Toward a “human being to commodity model” as an explanation for men's violent, sexual consumption of women

Abstract

AbstractThis research proposes a consumer behavior model that highlights how women may be valuated across a continuum of living human being to commodity. We use the social epidemic of men's sexual violence against women to build a model that reframes sexual violence as men's violent consumption of women. Our model describes the process through which men can think about women as a commodity. We propose different paths through which commoditization occurs—men perceiving women as instrumental, interchangeable, and violable, as well as denying their subjectivity and autonomy—which can lead to violent consumption (the commitment of sexual violence). While sexual violence is a complex problem that defies easy solutions, we believe our nuanced and concrete model is more informative to actions to stop sexual violence than existing theories. We also discuss the role of other factors, including the marketplace, in enabling, attenuating, and reversing this process.