COMMODIFICATION, SEXUAL OBJECTIFICATION AND THE IMAGE OF THE

Abstract

The 21st century, being in a constant flux, has continued to witness various display of human relationships, especially as it relates to gender. Compared to the past, issues relating to gender practices and projections could be said to have taken a new dimension. It is, therefore, pertinent to argue that, the fluidity of the 21st century, no doubt, projects gender related issues in a more highly sexualised tone and texture than ever before. In other words, creative writers, in attempts to capture this highly sexualised society, have variously showcased a society where images of erotic codes, symbols, messages and artefacts permeate and continue to pervade the sights, senses, sensibilities and spaces of the society. This presupposes, therefore, that, the society becomes highly sexualised, especially where women are constituted as sex objects and commodities, not only for monetary gains, but also for sexual pleasure. This paper, drawing from new historicism and feminist ideologies, interrogates the notion of sexual objectification, commodification and the image of the African woman, as exemplified in Amma Darko’s Beyond the Horizon.