Intersex And The Sexual Revolution

Alike gender, sexuality is also a social construct, especially when looking at the period before the 18th century, when one’s sexual orientation did not matter, hence there being no need for justification, just as pointed by Foucault: “Sexual practices had little need of secrecy; words were said without undue reticence, and things were done without too much concealment; one had a tolerant familiarity with the illicit.” (3). And the 19th century came and brought with it a big change, and not only did people become engulfed by social norms, whom they should abide at all costs, but they also had to keep their sexual preferences under lock and key: “But twilight soon fell upon this bright day, followed by the monotonous nights of the Victorian

Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.

Whilst many disagreements have arisen in feminist discourse over the years, none has been quite as prevalent or divisive as the issue of the commodification of sexuality. There are two central groups in feminist ideology that are divided on this issue, liberal feminism and radical feminism. Liberal feminism is influenced by the ideas and values of liberalism. Thus, these feminists share a contractarian view which places an emphasis on a woman’s ability to make choices for herself and that the selling of one’s sexuality is merely an expression of that choice. Paradoxically, radical feminists believe that because women live in a patriarchal society, the commodification of sexuality can never be a choice or a form of expression. Rather, forms of sexual commodification such as pornography and prostitution just enforce male oppression. This essay will explore these two ideological positions in regard to their divergent definitions of human nature and freedom which has created a division within feminism about the commodification of sexuality.

In the twentieth century, there was much debate on women’s public sexual relationship versus her private sexual relationship. The American society only believed in pure sex, and premarital sex was viewed as a sin. From a feminist’s point of view, there should be no pressure on the woman to reproduce according to the husband’s wishes. The feminists at the time “... were assured that they were sexual beings, but their sexuality was defined by male standards” (341-342). Also, certain situations did not provide the atmosphere necessary to raise a baby.

Born to a socialist father who was also an early advocate of women’s suffrage, from him Margaret Sanger inherited her political pluck. This woman spent her life helping women take control of their own bodies and be educated; she is responsible for the plight of women in being able to reversibly prevent pregnancy through the use of a drug she pushed to get created known as “The Pill”. Margaret Sanger was over 80 years old when the first pills became available and by the end of the 1960’s there were many millions of women using the new form of birth control even though the Catholic Church and some states considered it vulgar and obscene and outlawed the use in preventing pregnancy. Ultimately this progressive change in thought and culture to women being able to control their own fertility and therefore be able to work outside the home; this also created a counter culture “sexual revolution” where women felt freer to express their own sexuality without the fear of becoming pregnant – while others saw this a moral decay of individuals and family. Conclusively the majority of people are happy with the results of Margaret Sanger work to provide women with a safe and healthy choice in preventing pregnancy but other are happy that only part of her philosophies were adopted by

Track is more complex than just running to see who has the fastest time, throwing the farthest, or jumping the highest. Track is about overcoming physical obstacles that challenge you, which mentally makes one stronger. The 1920’s was a time of rising sports popularity which ultimately resulted in sexual equality for women. Track contributed to these improvements by including women in sports, exposing positive physical features of women, and set higher expectations for females other than cooking and cleaning .

The Traffic in Women: The “Political economy” of sex by Gayle Rubin is an exploration of the origin of women’s oppression. Rubin’s main objective is to arrive at a more fully developed definition of the sex/gender system, otherwise referred to as “mode of reproduction” and/or “patriarchy”. She further develops her definition through the analysis of the work of Levi-Strauss and Freud from a marxist perspective. Rubin provides the following preliminary definition of the sex/gender system “A set of arrangements by which a society transforms biological sexuality into products of human activity, and in which these transformed sexual needs are satisfied.” (159) She attempts to add to her definition of the sex/gender system through the analysis of the overlapping work of Claude Levi- Strauss and Sigmund Freud. Despite implications with their work, Rubin believes that both Levi-Strauss and Freud provide conceptual tools in describing the sex/gender system. Rubin looks at a Marxist analysis of sex oppression, as well as, Engels theory of society which integrates both sex and sexuality. Furthermore she incorporates aspects of each theory addressed into her own working definition of the sex/gender system. By shifting between Marxist, structuralist and psychoanalyst explanations of sex oppression, Rubin is able to construct a multi-dimensional definition of the sex/gender system that is not only inclusive but also provides a basis of which to build from.

