The state's goal is to establish control over its citizens. It does this through various means, including the promotion of certain values and behaviors that are considered socially acceptable. One way it achieves this is through the production of eroticized images and narratives that represent an "ideal" citizen who conforms to these norms. These images and stories promote heterosexuality, monogamy, and traditional gender roles while condemning nonconforming behavior such as homosexuality, bisexuality, polyamory, and transgenderism. This manufacturing of eroticized visions serves to reinforce cultural conformity and obedience.
Examples include advertising campaigns for products like cars, perfume, and clothing; television shows and movies; music videos; fashion magazines; social media influencers; and political propaganda. All of these forms of media present ideals that are impossible to achieve but drive people to strive towards them anyway. The message is clear: If you want to be accepted and successful, you need to look/act/behave in a specific way. Those who don't fit into this mold are often shamed or excluded from society.
By promoting sexualized images and messages, the state creates a sense of normalcy around certain behaviors and attitudes. This makes it harder for individuals to question or challenge them without feeling out of place or outcast. In addition, the state uses sex and sexuality to distract people from other issues, such as poverty, inequality, and environmental destruction. By focusing on sex, the state diverts attention away from systemic problems and keeps people from organizing against it. It also perpetuates harmful stereotypes about women, LGBTQ+ people, and other marginalized groups.
The state uses eroticized visions of the ideal citizen to maintain power and control over its citizens. It does so by promoting normative values and punishing those who deviate from them.
This reinforces cultural conformity and compliance with authority figures, making it difficult for individuals to break free from societal expectations.
How do states manufacture eroticized visions of the ideal citizen to reinforce cultural conformity and obedience?
States create eroticized visions of the ideal citizen to reinforce cultural conformity and obedience by emphasizing certain traits that are considered desirable in their respective societies, such as physical attractiveness, wealth, intelligence, and success. By doing so, they establish normative standards for how people should look, behave, and act, which can lead to a sense of social pressure on individuals who may not meet these expectations.