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America is sex-negative? I wish. We've sexualized every inch of women's bodies to the point where we've started sexualizing empty spaces around them (thigh gap)

America is sex-negative? I wish. We've sexualized every inch of women's bodies to the point where we've started sexualizing empty spaces around them (thigh gap). And nice derailing into "men are hurt by society toooooo!!!" Perverts aren't good, and these days they're called rapists. And there are a lot of them. But maybe you think rape/sexual assault only happens in dark alleys the woman probably shouldn't have been walking down anyway..

ebiester 13y ago
The women in question are considered "bad" because of a naked picture, presumably showing their sexuality. I would call that sex-negative. How can the word "slut" be considered a slur in a sex-positive society? Now, perhaps your point is that it is sex-positive, but only for men. The inequity of sex-acceptability is this: men have their status increased by the act of sex, and women have their status decreased by the act of sex. (Even this is problematic, but it works in general.) The question is this: is the right answer to normalize having sex with multiple partners so that the woman's status is not decreased by sexual activity, or is it to decrease the man's status by not being constrained to a monogamous relationship? Consider the gay male culture: within the culture, having sex is normalized -- it does not decrease one's status to have had sex with just about anyone. (this is problematized by AIDS, but stick with me.) A culture of sex-positivity may look like this: yes, it's highly sexualized, but within the culture there isn't a taboo of sex. A sex-negative culture, on the other hand, places shame on the participants of sex except within rigid boundaries. Is this better than sex-positivity? I argue no. The US culture, with respects to women, is heavily sexualized but isn't sex-positive.
Renaud 13y ago
>America is sex-negative? I wish. We've sexualized every inch of women's bodies[...] And that's not sex-negative?
marvin 13y ago
You hit too many sore spots for me to not suspect that you are trolling, but I'll give it a shot anyway. You obviously missed my point. Yes, the USA is sex-negative. Some examples: People are afraid to talk about sex, even with their children. It is not uncommon for young adults to be afraid of having sex because of the reactions of their parents. Many grownups have trouble expressing their sexual preferences, and hence go decades without being sexually fulfilled, even when married. Sex education in schools meets strong opposition in many places due to the fear of sexuality, with the consequence of teen pregnancies and rampant STIs. Then there's this post, where people lose their jobs because a naked photo of them showed up the internet. Women who publicly express their sexuality in any form are shamed, outside of a few limited contexts such as seedy nightclubs and advertising. I think these exampes are sufficient to define and demonstrate the extent of the problem. And yes, men are in fact also affected by this sex-negativity. Male sexuality is considered dangerous, of which your instinctive derailment into the crime of rape is a perfect example. This is an area where there is a surprising level of symmetry between the genders. Men are allowed more leeway in their choices and numbers of sex partners, but that's about it. When it comes to sexual expression outside of the norm, which is the preference for broad shoulders, big tits and missionary or doggy-style pounding, the pervert/slut label is thrown around all the time in contexts where it shouldn't be used. Oral sex was considered a perversion only two decades ago. Anal sex still is, to an extent. Get beyond that into the realm of nonmonogamy, fetishism or bondage, which are defining elements of many couples' sex lives, and all bets are off.

ebiester 13y ago

The women in question are considered "bad" because of a naked picture, presumably showing their sexuality. I would call that sex-negative. How can the word "slut" be considered a slur in a sex-positive society? Now, perhaps your point is that it is sex-positive, but only for men. The inequity of sex-acceptability is this: men have their status increased by the act of sex, and women have their status decreased by the act of sex. (Even this is problematic, but it works in general.) The question is this: is the right answer to normalize having sex with multiple partners so that the woman's status is not decreased by sexual activity, or is it to decrease the man's status by not being constrained to a monogamous relationship? Consider the gay male culture: within the culture, having sex is normalized -- it does not decrease one's status to have had sex with just about anyone. (this is problematized by AIDS, but stick with me.) A culture of sex-positivity may look like this: yes, it's highly sexualized, but within the culture there isn't a taboo of sex. A sex-negative culture, on the other hand, places shame on the participants of sex except within rigid boundaries. Is this better than sex-positivity? I argue no. The US culture, with respects to women, is heavily sexualized but isn't sex-positive.

Renaud 13y ago

>America is sex-negative? I wish. We've sexualized every inch of women's bodies[...] And that's not sex-negative?

marvin 13y ago

You hit too many sore spots for me to not suspect that you are trolling, but I'll give it a shot anyway. You obviously missed my point. Yes, the USA is sex-negative. Some examples: People are afraid to talk about sex, even with their children. It is not uncommon for young adults to be afraid of having sex because of the reactions of their parents. Many grownups have trouble expressing their sexual preferences, and hence go decades without being sexually fulfilled, even when married. Sex education in schools meets strong opposition in many places due to the fear of sexuality, with the consequence of teen pregnancies and rampant STIs. Then there's this post, where people lose their jobs because a naked photo of them showed up the internet. Women who publicly express their sexuality in any form are shamed, outside of a few limited contexts such as seedy nightclubs and advertising. I think these exampes are sufficient to define and demonstrate the extent of the problem. And yes, men are in fact also affected by this sex-negativity. Male sexuality is considered dangerous, of which your instinctive derailment into the crime of rape is a perfect example. This is an area where there is a surprising level of symmetry between the genders. Men are allowed more leeway in their choices and numbers of sex partners, but that's about it. When it comes to sexual expression outside of the norm, which is the preference for broad shoulders, big tits and missionary or doggy-style pounding, the pervert/slut label is thrown around all the time in contexts where it shouldn't be used. Oral sex was considered a perversion only two decades ago. Anal sex still is, to an extent. Get beyond that into the realm of nonmonogamy, fetishism or bondage, which are defining elements of many couples' sex lives, and all bets are off.