Sexism in Game of Thrones

1 Game of Thrones The TV series Game of Thrones is sexist because it popularizes the use of sex by men and women to advance their powers and social interests. In the series, women are portrayed as means of achieving sexual gratification for men, as seen in Sansa’s betrothal1. There are also a lot of sex scenes in the series, mainly portraying women negatively.2 The artistic decisions expressed in this series exemplify a real-world dislike of even seeing rape as a form of violence.

Sexism creates stereotypes, mainly to show people, especially women, as objects of sex as morally lose3. The Game of Thrones extensively uses sexism to highlight the place of women in the power hierarchy and their value in society.

Moreover, in the sexist move, women are treated as wards on a permeant basis in disregard of their freedoms and rights4. Women are treated as less human beings because of their gender and sexuality. The beauty of women in the series underlines their projections as sexual objects to serve men’s interests.

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1

Stacey Goguen. ”There are No True Knights: The Injustice of Chivalry” i Irvin, William (red). 2012. Game of Thrones and Philosophy: LogicCuts Deeper Than Swords. Hoboken: Wiley. 205- 218.

2 Stephanie Genz. ”I’m Not Going to Fight Them, I’m Going to Fuck Them”: Sexist Liberalism and Gender (A) Politics in Game of Thrones” I Gjelsvik, Anne & Schubart, Rikke (red). 2016. Women of Ice and Fire. Gender, Game of Thrones, and Multiple Media Engagements.

3 Stephanie Genz. "I'm Not Going to Fight Them, I'm Going to Fuck Them": Sexist Liberalism and Gender (A) Politics in Game of Thrones" i Gjelsvik, Anne & Schubart, Rikke (red). 2016. Women of Ice and Fire. Gender, Game of Thrones, and Multiple Media Engagements. Pp 243259.

4 Stacey Goguen. ”There are No True Knights: The Injustice of Chivalry” i Irvin, William (red). 2012. Game of Thrones and Philosophy: LogicCuts Deeper Than Swords. Hoboken: Wiley. 2i7 218.

2 On these grounds, beauty is one of the qualities stressed among women in the Game of Thrones. Beautiful women are also shown as whores or prostitutes, as projected in the relationship between Tyrion and women. He had many prostitutes to meet his sexual desires5.

Moreover, for women to get power and maintain their influence, most of them turn to sex. Sex is used as a means to acquire and maintain influence among women. The Game of Thrones portrays women as less powerful, leaving them with sex as the only tool they can use to manipulate men and acquire power. Women are defined by how they relate to men, reducing their worthiness to nothing but their link to males6. The TV series overlooks other qualities women have that can help them to rise up in power; instead, it focuses on their sexual or marital relations to define ascend to power. The view that women cannot acquire power on their own underlines the sexist approach to women's power7.

The series also involves steamy sex scenes, as seen in the love affair between Brienne and Jaime. Brienne, although sexy, she is exploited for sex by Jaime, with him committing to her. Jaime is more interested in making love than in a long-term relationship. The sexual relationship between the two serves to perpetuate the Game of Throne view of men as sexual objects. The sexual relationship between Jaime and Cersei is another episode that propagates sexism in the series as the two engage in an incestuous sexual relationship8. Although Cersei is in control of the relationship, she uses sex to manipulate Jaime to serve her interests. In essence, sex is mainly used by women as a tool of trade and control.

5

Brent Hartinger (2012) ”A Different Kind of Other” i Lowder, James, Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. P. 5-6.

6 Brent Hartinger (2012) ”A Different Kind of Other” i Lowder, James, Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. P. 5.

7 Elisabeth Beaton. ”Female Machiavellians in Westeros” i Gjelsvik, Anne & Schubart, Rikke (red). 2016. Women of Ice and Fire. Gender, Game of Thrones, and Multiple Media Engagements.

8 Stephanie Genz. ”I’m Not Going to Fight Them, I’m Going to Fuck Them”: Sexist Liberalism and Gender (A) Politics in Game of Thrones” I Gjelsvik, Anne & Schubart, Rikke (red). 2016. Women of Ice and Fire. Gender, Game of Thrones, and Multiple Media Engagements.

3 References Beaton, Elisabeth. ”Female Machiavellians in Westeros” i Gjelsvik, Anne & Schubart, Rikke (red). 2016. Women of Ice and Fire. Gender, Game of Thrones, and Multiple Media Engagements.

Goguen, Stacey. “There are No True Knights: The Injustice of Chivalry” i Irvin, William (red).

2012. Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Logic Cuts Deeper Than Swords. Hoboken: Wiley. 205- 218.

Hartinger, Brent (2012). “A Different Kind of Other” i Lowder, James, Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.

Genz, Stephanie. ”I’m Not Going to Fight Them, I’m Going to Fuck Them”: Sexist Liberalism and Gender (A) Politics in Game of Thrones” I Gjelsvik, Anne & Schubart, Rikke (red).

2016. Women of Ice and Fire. Gender, Game of Thrones, and Multiple Media Engagements.