Came across these articles today. Thought it would be interesting to share with the class. It is interesting how something can be, at once, viewed as both a step forward and a step back for women. Any thoughts?
I found this article--"How Not to Talk About Vaginas"--on a general news blog:
http://www.good.is/post/how-not-to-talk-about-vaginas/?utm_content=headline&utm_medium=hp_carousel&utm_source=slide_3
This is the article that it is referring to. Also worth checking out.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hTvcpw5KATBbvC7WXcvDsWXb53RQ?docId=26f0e8c4fa2d44a589f0afcdeea2dd3d
I totally agree with the writer of the blog. This scenario reminds me of Millet in that, if sex and women are not considered a taboo subject, they are considered a comical one. This entire article truly has nothing to do with the actual genitalia of the woman, rather it is commenting upon society's inability to leave it alone and respect it for what it is. Countless essays have been written on the penis itself, and countless other novels etc. have included references to the penis in which it is described naturally, and with majestic qualities. I consider this to be the same problem as fashion for women. Women feel the need to differentiate themselves from men, because they cannot simply exist as men do. They are the other, and therefore must adorn themselves in order to stand out, whereas men may simply exist and no one thinks anything of it.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, and with Hess, the author of this blog. She writes:
ReplyDelete"If we were really "relaxed" about vaginas, wouldn't we reject companies that encourage us to irrigate them with medically unnecessary washes, shave them bare, and encase the things in jewels? I fail to see anything "relaxing" about obsessing over stray gray hairs in your pubic region or shaving it all off and paying a technician $100 to apply dragon-shaped sequins in its place."
This is a prime example of how, as women, we need to make sure that when we speak out, we do so in a way that will actually help us, and will not just further feed the stereotypes of women within a masculine culture.