Female Sexuality

                The big picture idea that I got from Douglas, Collins, and Walker is that there is a duel nature with female sexuality. The concept of sexuality in general is associated with White heterosexuals, but in this instance, women are the primary target. Women are being told that they are being repressed sexually but if they act in a dominate nature they are criticized.

            Women are repressed because they are just sex objects for men. Their desires are ignored and largely unimportant. They are tools for men’s pleasure. What they should worry about is whether the man is satisfied. The ultimate goal is that their man is pleased and happy. What makes them a real woman is that their partner wants them. This is portrayed in the media by things such as magazines with titles like “the top sex tips that will make him want you tonight.” The role of the female in the sexual relationship becomes more of mechanism for male pleasure rather than an equal partner.

            The alternate is this is that the woman is a sexual powerhouse. This is essentially the opposite of the first situation. Women do not care about the men, but rather focus on what they want. They are seen as taking charge sexually. But the trade-off in this case is their social reputation. They are often called “slut” or “whore”. They are seen as negative. These are people who women do not want to be.

            I think that there are more variations than just sex object and whore. A woman cares about her desires and the man’s in a happy middle ground. I do believe that the middle ground exists. The dichotomy that the writer’s talk about does exist, but I think that it doesn’t have to and there has been progress in the moving away from the two part nature of female sexuality.