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 Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:37 am
 Female sexuality - is it empowering? The Pussycat Dolls, Nelly Furtado, Beyonce...there are a lot of female idols out there who employ sexuality as part of their image. These are the types of women many girls look up to and aspire to be--beautiful, confident, and most of all, sexy. The question is, is this empowering to women or does it make it harder for women to be seen and treated as equals to men? What causes a man to really respect a woman? What do women respect in other women? What does society respect in women?
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A couple of things to consider if you're not sure:
On the one hand, some argue that women have long been expected to keep sex under the rug and to refuse advances--they shouldn't be forward or aggressive. In this way, powerful sexual images of females state that women can be aggressive, that it's good to be so. It promotes the idea of a woman knowing what she wants as positive and motivates girls to go get what they want. It also tells girls ("Beep," "Wait A Minute," "U + Ur Hand," "Irreplaceable") that they should be free to turn people down and be proud of themselves without defining themselves by their partners.
On the other hand, some argue that this kind of sexualized display is for men and causes men to see women as sexual objects for men to enjoy, which makes it much more difficult for men to take women seriously and view them as equals.
And, why is it that when a woman sleeps around, she's a slut, but when a man sleeps around, he's a stud? I think men who sleep around a lot should be called sluts too. That's what they are. =D
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:43 pm
I don't know...I guess it can add another dimension to a girl's accomplishments. Like, "I'm just as successful and powerful as you are, but I'm super hot and you're drooling, too!"
I think it's at least good that it's teaching girls to be confident in themselves?
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 10:42 pm
I'm gonna say empowering. Certainly the stereotype of women as sexual objects is nothing new. However, I think recently, they're being demonized less for it probably due to powerful sexual women celebrities taking a spotlight. However, I think it may also contribute to hypocrisy at some level. With sexual expression now a bit more open for women, I think most men expect it more too from the average woman. However, if she's not rich and powerful, and does express herself sexually, she's unfortunately labeled a "slut" as you pointed out.
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Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 4:13 pm
I think it is empowering. Showing women can be what they want to be. Men will be men and think what they want to think. That can't unfortunatly be helped.
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Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 4:12 pm
This is an interesting topic. I think increasing sexuality of women in our society can go either way. It's both empowering and degrading depending on how you look at it. I'm really not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. sweatdrop I suppose only time will tell.
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 2:03 pm
kageling And, why is it that when a woman sleeps around, she's a slut, but when a man sleeps around, he's a stud? I think men who sleep around a lot should be called sluts too. That's what they are. =D Honestly, I think that's more of a difference in the genders than an actual double standard. Have you ever noticed that most of the people who call manwhores "studs" are other men? Most females I've seen don't call men who sleep around "studs". They call them "disgusting".
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 2:34 am
Double-standards as it pertains to gender are a fact of life. Not that I agree with it, but it's true. Our society revels in extremes... we love it. Look at Jerry Springer, for God's sake! xp
One thing I can say is there are differences culturally between being seen as a man and a woman. With men, there's more freedom to do what you want and less of a feeling that you have to prove something. With women, society tends to minimize the worth of your contribution and what you do is more likely to be heavily scrutinized.
When it comes to sexuality, I think there's a big difference between a woman that expresses her sexuality to please men and one that does what she wants. The two aren't necessarily the same thing.
It also appears to me that women are more likely to do something they hate in order to please their partner, regardless of orientation. If something is degrading to a man, he just says "no" and it's expected that his wishes will be respected.
Like I said earlier, I don't necessarily agree with these aspects of our society, but they're there. To ignore them is to play dumb.
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:01 pm
murrr
in my own opinion being sexual can be both empowering and degrading
just a matter of how you "use" your sexual charm...I guess...
If you are using your sexual seduction for the purpose of getting stuff out from men...
yes it's degrading and pretty dumb...
def. makes men think stereotype like: u got money u got those bodies o:
if in the other hand you value yourself as a female by
showing the sexual side of yourself because you are confident,
understand/appreciate your body
I personally thinks it's hawt and admirable 3nodding
Ps:
OMG It's kinda a bit of topic
but I just heard a radio talk show this morning
They were talking about how this father was asked by the mother
to teach their 16 years old boy about sex and ended
up giving the boy porn vid as a sexual education.
