Rape has become a fact of our society rather we are willing to admit it or not. Women, and men, around our country, around our world are subjected to sexual violence. How did we get to this point? Where is it going? Is there any hope for the future? These are just some of the questions that went racing through my mind.
Ariel Levy discusses a phenomenal sex culture that exists between pre teens and teens. She discusses how girls dressing as sluts and showing there bodies was part of a culture that was designed to attract the attention of young boys. She talks to many teens, boys and girls, who play into this sex culture. At the end of the chapter, I was left asking, what let to this culture?
Being a young twenty year old male, I understand and have lived within this teen sex culture. Levy seems to place it heavily on the media. While I do agree that the media does play a role, I don't think that full blame can be placed on the media. Just last week, we read articles and chapters that discussed how the untrained, unguided curiousity of young men and women can lead to a quest to find themselves and identity. I feel that the curiosity, if unguided, is also what as led to this sex culture among teens. Teens aren't thinking about being safe, being respectful, being aware. They just want to fit in and be cool. What is needed is better guidance and more discussion with teens on their sexuality and safe practices.
So, lets look at it. Levy presents to us a sex culture, rampant among teens. She blames the media, and I go further to claim that it is also curiosity, unguided, that has helped this culture to develop. However, where is the talk of positive sexuality? Are we talking to these young teens about their curiosity? Are we educating ourselves, and our young population on safe sexual practices? Are we helping them to understand their feelings and hormones? I say, no we're not. Teens are thus being forced to develop and create their own sexual world, culture, and feelings. This leads to misunderstandings, misconceptions, the sex culture that exist among teens, as Levy identifies. To me, Levy didn't really delve into the subject to me. However, Whitney Walker, presents an interesting perspective into it. She discusses her personal experience of sexual assault and how it affected her as a young feminists. She went on to discuss how the martial arts class she took empowered her to be stronger and more forceful.
So how does rape play in to all this and transcend the sex culture? Well, I'm still trying to understand that. The underlying theme that I get from both though is that we need to increase the talk about sex, sexual violence, assault, etc. There is a lack of discussion. The problem with the teens is they are not being viewed as sexual beings (which they are because they are human) and sex is "hidden" from them. This leads to ideology that sex is not meant to be discussed and leads to beliefs that rape and sexual assault should also not be discussed because it is viewed as inappropriate. Victims are thus forced to deal with their experiences in fear and alone instead of seeking out help for their ordeal.
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I thought Lee brought up some really good points in his post that I want to touch on before stating some of my other thoughts. I too wondered what lead to the sex culture today's teenagers are exposed too. After reading about the rainbow parties I was appalled because there is no other reason to participate in something so ridiculous, unless one was considered about fitting in. I believe that the the blame is about 50/50 with the media and the lack of sex education today's youth receive. There needs to be a decrease in the focus many schools place on abstinence because it is clearly not working. Our country has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any developed country. Maybe contraception should be explained so teenagers do not feel embarrassed about going on it and understand the many different reasons girls do. This will help limit the talk about a girl being a slut since she is on birth control. As Levy pointed out in the chapter with her interview with David, the schools are to blame too. They need to maintain a dress code that does not objectify female bodies as sex objects for males and vice versa. If girls could not wear there clothes to school, then maybe they would not buy the slutty type as much.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of partriarchy was present in all of the articles we read. How women are told they "must have wanted it" if they don't fight back when they are raped (Walker), how the doctors treated Morgan after she was raped, Brownmiller's belief that "all men keep all women in a state of fear," and that Levy mentions the girls are constantly trying to please the boys. Why is patriarchy continuing to run our society? Why is it always the females fault if she is raped? Why are girls trying to please the boys and not vice versa? David mentioned that he just throws on matching clothes because it really does not matter since the girls will be throwing themselves a him.
Like Lee, I agree with the need for an increase in discussion about all things related to sex. However, there also needs to be a strong push for the media to take their "sex" messages down a couple of notches. Furthermore, patriarchy needs to be questioned on a much deeper level because it seems to me that many of today's issues have roots in that belief!!
I agree with both Lee and Marissa but I was thinking more along Marissa's lines of less focus on sex overall. Levy points out that we do not condone it. While I would like to believe that children are able to express themselves sexually, most of their sexual interactions are explorations rather than assertions. I do not think we need more or less discussion of sex; (I received sexual education at my high school where I learned both abstinence and contraceptive options and I think that was a good amount) I think the topics should be more inclusive and framed in an exploitative way. Sex should be discussed openly but should not be the focus, the emotional attachment that come with sexual activity should be a major portion of the education. In that way the teens would understand both sides of the experience better and feel more connected and welcomed into their newly forming sexual world.
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