In the movie double indemnity, Phyllis Dietrichson the unhappy wife of an older and wealthy man is sexually objectified both by the imagery of the movie and her character position as related to other characters. She is alluring and beautiful, and she is slightly older than Lola, her stepdaughter. One thing that comes out is that she has no affection for her husband especially since she plots to kill him with the aim of receiving the insurance claim. On the other hand, the man also married her due to her physical looks. He does not respect her as a human being since she is always complaining that he does not respect her. He is much concerned about his daughter’s welfare before the welfare of his wife.  It is also obvious that he does not trust her in that he insured his life in the name of his daughter.

From his actions, it is clear that he cared less about what happened to Phyllis. Lola is his flesh and blood, and he is making sure her wellbeing is catered for.  He views Phyllis as a plaything and not a human being. She is beautiful, an expensive possession and a walking artwork to be looked art and admired but not entitled to a life of its own. It’s like when he dies she will no longer exist and thus feels no need to provide for her well-being after his death. In a physical sense, Phyllis is rarely present in the movie. However, one has a feeling of how he looks at his wife from her family position and her words. It is like he is incapable of accepting the truth that Phyllis killed his first wife. By default, she is blameless simply because she is desirable and beautiful.

Looking at it from a rather darker level, Phyllis is physically better than his first wife thus a better replacement. However, he refuses to elevate her to a higher level of divinity; he just wants to be an object he can possess, have to control over and always be there for him to look at. It is not surprising to note that he is not the only character in the movie who views her this way. The central male figure and the narrator of the movie Walter Neff describes Phyllis as an object of admiration.

As described by Mulvey, Phyllis is an icon. Her body is separated into parts to be savored by the audience and Walter just like a bar of chocolate. In this case, she is denied the dignity of being a human being. Walter is attracted to her not because he is compassionate about her problems, but because of pure lust.

Looking at how Phyllis views herself, she accepts the limitation that power is always in the hands of men, but she also accepts that she has her weapons to use. She uses her sexuality and her figure to become a male fantasy. In a way, however, she is like an innocent flower.

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