Women are long overdue in defining their identity sexually, and have been on a boxcar of railroaded sexuality that influences their potential and their success.
It's high time women took charge of their sexuality to identify its parameters for themselves.
Hopefully Nerve has helped to make that possible by hosting philosophy groups where it can be more reality than desire. Who but Nerve?
--pbr
07/28 |
"""This whole article is Kara desperately showing us all what a very, very sexy feminist she is"""
Exactly exactly exactly!!! That's what it's all about. I'm so glad someone said it. Now someone needs to go across the country and break the news to all the undergrads, art students, and miscellaneous angry chicks.
Your words in print do not blind us. We know what you are.
--yay!
10/08 |
What a fabulous and insightful review. I knew something sort of ticked me off when I read Levy's book, and I think this has it right on. There's a middle ground to everything; it's an individual choice what is and what is not "empowering".
--ab
10/03 |
This whole article is Kara desperately showing us all what a very, very sexy feminist she is, thereby proving Levy's point about how appearing status-quo sexy has become more important to young feminists than promoting women's human rights. If Kara thinks her allegience to consuming Playboy and Sweet Action porno, strippers, and pussy hair removal services makes her too sexy for the substantive feminist criticisms outlined in Levy's book, she's right.
--fet
10/03 |
I own an art gallery in Silverlake California, we specialise in "younger American photographers". I occasionally broden this definition if an artist appeals to me. Many of the photographers I've featured have shown their work here on Nerve - most of them have been men. As a women I show this work becasue I believe that there is much to be said for loving our bodies without the required perfections of fashion rags and TV trash and "erotic" - "fetisch" - "porn" photography allows for that far more than glamour photography. I don't show work I don't think hold up as Art - in other words: - you better know how to light, the composition had better be be balanced, I expect good colour saturation. At the same time I do believe the women in the photos have often made a choice to be violently disruptive. All one has to do is read the work of Georges Bataille to understand exactly what Erotiscm can be in the right hands. The old saw of Use it or Loose it does apply. We recently had a show featuring 15 photgraphers work centered around one model - this was very much about this womans ability to look at her body and make choices about to choose to show it - to choose to photograph it herself to choose to forge an identity based on these things or outside of them but HER choices. I thought it was a womans right to choose what to be - not a womans right ot dictate to another woman what her choice should be.
--DG
10/03 |
I LOVE it when Third Wave feminism is boiled down to sex. Looks like most people still don't get it, Jesella included. Do bisexual women, lesbians, and sluts own Third Wave Feminism? I certainly don't believe so. Hearing a 23-year-old brag about being at a frat party and having men "spill" alcohol on her just so they can lick it off and for a girlfriend to give her shout outs for such behavior does not seem empowering. Especially given that said 23-year-old also admits to hating herself. Levy has a point about these women she calls FCPs, deliberately making yourself a sexual object still means at the end of the day that you will be/are objectified.
--
10/02 |
Thank you so much! I miss the articles on gender politics Nerve used to be so good at publishing. It's nice to see they've not been abandoned forever. The author makes an excellent point with “there is a middle ground between rabid antiporn Dworkinizing and Girls Gone Wild vapidity.” That is a sentiment I have often felt and have rarely heard voiced as second and third wavers fight over the identity of feminism.
--JML
09/30 |
Excellent article! Women are owning their sexuality and de-bunking the patriarchal idea that women don't take pleasure in their bodies and don't like sex. I say, "Own it, sister."
--KF
09/30 |
Reading nerve.com at work to pass the time, as I usually do. Thanks again for everything, but esp this piece. Refreshing article/perspective to see. I remember getting that same issue of Newsweek and seeing SLUT written on those same bellies. Changed my world forever.
--HS
09/30 |
EXCELLENT!! What a great piece and what a refreshing take!! I've been so disheartened by certain voices that seem to renew an old and inaccurate debate so it was with particular pleasure that I read this excellent piece. Thank you!
--JM
09/29 |
I actually had hoped from more from this article. I kept waiting for the author to get to the meat of the issue, to really explore how Levy was incorrect and failed to allow for another possibility. But the author didn't, and I am unclear of what that other possiblity is. I realize the article is a brief article, but I don't think she fully developed what it means to be the pleased recipient of an old Playboy for Christmas. I feel like the author doesn't want Levy to be right, but instead of providing coherent arguments against Levy, simply says "she's not exactly right and some of us aren't totally like that." There may be a middle ground, but what is that middle ground, and what does it mean?
--KJS
09/29 |
Kara, dear. I am not persuaded. So what if you know self-proclaimed feminists (Phyllis Schlafly called herself a feminist at some time) who love Brazilian waxes. Proves zilch. Except that you have very confused friends.
Levy's book is great; she has a point. And you do a poor job at defining third-wave feminism. It's most important contriubution really isn't the fact that it has naked boys in magazines.
I know that Nerve feels probably personally attacked by books like Levy's but there's no need to answer so lamely. As soon as this year passes, I am not renewing my membership.
--
09/28 |
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