Both genders have been exploited on some occasions, but as a whole women are the object of T&A story lines, but that is true for most shows.

Nah, just think of Brooke in season 5! I admired her so much for being so strong and independent, without any guys (well, except for Owen) :D She took care of Angie, had a kick-ass clothing line but a terrible mom, was extremely successful and yet always there for her friends like Peyton and Rachel.
Or Peyton in season 2! She was such a fighter, even without Jake.

What about Karen? She raised her son all by herself, she hadher café and later Tric. Plus everything Lisiii said. Of course they break down sometimes. Is that such a bad thing?

When I think about it...

Hmmn.. part of me wants to say yes, but to be honest- the only thing about the show (that I can think of) that's pretty sexist towards women is the way in which the male characters are always rescuing the female characters. It's as though the females are damsels in distress and always need their prince charming to come along and save them. Nathan does this for Haley a lot... but the good thing about their relationship is that Haley never wants to be rescued. If anything, Haley yells at Nathan when he tries to rescue her or defend her "honor." In fact she has even stated on the show that she's not a damsel in distress that needs rescuing. But Lucas is a whole other story. I HATE the way Lucas's character is written to see women as weak and in constant need of rescuing. This is obviously demonstrated the most in Leyton's relationship. One of my least favorite lines on the show is when Peyton says to Lucas "you're always saving me" and Lucas responds "well someone has to." Actually, no Lucas (and people who wrote that line in the script)- someone does NOT have to. Women do not always need to be rescued. We are not weak and nor are we incapable of taking care of ourselves. And I don't mean to take all my anger out on Leyton... because Lucas has done this in Brucas scenes as well. Like when Brooke says in season 5 that she doesn't like when her friends see her vulnerable and Lucas responds that he always sees her as vulnerable and he thinks it's beautiful. Being vulnerable means that you are susceptible to being hurt... which basically means you need someone to protect you so you don't get hurt. So of course Lucas sees Brooke that way... and of course he finds it "beautiful." Because he's kind of chauvinistic (at least in this one sense) and gets off on being a female's hero. I'd say maybe they wrote his character that way b/c his father abandoned his mother, so now he constantly wants to rescue women the way in which his father never did. BUT it doesn't really make sense cause his mother was a really strong character... so you would think that his character would be written in a way that he realizes women do not need to be rescued because they are fully capable of taking care of themselves, the way in which his mother did.
And in the storm episode of season 8... Brooke was incredible. She was acting as everyone's hero. But, of course in the end- they have to put Brooke in a situation in which her boyfriend saves the day. Brooke couldn't remain the hero... a man had to come in and rescue her because she was incapable of truly being a hero and rescuing people properly.

But I can't really think of any other way (besides the damsel in distress syndrome) in which the show is sexist. In general both men and women are objectified on the show. Which is obviously an issue... but it's more of a "sex" issue, than a "sexist" issue.
And in terms of the idea that women are shown as "needing" men... well, that is not exactly accurate... but even if it was true, the men are the exact same way. In seasons 2 and 5 Brooke actually talks about wanting to be on her own and be independent. In seasons 2 and 5- Haley has time in which she is separated from Nathan and while Nathan seems to be falling apart, Haley actually seems to be doing okay. Karen is an incredible character with amazing strength and most of her time on the show she was single-- and while being single, she never seemed bothered by her single status. The only time she was a mess was when her fiancee was murdered, and what else can we expect from that kind of situation?!? Peyton seems to struggle a lot when she didn't have Jake or Lucas as her boyfriend... not all the time, but I think she spent more time being miserable as single than the other characters. But Brooke also did that a little in seasons 4 and 6... she seemed to be searching for a guy (or for some sort of love) in order to feel complete.
The guys do it as well though... Nathan is always a complete mess without Haley, and Lucas never spends a moment single. Lucas went straight from Peyton, to Brooke, to Peyton, to Nicki, to Anna, to Brooke, to Peyton, to Lindsey, and back to Peyton. He was barely ever single in the show... and when he was single it was always just one or two episodes later when he'd have a new love interest. So I'd say the happiness of the guys on the show was equally (if not more) dependent on being with a girl than the happiness of the girls on the show being dependent on having a guy.

So if there are any problems with sexism on the show... it doesn't come from the girls because the females are all pretty strong and independent... it comes from guys feeling like women are weak and feeling like they need to be macho and save them.

@jemgrl323
Haley yells at Nathan when he tries to rescue her or defend her "honor."I believe this is on someone's character.Some girls need to be rescued.Some girls NEED to feel like someone's always gonna be there to help them.It's on a girl's character.Haley is that kind of girl that is annoyingly [sometimes] feminist!I don't think there is anything sexist about that on the show!

One of my least favorite lines on the show is when Peyton says to Lucas "you're always saving me" and Lucas responds "well someone has to."In my opinion is one of the most nice lines on the show.:P Actually, no Lucas (and people who wrote that line in the script)- someone does NOT have to. Women do not always need to be rescued. We are strong I don't disagree!We are neither weak nor incapable of taking care of ourselves..! We're as strong as it takes! But as I see it Peyton needed to be rescued when she had a bullet stuck in her leg..XD

[i]he always sees her as vulnerable and he thinks it's beautiful. Seriously,here as I see it,Lucas was able to see the real Brooke.The girl that wasn't a brainless slut back then,like everyone thought she was.It's not offensive to tell a girl she's vulnerable and that you find it beautiful.It's not like Lucas said 'You're weak ,I'm strong'.I think this is SO wrong.

