I'll start this off by saying that I don't think I know enough history or theory or take your pick to fully discuss this, so I'm going to leave this as a bit of an incomplete thought.

I've been watching Warehouse 13 lately, and following the main characters (who are Secret Service agents) has got me thinking in a roundabout way about Female Objectification. A quick search didn't turn anything up related to this, so I don't know if I'm totally off the mark or if I'm the first to put this into words on the Internet.

The Secret Service is pledged to protect the President, and analogues exist to protect heads of state of various countries. The entire purpose of the Secret Service is the objectification of the President, and is also a nice metaphor for the disposability of men and the value of women.

So let's break it down; the SS needs to keep the POTUS safe. The POTUS is comparability much less able to defend himself than any one member of the SS, and certainly much less able to defend himself than the SS as a whole. In addition, the POTUS is deemed more important than any one SS agent, or perhaps the entire group. Therefore, him acting, or expressing agency, can be very detrimental in a serious situation. Conversely, letting the SS treat him as an object is his best chance of survival, and allows the SS to do their job with the highest degree of success.

So what happens in a crisis? The POTUS will almost instantly duck and cover, be surrounded by SS agents, and do whatever they tell him to.

This protection and objectification is a double-edged sword, of course. His ability to act out an otherwise normal life is hindered as the SS needs to clear and vet any place or people he'll have contact with (generally), sometimes disallowing an action for fear of safety.

This helps explain in a much more accessible way, I think, the stories of yore where women were less able to defend themselves or act as freely as men. It helps to explain how objectification can be a privilege, but one which comes with a cost.

Thoughts?