Today I found a very interesting article talking about victimization and its effects on romantic partners. This article took an evolutionary perspective on whether or not indirect aggression (rumor spreading, harassment, etc.) had any effect on competition for romantic partners. According to the article, indirect victimization is prominently seen in females, and that indirect victimization is more hurtful and distressing for girls than it is for boys (Leenaars, L. 2008). why is this? The article states that boys resort to physical violence because they want to seem more dominant,( (Leenaars, L. 2008) where are for girls it can effect there social status and romantic status to seem aggressive. Another key reason that women attack other women according to an evolutionary approach, is that women are more selective when choosing a mate in order to protect the outcome of future offspring. Indirect victimization is seen as a tool make ones self look more appealing to partners and eliminating competition. Therefor, women who have had successful past relationships, women who are seen as attractive, and women who have a history of promiscuity, are more likely to be victimized because they are seen as a threat (Leenaars, L. 2008).
The study that went with this article wanted to see if there was a correlation from how attractive someone felt/how many partners they have had and how often they have been victimized (Leenaars, L. 2008). They study picked 2319 participants who were in their adolescents for this study. they measured everything with a series of Likert scales. The date showed that victimization was more prominent between women, and that women who were considered attractive, had more sexual partners, and date frequently were more likely to be victims (Leenaars, L. 2008).
This study explains one of the reasons that might contribute to women being punished for their sexual behavior while men are not. this such victimization can be seen in the media in some movies such as "Mean Girls" a movie showing the horrors of being an adolescent female. In the movie often the main character is victimized by the one of the meaner girls Regina. In one scene she is seen telling a boy who likes the main charecter lies about her in order to get him herself.
Leenaars, Lindsey S., Andrew V. Dane, and Zopito A. Marini. "Evolutionary Perspective on Indirect Victimization in Adolescence: the Role of Attractiveness, Dating and Sexual Behavior - Leenaars - 2008 - Aggressive Behavior." Wiley Online Library. Wiley-Liss, 2008. Web. 21 Oct. 2011. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ab.20252/abstract>.
Emily- I thought you had a really interesting take on the idea. I loved the way you brought the evolutionary viewpoint into this post. I thought the twist at the end of the post was great- that maybe the fact that women promiscuous women are often punished for their actions is because others see their successful relationships and attractiveness threatening and resort to victimization. Good job!
ReplyDeleteWow that clip was right on the money with this whole stereotype. It showed exactly how girls punish each other by victimizing them. Great post!
ReplyDeleteMean girls is definitely a great example to use for this stereotype--girls are vicious with each other when it comes to insulting each other in relation to sex. We call each other sluts and whores, which makes it ok for men to call us sluts and whores. If we want to stop being considered "slutty" simply because we enjoy sex, we should stop allowing the stereotype to continue and prolonging its use. Women need to empower themselves before they can expect men to respect them for their actions.
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