
OBEJECTIFYING RACE
Race is another item that is objectified on many occasions. One scene that comes to mind is the atrocious brothel scene with the encounters with the African and Asian prostitutes. In this scene, the women are dressed in costumes that follow the stereotypes of their race. The African woman wears a skimpy animal print dress and the Asian woman dresses in traditional Asian patterns. Making matters worse, they then go on to dance with stereotypical music from their cultures. This dancing is also very objectifying because they are prostituting themselves to the audience due to their lack of clothing. These women are objectified solely based on the way that they look. Their skin colors and bloodlines were the only factors taken into account for their role in the movie.
The non-Roman characters are objectified in grotesque way as well. The figures on the street behave as though they have no intelligence and are portrayed as complete idiots. They paint horses to look like zebras and other offensive tasks. This can also be said for the guard in Marcus Lycuc’s brothel. This huge hulk of a man mumbles and grunts words and once again his character is decided simply on the way he looks. The use of objectification of race is meant to be comical and by doing so, the toxic racial stereotypes continue to be used in media.