The Politics of Women’s Flesh: A Feminist Critique of Systemic Sexual Objectification in The Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill

This research study examines the manipulation of female bodies as objects of surveillance, control, and oppression in a dystopian novel, addressing a critical gap in feminist literary criticism through its focus on contemporary young adult controlled-world narratives. Grounded in Catharine MacKinnon's feminist theory of sexual objectification, the study examines how womanhood is defined through desirability, conformity, and subjugation in Louise O'Neill's novel Only Ever Yours. The research investigates how the female characters in the novel are dehumanized and reduced to objects of sex within a patriarchal system that legitimizes power through the use of technology and ideological institutions, including education and the state. The analysis also explores how internalized sexism helps perpetuate patriarchal structures, particularly through mutual surveillance of women and their complicity in their own subjugation. Using textual analysis, the study reveals how Only Ever Yours embodies the contemporary gender inequalities, showcasing how female agency is systematically undermined through institutionalized and internalized sexual objectification. The research contributes significantly to feminist literary criticism by offering a framework for analyzing how dystopian literature can highlight the mechanisms of sexual politics in both fictional and real-world contexts. The findings provide critical insights into the embodiment of gendered dynamics in dystopian literature and establish a foundation for future interdisciplinary research exploring the intersection of feminist theory and dystopian fiction.