Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Raunch Culture
One of the main points in this reading that I found most interesting was the section discussing the female Olympic athletes that appeared naked in Playboy and how the Author criticizes our society for being able to make such successful, accomplised women still feel like all they have to offer to the world is their bodies. It was interesting to think why women who have accomplshed so much still feel like the only way to gain power is through not only having a beautiful but showing it off in submissive poses. Being a female athlete myself I can understand the constant need to defend your womanhood and still try and be seen as sexy. In fact, you see a lot of female athletes at Colgate dressed in sweats and hoodies to class and practice and then when the weekend comes they turn into the exact girls described in this chapter, they feel compelled to display their solitude and it becomes “like a reflex” to please any and every man in site. The quote at the end of the section is the absolute truth, “Bimbos enjoy a higher standing in our culture that Olympians right now. Perhaps these athletes felt like they were trading up.” Many women use this idea of sexual liberation to show power and equality but how is it a representation of equality if you rarely see a man undressing himself for the public to enjoy.
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I think that you are right in a sense that women still feel that they have to show off their bodies to be empowered. What I think the author is trying to get at is something a little deeper though.Being sexy is actually a good thing for women. It allows for them to express themselves in a way that empowers them. We spoke in class the other day about our definitions of feminism. For these women posing and and being porn stars, making money, and having fun is their way of being a women of power. Because they can express themselves in ways that empower them they can be feminist. Why? because it is a choice, and with that being said their actions should not be judged by no one but themselves.Our patriarchial society has looked down upon these women so society has too. I actually love women who express themselves vs being controlled by a man. To me this book just describes the men who govern our society as hypocrites of our country. To say the least women love being sexy and they don't feel as if their body is all they have to offer the world. Being sexy is a way that women get to express themselves.This is regardless if the public enjoys it or not.
ReplyDeleteNice start here! Amanda, your focus on this issue of female athletes and how their experiences correlate with your own as a Colgate athlete is really interesting and telling. One clarification for both of you: it's crucial in this reading to distinguish between Levy's arguments and the rationale of other people she interviews. Those she's interviewing are making the case that Charles describes: that being sexy is about empowerment, that participating in this raunch culture is essentially feminist. Levy, on the other hand, is skeptical: she argues that this assumption that being able to do "anything" and being free to participate in raunch culture is actually diminishing women rather than empowering them. We'll debate this more in class! Finally, be careful with spelling/grammar even in these posts -- they're still academic documents.
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