http://headlesswomenofhollywood.

com/About

About

THE HEADLESS WOMEN PROJECT

Started by @MarciaBelsky, the Headless Women project seeks to bring attention to the still
standard practice of fragmenting, fetishizing and dehumanizing the images of women we see in
film, TV, book covers, and advertisement.

By decapitating the woman, or fragmenting her body into decontextualized sexual parts, she
becomes an unquestionably passive object to the male gaze. The question of her consent is
removed completely alongside her head, and her purpose becomes solely that of being looked at
by men obediently. Her value is that only of her sexual appeal to men, and not of her personhood.

These images, used as an advertisement trope for years, teach our minds to be signified that a
womans separated and sexualized parts are one and the same thing as a sexual woman herself.

The consistent fragmentation of womens bodies, with particular focus on the boobs, butt and lips,
separates the sexualized female body parts from her wholeness. Thus, as fragmented parts, the
viewer does not have to morally reconcile the woman who is being objectified with her complete
humanness.

The head is first and foremost the thinking part of the human body, where our motivations and
feelings are located. So, these images we are bombarded with on a daily basis tell us persistently
that womens thoughts, feelings and personal agency either dont exist or are of no interest.

Further, facial features are the way we recognize other people. Its the face that makes us
individuals. That too is taken away, and we are taught that all women should strive for an ideal
that will make us the same and interchangeable.

We are made numb in pop culture to female bodies remaining background to male-centered
action. A right for men to focus on or ignore, but always there if and when he so chooses. And
always there explicitly, first and foremost, for his intent.

The overwhelming presence of these headless women in the images we see both perpetuate and
is symptomatic of the overall idea that women exist primarily for the sexual pleasure and purpose
of men.

DAMNIT, HOLLYWOOD!!! WE WANT HEADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!