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Objecting to objectifying

I was just watching the F1 Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, and was struck by a couple of sentences which occurred in the space of about 10 minutes. On a (male) racing driver, by a man: "apart from being tall dark and handsome, what do we know about Manor's new driver?" On David Coulthard, by a woman, "he's completely gorgeous". No similar comments on females were made.

I have no problem with this, but I wonder how feminists would have reacted if the genders of the drivers were reversed? I could imagine them using this as further "proof" that society is inherently sexist, is objectifying women, and that the value of a female is still tied to her appearance.

If you look at glossy magazines and calendars, they are full of well toned topless men. A Google search for "sexy male calendar" yields more hits than a similar search for "sexy female calendar." I don't care, but I do mind feminists claiming that only females are objectified, or that they are objectified more. You can cherry-pick to show any angle you like.

The worst egress in the 2016 Olympics was apparently when the women's judo final was described as a cat fight. Ok, I think that wasn't great as it's not good to offend anyone. But guess what? Only male cats fight.

I objectify men and women all the time. Although I struck up a really interesting conversation with a US taxi driver recently, generally I tend to regard people as a physical unit designed to perform some function. I'm usually not interested in where the barber is going on holiday, or the opinions of the coach driver or checkout person in Sainsbury's. I don't mind if they are a computer, robot, man or woman, android or androgynous. Similarly I might be attracted to someone on the TV without knowing their personality, as apparently teenage girls do all the time.

Basically, objectification is normal and healthy, cuts both ways, and is another one of these social justice words that should be thrown in the bin.

Edited to add: Things were not always this balanced. The phrase "it's a man's world" was certainly true 30 years ago, but times have changed a lot.

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