This series didn’t come together over one drunken night; it
has been the highlight of many, many drunken nights. But all of the discussions
have led me to ask more and more questions about feminism in the modern
society.
Is it still relevant? Does feminism hurt or help women? Does
it exclude and suppress men? Can men and women ever be considered equal when
biology gets in the way? Are all men pigs or able to control their actions? Are
women themselves the ones who perpetuate sexism? How prevalent is sexism in
society, and do we even acknowledge it when it is there?
To avoid any confusion, I will only be referring to America.
No one has time to read a 20-page post about worldwide feminism and sexism (who
the hell would want to?), so I’ll be sticking to the country I know the best. I
also realize those same people don’t want to read a 10-page post, so I broke
this down into parts.
This is my interpretation of women, men and society today.
Part 1: Sex For One, and Sex For All!
Americans are a prudish, yet-somehow-risqué bunch. We
dedicate a good portion of our lives to being engulfed in images or discussions
about sex. Some spend a lifetime promoting or demoting it, while others simply stand
on the sidelines, trying to catch a glimpse of cleavage. But the one conclusion
that seems to be a consensus in the debate of sex and the media is that women
are highly sexualized.
Every day there seems to be a new meme or video
collaboration put online to highlight how women are nothing but objects in the
media. I agree with most of them, but it
can get a bit daunting being told the same thing over and over again. Both
sexes have fought to cover up women since we started agreeing to wear clothes.
(Although men haven’t fought quite as hard for some reason. Can’t imagine why…)
The thing that really sparked my interest on sex and the
media was the Kraft Zesty Guy commercials. (If you haven’t seen it, go watch it
right now…you’re
welcome.) In response to this commercial, Million Moms came like a bat out of hell
to ruin it for everyone. (They lost the battle!
Suck it!) As you can see, there is nothing necessarily bad about the commercial;
it is provocative, but I’d say the commercial
where Paris Hilton deep throats a burger is a bit worse.
Things are changing when it comes to staring at mostly naked
people. From advertisers appealing
to women to women pushing
the trend themselves (I’ve liked 3 separate Facebook pages dedicated to semi-naked
men), there has been a growing trend of sexualizing men. But, as the patterns
of history inevitably repeat, there are many fighting it. I couldn’t help but
ask why? I’ve been forced to stare at the female form since I realized tits had
a purpose outside of nutrition. Why don’t I get my turn to objectify the
opposite sex? So I began harping on this topic until I became stuck on one
idea: what if the answer isn’t to try to stop sexualizing women, but instead to
over-sexualize men?
For centuries we have fought to cover up women, and we all
know how successful that campaign has been. If we turn men into sex objects,
how could women feel objectified? Maybe we could all learn to respect each
other’s sexuality and still see each other as human beings. Or, if that
argument isn’t for you, consider another: if men and women are equally
objectified in advertising, then, when the next backlash eventually happens the
entire population will join the fight, instead of just half. (I prefer the solution
that involves more male models.)
If I had my way, I’d say give men a taste of what women have
lived with forever. Let people refer to women as bitches, but let’s start
calling men an equivalent (my friend liked BDDs or Bad Dick Decisions). Instead
of Million Moms fighting the Kraft Zesty Guy, why not multiply the number of
shirtless guys by a thousand. Instead of women demonizing porn, let’s all start
(or admit to) watching it. If women become part of the targeted market, they
will get a greater say in what is portrayed and filmed. Women have had to stare
at women since the dawn of time. I think it is our turn to get to drool over
something.
For the first time in history, woman can take advantage of
how horny they have always been. Can we please, for the love of god, START
FUCKING RELISHING IN IT! Women love eye candy as much as men. End of
story. Let
this fight be what it is actually about: the horny vs. the prudes.
“I like to have a martini,
Two at the very most.
After three I'm under the table,
after four I'm under my host.”
― Dorothy Parker, The Collected Dorothy Parker
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