In this article I will be taking a quote from Jessica Valenti’s Full Frontal Feminism and responding to them.
“Women are taught that we’re only supposed to have sex under these bizarre arbitrary guidelines: only if you’re married; only if it’s for procreation; and only with another girl if guys can watch. So unless you’re going to do it the way other people want, just don’t.” (page 20)
I think this quote deals with a lot of expected societal norms that women have been dealing with for years. Sex before marriage, this expectation goes back as far as the bible. So does the expectation that women should have sex for procreation. There have been novels written based off of this idea as well. Personally I dislike this idea. I completely understand and respect peoples’ religious beliefs and if they think that the best choice for them is to wait for sex then I say go for it. I also believe that a decision as important as having or not having sex is not something that can be decided by a book or priest or even parents. It’s your body, your choice. The third guideline mentioned in this quotes is, “…and only with a girl if guys can watch.” So if this statement is true then what does that mean for lesbians? They are only to have sex for the enjoyment of men and not themselves? This end of the quote angers me the most. It completely disregards and ignores the sexual wants, needs, and acknowledgment of lesbians. It seems to me that the statement is saying lesbians do not exist. The quote as a whole is a complete double standard in my opinion as well. I believe that it is very hard to find these guidelines for men. So why are women stuck with all the rules? Why can’t we just go out and have fun? I means come on…girls just want to have fun too.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I couldn't agree more! I think this quote relates to the 3rd wave! Why should there be "circumstances" that women should have sex under? Sex is not for just procreation, for some women it is but for others it is for pleasure, expression, and a way to show affection and love. I do not think it is ok to tell someone when and why to have sex. It is a personal decision for many people and we should not have to explain to anybody why we chose to do whatever it may be. I also think that there is a double standard here. It seems that men are able to have sex for any reason but oh no not women. Why is it that men can but we cant? I was recently watching the news and over in Italy Amanda Knox is being accused for a murder. The defense said she was " had a lot of sex." They used this statement to make an American college student seem as if she was not "perfect." So what if a college girl likes sex, that does not make her a murderer. It is ridiculous that that was included in the argument and just reinforces the idea that women are not allowed to have sex because they enjoy it.