The Sexuality Of Women s Sexuality - 817 Words

There are certainly many different ‘types’ of feminists with varying beliefs on various topics. Pornography is one of the most widely disputed of these topics, and has long caused controversy among feminists. Two clear, and distinctly different, sides have been taken by Andrea Dworkin as well as Linda Williams. The former of these two academics has taken the presumably more controversial stance. Dworkin is known for their radical stance that pornography only paints women as whores, as that is how they are seen in a male dominated world. She also is of the opinion that the depictions of female sexuality is accurate to how women are represented in real life: â€Å"The valuation of women’s sexuality in pornography is objective and real because†¦show more content†¦This quote demonstrates not only Williams’ understanding of female agency but also that female sex workers often exist in contrast to some feminists. Moreover, Williams does acknowledge fe male passivity in traditional porn: â€Å"Women, on the other hand, like slaves and boys, were the passive penetrated, who did not move, who were fucked, and who had no power to abstain† (Williams, 368). Contrastingly to Dworkin, Williams acknowledges how pornography has changed from its conception, both in terms of how it is produced, as well as how the women are valued and portrayed in the industry, as she follows the story of Annie Sprinkle. It is the opinion of this author that Williams more accurately represents pornography than Dworkin. Based on the opinions of many authors explored in this unit, it would seem that the terms ‘pornography’ and ‘feminism’ could be considered antonyms. I am sure that many anti-pornography feminists would sooner turn over in their graves before deciding that the two could be correlated. But is that necessarily true? I personally believe that aspects of feminism can be found everywhere, and can be applied in the st rangest of places. It is for this reason that I believe that pornography has the capability to be feminist, though it rarely is. In its creation, women certainly were passive members who had no agency in their participation nor the consumption of pornography. Pornography was kept hidden and censored out ofShow MoreRelatedWomen s Sexuality And Sexuality1271 Words   |  6 PagesWomen’s sexuality has been anything but stagnant, especially within the last 150 years. The very idea of a woman being a â€Å"sexual being† is relatively modern. For centuries, women have been confined to restrictive behaviors until the rise of the sexual revolution in the 1960’s. This movement gave way to new ideas and attitudes not only about a woman’s role in society but also about their sexual identities. For the first time, women were able to freely act out their desires and seek their own personalRead MoreWomen Of Black Sexuality And How The Focus Has Been On Women s Sexuali ty762 Words   |  4 Pagestalks about how white people feared black sexuality and how the focus has been on women s sexuality. Black women were often victimized as slaves and slavery was defined as such. During slavery African American women we notorious for being pregnant and always bearing children. They beared those children because the whites anticipated more slave workers and even being sold to others. During slavery the slave owners maintained wealth and good â€Å"breeder women†. Some children were as young as 6 andRead MoreThe Issues Of Women s Sexuality Essay2011 Words   |  9 PagesThere are many pressing issues that women face regarding their sexuality today. Examples of these issues include sexual violence, harassment, the regulation of women’s bodies, and a multitude of others. Although these issues may seem to be vary, or fall on different places on a spectrum of severity, there is a factor that conjoins all of the aforementioned issues together. Many societal issues which women face regarding their sexuality are tied to the fact that women as sexual beings are stigmatizedRead MoreSocial Aspects Of Women s Sexuality2036 Words   |  9 PagesKilbourne (1999) called it, objectified. However, current media has shed a new light on women, where they are not just sexual objects but active, sexually driven individuals that are empowered to choose and be free with their sexuality and decisions (Gill, 2009). However, according to Gill (2008), there are certain social aspects that this new shift would impact the meaning of empowerment and how women’s sexuality are being view, directly affecting the idea of feminism and the equality of the sexesRead MoreEffects Of Economics And Sexuality On Women s Life1376 Words   |  6 Pagesconcern that will be explored is the effects that economics and sexuality have to do with a women during the time period of 1750-1950.Thus during this large time period much has happened to the economy as well as the life style of a women. Therefore, these two topics play a big role within each other that affected women during this time period. Thus this leads to the subtopics that will be discussed to show that economics and sexuality does go hand and hand. The two subtopics that will demonstrateRead MoreWhite Men s Exploitation Of Black Women s Sexuality1667 Words   |  7 Pageswhite men’s exploitation of black women’s sexuality created an assumption that black women were driven by lust and sexual promiscuity. This false stereotypical assumption by the slave south held black women captive by the patriarchal society of plantations. This gave white males grounds for sexual activity with their enslaved women. Through a slave women’s â€Å"lustfulness,† the antebellum period, (the years prior to the Civil War and between the 1830’s and 1860’s), saw an influx of bi-racial and multi-racialRead MoreWomen s Sexuality, The Lgbtq Community, And Educational Institutions899 Words   |  4 Pages There are a number of discourses surrounding women’s sexualities that make sexual agency difficult to achieve. I will discuss how sexist norms make practices of sexual assertiveness difficult in relation to the double standard of women’s sexuality, the LGBTQ community, and educational institutions. The following aspects demonstrate this: first, a double standard exists for women’s sexualities in the way that both â€Å"slutty† and chaste behaviours are judged and punished. Second, while women’s bisexualityRead MoreMedical Accounts On Women s Sexuality And Sexual Role1581 Words   |  7 PagesWomen occupy a very difficult position in society whereas no matter what they do they will always be considered or looked at as a gender who seem to have something wrong with them. It is often an ongoing factor in society that women are regularly considered to be either mental or suffering from a condition that has affected them in ways in which they act or be have. Sometimes it may not be the case that something is wrong with them it’s just how they are but unfortunately parts of society fail toRead MoreSexuality In Bram Stokers Dracula1082 Words   |  5 PagesSexuality in Bram Stoker s DraculaBram Stoker s Dracula, favorably received by critics upon publication in 1897, entertained its Victorian audience with unspeakable horrors such as vampires invading bedrooms to prey on beautiful maidens under the guise of night. The novel s eroticism proved even more unspeakable. Received in the era of repression, it remains questionable whether Dracula s readership perceived the sexuality flowing from the page. An advocate for the censorship of sexual materialRead MoreThe Birth Control Pill And The Sexual Revolution884 Words   |  4 PagesImagine a country with no sexual freedom, a limiting amount of rights, and no power for American women. This was the image that the United States portrayed around 60 years ago, not giving the same free dom that Americans can have today and express carelessly. During the 1960’s the United States experienced changes in its society that would affect the perspectives of future generations by turning our weaknesses into strengths. During this time, the United States encountered many movements and opportunities