The sexual revolution of the 1960's was a time of great importance to modern America. The changes that occurred across America changed our country as a whole, its influence spread from LA to New York to the 'Heartland of America', Lawrence Kansas. This revolution occurred at a critical point in world history as well. A new type of society formed with soldiers returning from WWII and people began to incorporate themselves with those who matched their identity and not just those geographically near them. People were frustrated and they wanted their voice to be heard, and now they had a group of citizens who would back them up and help them in their revolution. American ideals changed drastically in the twenty years that followed World War two

One of the first things that pops into the average person’s mind when they hear the term “rebellion” is a revolt against the tyrannical overlord. However, rebellion can also occur in the individual level. For many people, they rebel against stereotypes and their environment, not totalitarian governments. But in some ways, a tyrannical government and stereotypes can be very similar to each other as both are something that people rise up against. In Leslie Bell’s Hard to Get: Twenty- Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom, she drives home the idea that sexualiy for women is especially complicated because of the numerous stereotypes and confusion that surrounds it. Often, young women rebel against cultural norms to create their identity and do so by either

​As the sexual revolution began in the 1950s, stag films became less and less popular. However, Irving Klaw filmed the popular pin up model, Bettie Page, in several specialty stag films from 1952 - 1957; and the film Smart Alec, starring Candy Barr, was released in 1951.

When people think of a time in our world where rebellious, free spirited and mindful people play a part in, the 1960’s come to mind. To be a decade known for that is why the 1960’s is the most loved decade of them all. The youth lived with no hatred, no care, and peace. The 1960’s were the big time for the Hippie movement and that’s what the youth did. Hippies, war, and music are what were going on during this decade. This decade is what showed the world that we could live with peace and love and not have to worry about anything. The 1960’s was the time of change and is the best era that has come. The 1960’s is the best decade because of the liberal people, how it was revolutionary, and the entertainment

Throughout history, definitions of sexuality within a culture are created and then changed time after time. During these changes, we have seen the impact and power one individual or group can have over others. In the Late Nineteenth Century into the Early Twentieth Century, we see multiple groups of people and or authorities taking control over the idea of sex and how they believe society is being impacted by sex. At this point in time, society had groups of people who believed they had the power to control how society as whole viewed and acted upon sex. Those particular groups and ideas changed many lives and the overall definition of sexuality within that culture.

For years, many scholars have provided many discussions over the topic of gender and sexuality. However, one needs to ask themselves: Are these two topics, gender and sexuality, useful as a category for historical analysis? The articles written by both Joan W. Scott and Afsaneh Najmabadi, answer such a question. By critically examining and assessing their two article, can the usefulness of gender and sexuality as a category for historical analysis be proven.

Known as the Two Sex theory, devised by historian Thomas Laqueur, female sexuality would be characterized purely by a woman’s reproductive potential, where the concept of an innate maternal instinct would become the new prioritized ideal. The female orgasm was renounced by a new essence of masculine superiority. This notion can be asserted with the Phallocentric inclination of the late 18th century, examined by historian Tim Hitchcock, as period characterized by penetration and precedence of the phallus. This “both encouraged and made possible the denigration of female sexuality and perceived passivity.” Consequently this caused the de-emphasis of female sexual pleasure and desire. However, female sexual identity would reemerge with potency, attributed to social flux, the emerging field of sexology and disposition of the interwar years.

Women’s Liberation: England and Thomas brought up the point of women’s liberation when talking about gender, the hook up, and how they affected one another. Women’s liberation can be defined as the freeing of women from the inequalities and attitudes when compared to me. In the reading, this is when as cultural norms change, so do the thoughts of certain groups when it comes to women and the acts they perform. An example of this would be that in the early 1900’s, if a woman had premarital sex and got pregnant, many cultural groups like churches, or even communities, would disown her in a way. But in 2010, if a woman had premarital sex and got pregnant, the community would still accept her and help her in whatever ways she needed it. This example also shows that not all cultural groups change their views on certain matters, and will stick true to these views until the end of time.