by Julia McNiff (with Emily Dodge)
The 60s and 70s witnessed some of the greatest social and political gains for women in the private and public sphere. Women can now divorce, have custody of children, have abortions, buy contraceptives, have better (although still unequal) wages, and have the same school and employment opportunities as men. But where does this leave female sexuality? The Sexual Revolution gave women the right to obtain contraceptives and the social approval to engage in recreational sex. Many great feminist writers like Anne Koedt began to investigate the mystique and uniqueness of female sexuality through a female viewpoint for the first time. In the Pornography Wars of the 80s, the sexuality of women came into question again for the feminists: is a sexually liberated, pornographic view of women freeing or constraining?
To this day, many feminists debate over whether this hyped-up view of female sexuality is a form of freedom or objectification. Sex-positive feminists claim that this is liberating, allowing women to enjoy the same sexual privilege as men. Sex-negative feminists, however, believe that this is objectification by a still predominantly male business world that utilises the female body and sexuality to sell products and make profit. What we ponder this Friday is, what is the current social and philosophical state of female sexuality? Are women being sexually liberated or oppressed? Is female dignity being respected (both as itself and as the [equal] counterpart to male dignity) or demeaned?
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