It's all about respect
anonymous
June 17 2009, 19:56:00 UTC
Great points, Jason. Ultimately, the issue comes down to respect. There are just certain things that are hurtful, when said to any human being.
That said, unfortunately, in the context of sex and intimacy, women tend to take the brunt of the jokes. It's the classic double-bind-- women are supposed to be innocent and virginal, but they're not supposed to be prudish or frigid. Furthermore, if a woman has sex, there's the intrigue of how many times, who, why, when, in what context, etc. etc. etc. and the risk of being labeled as "loose"... but if a woman does not have sex there's a barrage of other labels and questions.
Feminism comes down to making choices--for all women. Sex or no sex, baby or no baby, relationship or no relationship. It should not matter. And, as you pointed out, often the father's reputation is unscathed (a problem epitomized in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne).
That said, unfortunately, in the context of sex and intimacy, women tend to take the brunt of the jokes. It's the classic double-bind-- women are supposed to be innocent and virginal, but they're not supposed to be prudish or frigid. Furthermore, if a woman has sex, there's the intrigue of how many times, who, why, when, in what context, etc. etc. etc. and the risk of being labeled as "loose"... but if a woman does not have sex there's a barrage of other labels and questions.
Feminism comes down to making choices--for all women. Sex or no sex, baby or no baby, relationship or no relationship. It should not matter. And, as you pointed out, often the father's reputation is unscathed (a problem epitomized in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne).
Ultimately, it doesn't surprise me. Nearly of high school students in a public survey said they believed Rihanna "deserved it." http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/06/rihanna_beating.html
Cheers,
Rach
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