Pornified Media: Megan Fox and Transformers

After watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I was disappointed by the movie’s quality. Not just because of the shoddy plot, but also because of the further pornification of mainstream media. That’s right; I’m talking about the sexed up lady protagonist Mikaela Banes, played by Megan Fox.

Her introduction: a sexual shot of her buttocks while draped over a motorcycle, leading up to with a generous shot of cleavage running for her life. If she wasn’t flaunting her body to please the male audience, she was desperate for Sam to say he loved her. Great message to send to women and girls everywhere, Michael Bay: that our purpose in life is to have men want us, and be sexy even in the face of danger.

What is really upsetting is how all of this is becoming normalized. Whenever someone watches a movie or a television show, almost always there is a woman flaunting her sexuality, whether directly or indirectly. This is both harmful to a woman’s self esteem and encourages gender violence.

Yes, action films have always been targeted for the gratification of men. Yes, the women characters are often there for fanservice for the protagonists and the primarily male audience. But we are in the twenty-first century. We should be at a period of our time where the main qualities a woman brings to the big screen isn’t her sensuous lips, jaw-dropping body, or a constant desire for sex.

While I will always be a fan of Transformers, I cannot condone what Michael Bay did. He not only destroyed a great pop cultural icon, but he further reinforced negative images of women in the media.