WNBA Players Hit With Sex Toys Mid-Game; Enough Of Women's Sexualisation

The sex toy incident at a recent WNBA game highlights society’s deep-rooted sexualisation and objectification of women, demanding respect and cultural change.

We Are Not Objects

These words echo the reality millions of women face daily. In workplaces, public spaces, social media, and entertainment, women are constantly judged, sexualised, and trivialised. Patriarchy has taught society that women exist to be seen, appraised, and laughed at, rather than to be respected for their intelligence, effort, and achievements. This is not just a problem in sports; it is a cultural problem, embedded in the way society perceives and treats half its population.

Objectification is normalised. In sports, women’s appearances are dissected more than their performance. In offices, remarks about a woman’s clothing or body are casually dismissed as humour. On social media, viral content often highlights sexualised disruption instead of celebrating skill or accomplishment. And in politics, media, and entertainment, women are consistently reduced to their bodies rather than their ideas.

Misogyny doesn’t just harm women; it teaches everyone that sexual harassment is acceptable, that disrespect is tolerable, and that women’s professional achievements are negotiable.

Talent Is Not a Shield

Indeed, talent alone does not protect women from harassment or objectification. Women in offices, classrooms, politics, and public life constantly navigate a world where their competence is questioned, their presence sexualised, and their accomplishments minimised. Where are we heading with this if we allow society to continue measuring women by appearance rather than merit?

Objectification is not harmless. It has a profound psychological impact: anxiety, self-consciousness, pressure to conform to unrealistic standards, and constant vigilance in public spaces. It erodes confidence, discourages participation, and sends a message that women’s presence, effort, and skill are conditional. Patriarchy thrives on this culture of normalised disrespect, where sexualized behaviour is trivialised or even celebrated.

Beyond the Court: Society at Large

The WNBA incident is extreme, but it reflects a reality far broader than sports. This normalisation perpetuates gender inequality and entrenches patriarchal control over women’s professional and personal spaces. We’ve reached a point where a sex toy thrown on a basketball court is treated as a spectacle for laughs instead of what it truly is: harassment.

Society needs to confront a hard truth: sexualised harassment and objectification are not isolated incidents. They are cultural patterns, reinforced by media, social norms, and institutions that fail to hold perpetrators accountable. Patriarchy benefits from this normalisation, keeping women constantly navigating unsafe and devalued spaces.

Collective Responsibility

Change requires more than rules; it requires cultural accountability. Leagues, workplaces, and institutions must enforce anti-harassment policies rigorously. Media must prioritise skill and achievement over sexualization. Social media platforms must stop glorifying harassment as entertainment. Parents, teachers, and mentors must educate the next generation about the importance of consent, respect, and equality.

Fans and audiences also bear responsibility. Laughing at sexualising pranks, sharing viral videos of harassment, or dismissing women’s dignity as trivial only perpetuates the culture of objectification. Respecting women means valuing their talent, intelligence, and contribution, not reducing them to sexual objects for amusement.

Stop Laughing, Start Respecting

Sports, entertainment, and public life can be mirrors of society. When female athletes are sexualised, it reflects a broader cultural failure to respect women as professionals and human beings. Until we confront this cultural problem, incidents like the WNBA disruption will continue to occur. Until society stops trivialising sexual harassment, women will constantly navigate spaces where respect is conditional.

Women are not props, objects, or entertainment for anyone’s amusement. They are professionals, creators, leaders, and humans deserving dignity, recognition, and respect. Society must confront the cultural patterns that allow sexualisation to thrive. Harassment is not “fun,” objectification is not “harmless,” and trivialization is not “normal.”

If we fail to act, we will continue perpetuating a world where half the population is devalued and disrespected daily. It is time to stop tolerating it, stop normalising it, and start creating a culture where women are celebrated for their talent, not reduced to objects.