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Female Chauvinist Pigs
Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture
I
was prepared to hate this book. I assumed it was going to be an
anti-porn, pro-censorship diatribe by a sex-hating female columnist.
But Ariel Levy has trained a critical eye on the current cultural
phenomena of teenagers with pierced belly buttons, lesbian “bois”
aspiring to be predatory men and everyone gyrating around stripper
poles with wild abandon in the hope that people will think they’re
“hot.” The demystification of sex comes with a price tag: literally.
And Levy posits that the pornification of America has resulted in women
becoming Female Chauvinist Pigs. Unless something has a price tag, it’s
unimportant. Unfortunately this is something that is found throughout
our culture. It isn’t just sex, it’s everything: coffee, cars, youth
culture itself. As Americans, we can’t understand anything unless it’s
being marketed to us. If it isn’t a commodity—all blinky, shiny,
tummy-tucked and new—we don’t even pay attention. Yet sex is so
inexpicable, no amount of marketing will ever demystify it. Though that
doesn’t stop everyone from trying.
The book is well-written and an entertaining read. Ms. Levy doesn’t get
on a soapbox and pontificate or attempt to win you over to “her side.”
She presents the facts as she sees them, and she does marshal an
alarming array of statistics, stories and information to support her
case. She clearly explains her concept of raunch culture and all the
ways it has permeated society. She delves into feminism and why those
dreams haven’t fully come to fruition. She explores the new world of
lesbian “bois,” women, some of whom transition completely to the male
gender, who are, literally, “pigs in training.” And she explores how
women go “shopping for sex” much the same way they do for, say, shoes.
Which I don’t believe is necessarily a bad thing.
No one believes that being a porn star is an easy row to hoe. Heh. But
wanting to be perceived as attractive is nothing new. From
smearing mineral and water war paint to lacing ourselves into corsets,
women have always aspired to beauty. What we believe is hot has
changed. And what is acceptable for public consumption has as well.
During the sexual revolution, everyone was experimenting. Now sexual
freedom has become almost codified, so it isn’t surprising that it’s
being commodified as well. Making yourself sexually available isn’t a
bad thing unless you’re doing it for all the wrong reasons. And I’ll
agree with Ms. Levy that being a drunken star of “Girls Gone Wild”
isn’t exactly the smartest goal for a college co-ed. But let’s not
blame porn.
When I was in college, I was a “little sister” at a fraternity. It was
really an excuse to hang out with the guys without having to be in a
sorority. For me, that didn’t mean I was shunning the company of women.
I just didn’t get accepted into a sorority. But for the other “little
sisters” it pretty much did mean they were shunning female
companionship. When I organized an event that was to be women only,
five out of the 50 little sisters showed up. I was shocked and insulted
that the other 45 really were really, sincerely only interested in
hangin’ with the bros, that their “Mrs. degrees” were more important
than, well, sisterhood. It made me realize, however, that most many
women are single-mindedly focused on vying for the attentions of men.
Which was a lesson I was glad to learn at such a relatively young age.
Levy touches on this, if from a different angle, when she gets into why
women are (Currently? No, it’s been like this for a while) trying so
hard to be “like men” and eschewing female companionship.
Her take on the CAKE parties especially amused me. I went to one of
them when they first started, eager to see how “sexually empowered”
women would present a “sex-positive” party with porn involved. It was
just about the most depressing thing I’d ever seen: sad, sorry single
girls starved for attention, vacant guys expecting wild women all horny
for them and porn, projected 40-feet high, that everyone was way too
embarrassed to watch. It was pathetic. I’d brought my fetish magazines
to hand out and I couldn’t give them away. It was probably the most sex
negative situation I’ve ever been in. But they went on to be a huge
success, because, well, single guys will line up to see girls gyrate
and take their tops off no matter how miserable the outcome is. Which
is one of the many points Levy makes. We are all ravenous for a sexual
connection. And we’ll all wait in line at a velvet rope for the
opportunity to make one. But the fact that it’s on display, on sale and
just ON doesn’t mean a connection is actually gonna take place. It’s
just soooo sad.
In the end I don’t quite agree with Levy. While it’s true that “raunch
culture” is being crammed down our collective throats, I don’t see this
as a result of porn. Or sex. Or anything even vaguely sexy. It’s
capitalism in all its unbridled glory that we’re worshiping these days,
and if labial reduction or boob enhancement or being a slut in school
’cause Paris Hilton is famous and, well, she’s a slut is what you’re
into, it’s probably not Ron Jeremy’s fault. Blame everyone from Ronald
Reagan to The E! Channel to Donald Trump for making the all-mighty
dollar more important that just about anything and everything else. And
our parallel culture of celebrity worship, that only adds to the
unpleasant circumstances. If there’s a glass ceiling, perhaps women
should take a look at themselves. Once we’ve balanced being tits and
ass with demanding six months of maternity leave, perhaps gender won’t
be taken into account in the workplace and we can compete with men on
an even playing field. I can’t attribute our current situation to
misogyny when women are so filled with self-loathing. But this is
obviously an enormous topic, one that won’t go away any time soon. And
Ms. Levy is brave to broach it and get the conversation going.
[Written Oct. 2005]
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