Response to You're Not the Type

Before I continue with my response to Gilbert's paper, I would like to discuss this  (http://www.bofunk.com/video/10507/little_girls_dance_to_single_ladies.html) link.  I was reminded of this scandal during our class meeting on Monday.  The outfits are provocative, the dance moves radiate sex appeal, and for the most part the dancers and their parents are not upset by their show.  Parents stated that the video was not meant to released to the public and that all moves were appropriate given the caliber and type of dance competition in which they were entered. Blaming the performance on being taken "out of context," most experienced competition parents did not seem to see how inappropriate this hypersexulized performance was, or how typical, given the portrayal of young girls in the media. For those who commented and claimed the routine bordered on a type of child pornography, they were berated by other commenters and called "sick" individuals for making this connection.  The desensitization of this highly provocative and sexualized performance in girls so young is evidence that while in some way, our society represses sexuality, in others it is blatantly displayed and seen as acceptable because feminine, "powerful" girls are being represented. The enlightened sexism movement, promoting positive sexuality, has taken women in the current generation to an extreme, convincing them that it is through sexual control and domination over men that brings liberation; it is by being a sexual object and emphasizing sexuality as one's most prominent characteristic that girls are not portrayed in an affirmative way in media. What needs to be displayed through media outlets are sex positive teachings and a focus on individual independence, separation from male desires, and exploration of one's own sexuality for one's own sake.

Although Gilbert's story takes her through very different times in her life filled with uncertainty, her last pages give the reader the impression that she has come through her struggles as a strong, empowered, confident woman. She not only has never followed the path of least resistance but she has risen from a situation in which little to no educational material or emotional support exists. I would be lying if I said I hadn't though to myself that, after seeing a very young girl pregnant, she now has to settle in life, and can never achieve the goals of which she previously dreamed. But why do I have these views in my head? Gilbert clearly explains that her path was not an easy one, but there is no reason to believe that a child ends all changes of fulfillment, sexually, occupationally, academically, etc. It can be taken away from Gilbert's story that it is vital to provide women with multiple life options and dismiss taboos currently present that encourage frowning upon non-heterosexual, non-domestic, unmarried, sexually active females.