Objectification of women in short stories

A highly controversial topic in today's society–the objectification of women– is a reoccurring topic in many short stories. The objectification of women acknowledges the social standards of a woman's appearance through the eyes of others. Women are often described by their physical features and clothing choices in a sexual manner. An example of a story that references the theme of objectification and over sexualization of women is John Updike's "A&P". In "A&P", three girls walk into a supermarket in their bathing suits. They receive judgmental looks because of their lack of clothing. Sammy–a worker at the cash register makes comments on the girls. At one point, he comments on what one of the girls is wearing: “With the straps pushed off, there was nothing between the top of the suit and the top of her head except just her, this clean bare plane of the top of her chest down from the shoulder bones like a dented sheet of metal tilted in the light. I mean, it was more than pretty.” (Updike 113). Most of Sammy's comments are on the girls bodies. This shows that these girls were seen as sexual objects, because of what they were wearing.