Being vulnerable means that you are susceptible to being hurt... which basically means you need someone to protect you so you don't get hurt.
Or which automatically means YOU HAVE ALL STRENGHT INSIDE YOU TO FIGHT THIS BY YOURSELF!Like Brooke did SO MANY TIMES! You don't need someone to protect you! You need someone to HELP you when you need it and if you want to need it!

But, of course in the end- they have to put Brooke in a situation in which her boyfriend saves the day.
She was amazing in that episode.She saved the day no matter if Julian came or not.Julian did not come to save the day.He came to help the woman she love.Because let's remember she told him where she was.Brooke was not brainless or stupid so to go like 'Don't care where I am I will save myself and the kids who just had a car accident near that dangerous bridge ' You know every show needs some romance,some something! Julian,whether he was in Oth or every other show would save Brooke.because she was in danger.and unconsious as she was,she wasn't so able to save herself !!
A human being can never overcome his abilities and his strength.There is always that limit.

So I'd say the happiness of the guys on the show was equally (if not more) dependent on being with a girl than the happiness of the girls on the show being dependent on having a guy. so agree here.!

Anyways..I haven't write such a long comment in a long time :P
So interesting reading your thoughts.Never have thought that way! Liked it ;)

^^^ In general, I think most things about the show are not sexist... that's why I really only wrote about one tiny aspect. In terms of the whole men rescuing women idea... it's hard to explain my thoughts, but I guess what I meant with the Lucas rescuing Peyton in the library part... was that of course in that situation Peyton needed someone to help her. But the show often writes the women into situations in which they need help. They didn't have to have Peyton be shot... it could have been Lucas being shot and Peyton rescuing him. And what I meant by having an issue with Lucas saying he always sees Brooke as vulnerable... was more how he said it's how he ALWAYS sees her. Being vulnerable is usually catergorized as a weakness. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. And it's fine to get help w/your weaknesses... but the fact that he said he always sees her as vulnerable is a problem to me. It's pretty much saying that he always sees her in need to help and saving. Sure she is vulnerable SOME of the time... but she's also feisty, fierce, and independent.
I think there have been a lot of times that Brooke has rescued people on the show... but I feel like people still mostly just think of Nathan & Lucas as the heroes because that seems to be how they are acknowledged on the show (by the writers, not necessarily the fans). I mean Brooke rescued Peyton when Peyton was drugged in season 1, yet most of the credit went to Lucas for going back to the dorm room and finding out what she was drugged with-- even though Brooke was the one who actually got Peyton out of the situation. Brooke came to rescue Peyton (and then they kind of rescued each other) on prom night from psycho derek, yet it seems like the show always placed more of an emphasis on how Lucas saved Peyton from psycho derek the first time. And when Brooke was finally the hero in the storm episode (which I love and I loved Brooke in it... so I'm not trying to diminish her heroism at all!)- she is left vulnerable and in need of saving-- so her boyfriend comes and saves her. I just wish there would have been a couple of times when the girls were the ones saving the guys, so it wouldn't seem so stereotypically sexist.

But then again, Brooke rescued Sam from her attacker... and she didn't need Julian even though he showed up at the end. So maybe my idea isn't completely true. And Haley pushed Nathan out of the way when a car was going to hit him in season 4... so maybe I'm completely wrong haha. Hmmn... I don't know (hence me choosing the option "I don't know").

Anyway, it was nice hearing your thoughts :-)

But the show often writes the women into situations in which they need help. They didn't have to have Peyton be shot... it could have been Lucas being shot and Peyton rescuing him. Hahahaha That sounded funny xD Imagine Lucas in Peyton's place ;) Haha That was Good !! In my view,every show does that sometimes !..It was for the plot's shake that they chose Peyton to get shot.and because of the whole Leyton think that they didn't want to faint out :p

but the fact that he said he always sees her as vulnerable is a problem to me.Well,It's not a problem when someone is vulnerable.That's for sure.But I think it was for the whole cutness in the scene..Because I believe that every girl in that age who hears a boy telling her he sees her that way,ends up in tears not because he made her feel bad but because he made her think he's perfect.When a guy says cute things he seems perfect.It's like saying 'You're heart is like porcelain.So beautiful ,fragile and vulnerable.I see it that way and I tend to treat it without braking it.' My whole point by this quote is that such words in a show are being said for making the whole touching-meaning-scene ;)

-yet most of the credit went to Lucas for going back to the dorm room and finding out what she was drugged with
Well yes.Because Lucas and Peyton had that thing.And since I know,Peyton is not a lesbian,so the credit go to Brooke.Noone of course said she didn't take the credit.But in the shows it's all about boys and girls and LOVE.Which girls doesn't dream of her hero man who saves her from everything? A show like OTH was trying/is trying to combine every teenager's /girl's/woman's no matter what age,wishes.Has been with mines and with lot of other girls' too.

she is left vulnerable and in need of saving-- so her boyfriend comes and saves her. I don't think that a woman being saved from someone automatically turns into being vulnerable and less indepedent than she was. Sometimes being a hero,or being strong,idepedent, is not about saving yourself.It's about saving other's lifes.

so maybe I'm completely wrong haha. Hmmn... I don't know (hence me choosing the option "I don't know"). I don't think you're completely wrong.!;) It's your view of points and I can get it ;) Pretty interesting and feminist I gotta say ^^ It's just that amazing shows like OTH are stereotypically awesome ! ♥