- A short piece written for my Feminist Philosophy class (all rights reserved; please do not quote without permission):
The
question of what makes (arguably) objectifying practices (like sex work and
wearing revealing clothing in public) unfeminist or not is one I’ve been
wrestling with a lot recently: and, like Stephanie Abraham, I’m “still trying
to figure it out,” “it” being my own personal perspective on what is and is not
feminist in nature. In the case of everything “risqué,” from sex work to
modeling to wearing mini dresses and heels at a frat party, it is never helpful
or progressive to blame women and girls, calling them dumb or slutty for making
the choices that they do. Rather, it makes more sense to question the system
set up by our patriarchal society and the demands put on men and women alike. By
and large, girls are taught to strive for perfect sexiness, and these messages
can cause them to act in ways that can be misconstrued as empowering when they
in fact come from a detrimental and demeaning place.
It’s difficult to say whether or
not a woman is being “unfeminist” by being a prostitute or a pornstar; yes,
women should be able to do what they want and wear what they want without being
slut-shamed (this goes for cases like Miley Cyrus too: I don’t think critics
are at all permitted to call her a slut for dancing in her underwear onstage at
the VMAs.) However, in the case of risqué behavior and dress code, I do think
girls need to question why they wear
tight mini skirts and heels to parties: is it because they want to do it for
themselves, or do they wear these things because they buy into the mainstream message
that their physical image is where their worth lies? This is, I think, is a better
place for criticism to come from (and this more closely resembles the reason
why I question the motives behind performances like Miley’s recent one.) It
would be wrong to chastise Mary Christmas and other women in the sex industry
for their line of work; indeed, it is unfeminist in and of itself to tell a
woman what she can and cannot choose to do to earn a living. The antifeminism aspect
is much more deep-seeded, and is found in the very existence of
sex-for-entertainment (porn, stripping, etc.). It is not these women’s “faults”
for participating in this system; it is the fault of society for putting them
in a position where participating in objectifying activities may be their only
option.
In regards to pornography
performances, I’d like to quickly reference Gail Dines’ resounding book Pornland, wherein she describes
scenarios in which a female porn actress willingly participates in a film, but
is subjected to violent things like choking and “ass-to-mouth” sex that are
visibly uncomfortable and likely neither wanted nor entirely consensual. The
fact that men have become increasingly accustomed to these images (and seek
them out in growing numbers) speaks to a larger problem, one that I’ll save for
another paper for the sake of avoiding digression.
Although most girls will probably
say that they freely choose to wear revealing clothes and heavy makeup for
themselves, it is not possible to say these practices are completely uninfluenced
by the demands of society. For example, putting makeup on one’s face is a very
unnatural ritual. It’s not necessary for survival, and it’s a lot more
practical to just not wear any (I constantly have to consciously stop myself from
rubbing my eyes when I’m tired, lest I smudge my mascara.) And while I, too,
often conform to the tight clothing- and makeup-wearing ideal set in place for
us, I acknowledge that I’m not doing it totally for myself. I wish I could
honestly say that I wear sexy dresses and eyeliner and high heels for myself,
but to say so would be utterly untrue, and I admit that, although not proudly
or comfortably. I wish I felt free enough to not feel the need to aspire to
conform to the “perfect” body image projected by the media, but I don’t. I
still consider myself a very dedicated and enthusiastic feminist, but I still
feel constrained, trapped, and pressured to meet society’s arbitrary beauty
standard.
Stay strong.
~The Defiant Lion
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