"In social philosophy, objectification is the act of treating a person, or sometimes an animal,[1] as an object or a thing. It is part of dehumanization, the act of disavowing the humanity of others. Sexual objectification, the act of treating a person as a mere object of sexual desire, is a subset of objectification, as is self-objectification, the objectification of one's self. In Marxism, the objectification of social relationships is discussed as "reification".

"According to Martha Nussbaum, a person is objectified if one or more of the following properties are applied to them:[2]

Instrumentality – treating the person as a tool for another's purposes

Denial of autonomy – treating the person as lacking in autonomy or self-determination

Inertness – treating the person as lacking in agency or activity

Fungibility – treating the person as interchangeable with (other) objects

Violability – treating the person as lacking in boundary integrity and violable, "as something that it is permissible to break up, smash, break into."

Ownership – treating the person as though they can be owned, bought, or sold (such as slavery)

Denial of subjectivity – treating the person as though there is no need for concern for their experiences or feelings

Rae Langton proposed three more properties to be added to Nussbaum's list:[3]

Reduction to body – the treatment of a person as identified with their body, or body parts

Reduction to appearance – the treatment of a person primarily in terms of how they look, or how they appear to the senses

Silencing – the treatment of a person as if they are silent, lacking the capacity to speak." I was exposed to adult sex tourism growing up in the world of organized crime.

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