One of the most controversial and Important Issues In modern feminism Is sexuality. Due to Its Intimate subject matter this Issue Is not often talked about or discussed yet it's one of the most common and personal issues that a woman can experience. Almost all women will experience some form of this issue whether It be in the form of a sexual double standard, discrimination based on sexual orientation, sexual pleasure, and Judgment on the clothes they wear or don't wear.
All of these issues are very personal and very important when discussing feminist ideas. Without discussing these issues, you're left with a very exclusive idea of the relationship between men and women, Two of the major issues within sex and sexuality are the sexual double standard and male and female sexual pleasure. These issues are two of the more important ones because the sexual double standard and sexual pleasure both create the foundation of the roles between males and females.They create positions of power and submission which shouldn't take a mental formation in sexual intercourse. The double standard is something that everyone has either experienced or heard tot and In Its simplest form Is the "he's a stud, she's a slut" philosophy. This refers to collects reaction to the difference In sexual promiscuity between men and women.
Meaning, when a man has had many sexual partners, he Is considered highly by his peers, however, when a woman has had many sexual partners, this leads to ridicule and Is generally looked down upon by society.This creates an uneven mentality between men and women where it is okay for men to "conquer" many women, but women are only supposed to be the ones "conquered" and are not expected to do "conquering" t all This Is the power and submission roles being played out within society where the men are the ones in power and the ones who have more freedom while the women are the ones submitting to their male counterparts and are restricted by society to how many sexual partners they wish to have.These power and submission roles are also found and enforced directly in the bedroom answering the question of "when does sex end? " Susan Shaw and Janet Lee write "...
Heterosexuality is organized in such a way that the power men have in society gets carried into relationships and an encourage women's subservience, sexually and emotionally," (Shaw & Lee. Pig. 170). This quote describes the constant submission that women are subjected to in society, following them Into the bedroom.
With these power and submission roles already in place, they are even more heavily reinforced by the sexual encounters being ended by the male orgasm. Shaw and Lee write that "It might mean that a woman feels that men, or again, a particular man, owns or has the right to control her body or sexuality... " (Shaw & Lee. Pig.
170). By only ending sexual experiences to hen the male has orgasm or reached a sexual peak, this creates a mindset to the women that her pleasure only comes as a side note and is not considered as men and submission for women.This is an important issue to feminists because of its personal nature. Sex and sexuality is one of the most personal and intimate issues someone can discuss under any topic whether that be feminism or anything else. Because of its personal nature, it isn't often talked about even though it can create more power and submission roles and reinforce them not only physically, but mentally as well.
When given these roles by society and having them reinforced over and over again in a personal way, this can create a sense of hopelessness that anyone can change these roles to a more equal standing.If we can't fix our most personal issues within feminism we can't change these power roles within society and also within ourselves. This issue and many other issues relate back to the most popular and fundamental aspect of feminism. That is who is controlling what? Who is in power and what are they in power of? Most of the time it is men in charge and controlling, or in power of, women. To strive for equality is the basic drive of feminism and is why we are still alive to this day.
We still have not achieved our major goal and that is for freedom and equality. I believe this is because many people, feminists included , still refuse to discuss sex and sexuality and its impact on society and individuals. Without discussing every aspect of inequality and unjust, we cannot hope to gain our goal of equality. We have to fix the individual and personal issues before we can move on to the bigger picture and fix society as a whole.
Change one at a time versus all at once s a lot easier to accomplish over time and a lot more effective.Before we can change the mindset of others, we have to change our own mindset. We have to be brave enough to stand up for ourselves when it comes to sex our sexual pleasure and we can't let society interfere with our love and sex lives. Once we change ourselves and our partners for the better then we can begin to help change society and its view on men and women.
