.