It seemed like he gave no explanations to the boy after that D:
It was just so dumb
Few guys were responding,"I think it's a good idea to teach a boy like that...I mean it bonded the relationship between the father and the boy bla bla..forming open relationship that will last...bla bla bla"
Gawd half of me was entertained and half was irritated...
At one point the girl in the radio asked one of the guy
"Let me ask you a question"
"ok"
"How many kids do you have?"
"9"
CRacks me out so bad! xd
Dumbest respond ever:
"Well I wish my dad have done that to me so I can lose my virginity at the age of 16...I mean at that age I wasn't sure how to do it with a women so I always hold back...That's why I think the father was doing the right thing"
GAWD DAMNIT WOMEN ARE NOT ******** OBJECTS
UNLESS YOU ARE DUMB ENOUGH TO BELIEVE THAT...
DON'T COME CLOSE TO ME
cuz I may hit you real hard in the head>,>
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:03 pm
I look at it like this. Men really do focus on the physical aspects of romance anyhow.
I won't outright say that respect is hopeless to pursue because it's not true. But what I will say is that sometimes it doesn't have much to do with how a woman presents herself. If she's attractive, then she's attractive. That alone is enough to get a man to start having sexual goals he'd want to pursue with her.
That's not to say that we men aren't emotional or don't have feelings.
I'm saying that somewhere down the road he's gonna want those physical aspects anyhow.
Taste in what one looks for in their spouses aside, if a woman is attractive by society standards like the one's you've listed it's not gonna matter too much what she wears in the first place.
That said, I won't say it's degrading.
What you're comfortable with wearing is really no one else's business whether the next person thinks it gives misconceptions about your gender, social, or ethnic group or not.
That last part is just a double-standard as aforementioned.
I personally don't know the answer or have much of an answer as to why it stands that way.
This is only speculation on my part but MOST of the time it's not as easy for a man to have any woman he wants despite the society standard that men are generally the aggressors there's always the fear of rejection.
It only empowers a man's ego to know that he's undoubtedly handsome but it's still very RARE that your average every day guy knows that he can have any woman he wants.
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 4:15 am
sexuality is a part of life. if you are comfortable and happy with yours it is empowering. if not it is degrading.
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:29 pm
GLJordan sexuality is a part of life. if you are comfortable and happy with yours it is empowering. if not it is degrading.
Then when you are one of the women who admits or is revealed to, you receive much more of a negative backlash than a male who admits to doing the same thing. I feel like women may actually be held back this way, their sexuality curbed, which may make more powerful female sexualities like the PCD seen as negative.
I don't know, I also feel like the more passive, "wholesome" female image which lacks sexuality may in itself be disempowering. While you are powerful in that you are not presented as a sexual object in the open, that submissive, "not-realizing-I'm-looked-at-that-way" may play into another form of sexual objectification in itself. Think of "the gaze" in horror movies that sexualize females, that idea that the woman doesn't know she's being looked at while changing, and so on. I think that fetishization may be made up by more of the supposedly "non-sexual," "clean" girl in itself.
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Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2009 8:19 am
I'd say it's both. neutral
Think about it peeps. Beyonce is like very... uh... inspiring to most women. Yeah and the p***y Cat dolls and Lady Gaga and every other woman idol are really inspiring when it comes to singing and looking good and crap. They also make us kinda jelous. Well, that may be just me, but I know I'm not alone on this right? ^_^ As far as looks come in, a man and a women probably wouldn't care. Beyonce is just another attractive woman on the street to me and so is Lady Gaga. We all know that we can look just as good as they do... sweatdrop Okay maybe not JUST as good, but equally attractive. And that's what most people (man and woman) strive for these days.
My conclusion:
Maybe it's more empowering than degrading. There are still some people who find it degrading. And hey, I'm not all that atrractive either. sweatdrop It's just the person's feelings on the matter... right?
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:13 pm
No woman is empowering with just looks. Yeah, it's great to be sexy, confident in yourself, in your looks, to be able to wake up and look "fabulous", but is not empowrig at all to not be able to finish a sentence witouth messing up the words. rolleyes Just my opinion...
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