Swordfish (2001)
How it hurts movies
The negative impact that the sexual objectification of women can have on films a slightly more subjective topic. One of the universal truths behind sexualization in mass media is that sex sells; we aren't setting impossible standards for ourselves just for the heck of it. We must remember that the film industry is just that: an industry. Artistic expression is one thing, but movies that won't make money won't get made (There are exceptions, like Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2). Even Oscar-winning A-list filmmakers typically will have no qualms throwing an unnecessary dose of female sex appeal into their productions to make them ever-so-slightly more enticing to male audiences, particularly young ones. Because female nudity alone almost never results in an NC-17 MPAA rating, filmmakers see essentially zero downsides to including it (The male-centered perspective at work again). You may have noticed that many films that are rated R for violence or language often have a few totally out-of-place female nude shots that seem to have been included simply because there was no reason not to. I have chosen to dub this trend "The R-boob". I find this to be alienating, pulling me out of the movie and making me see it as a production, rather than an alternate reality. My respect for the film and its director drops a bit whenever this happens. Look for it the next time you're at an R-rated movie, and shout, "There's the R-boob!" when you see it.