What Is The Theme Of Rebellion In Leslie Bell's Sexualiy For Women?

In our reading of Leslie Bell’s “Hard to get: Twenty – Something Women and The Paradox of Sexual Freedom” she often refers to “conflicting” messages giving by society. These messages tell young women how they should live and express their sexual freedom during their ‘prime’ years. Messages given by society about sexual freedom are contradicting which cause women to feel anxious and confused on how to express themselves in relationships. In between all this confusion men have taken advantage of these vulnerable women who are trying exercise their sexual freedom.

Freedom, opportunities, and information are some features of this modern society. Clearly, humans are now having a very different life compared to the past. Along with this well-developed world, people get more chances to express how they think, do what they want, and love who they love. Especially young people, they become more independent and are capable of living their own lives. However, while society provides people a lot of benefits, it actually makes their lives even more complex at the same time by leaving them pressures and confusions of who they really are. In her essay, “Selections from Hard to Get:Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom,” Leslie Bell mentions that while in this new-in between developmental period American twenty-something women have more freedom and opportunities about their sexual lives than previous generations, they are struggling with the paradoxes of their relationships and desires. Bell suggests that social expectations and culture guidelines, which are conventions of female sexuality and stereotypes of being a good girl, prevent these young women from pursuing their sexual desires and limiting their relationships with men. However, even these women have chosen the way they live and what kind of sexual life they want in order to be bad girls to break those old rules, they ended with losing their identities. In general, female sexuality is impacted more by establishing a women’s identity rather than clinging on

In Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom by Leslie Bell we follow the stories of three women contradicting the environments they were raised in, as an act of rebellion and individuality. These three women are distraught and confused about their identities and individuality due to conflicting obligations between traditional family values and their own desires. The environment each woman was brought up in was a catalyst in producing a “reactive decision.” As a result, their reactive choices lead to a greater sense of self and individuality. These three women display how their inner convictions are revealed and explored, as a result of the faith and beliefs that surrounded them. The oppressive expectations of their environments

You are to respond honestly and completely to each of the questions in the journal. It is important that I will be able to understand your point of view on each and every question - so short 'Yes' or 'No' responses will not suffice. ( Place your response in the ‘Answer’ section indicated.) Give examples and details to support your responses.

The excerpt from Leslie Bell’s “Hard to Get: Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom” explains the reality of how the expectation of sexual exploration for women in their twenties plays a reverse role on their behaviors and actually limits them. Bell thus groups female attitudes and behaviors in regards to their interaction with sexuality and relationships. She categorizes women into one of three: the sexual woman, the relational woman, and the desiring woman. Although this could result in a possible loss of individualism by grouping women and their experiences into three groups, and Bell acknowledges this, but insists that it provides an opportunity to study how women can share the same behaviors in a sexually confusing era.

Leslie Bell’s “Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom” encompasses the ambiguity experienced by several women in their quest to find answers as to how to have proper sexual relations in their twenties. Ambiguity, very simply, is uncertainty. Bell’s patients experience this indecision in the lives of women in their “ in-between period of early adulthood” (26). Bell, a psychoanalyst, hones in on culture and environment to better understand the lives of these selected women. The ambiguity experienced by these twenty-something women has triggered disappointment in relation to their parent’s wishes and an unfulfilled answer to each woman’s identity.

Sex and gender play a big part in american society today and are often misconstrued. These two topics have become progressive as people are starting to express their gender and sexuality in ways other than what is and has been considered the norm. Many people believe that sexuality and gender are synonymous with one another. Gender is socially constructed while sex is biologically determined. In society’s past, Americans often strayed away from discussing controversial topics, but with the rise of different ways of addressing people, it is deemed more important to understand. Along with the blurred lines of gender and sex comes sexuality, who someone is attracted to sexually. When people stray from society’s heteronormative mindset, they are often faced with many more challenges than the average hetero man or woman. People often have the preconceived notion that if something does not concern them, then they should not be involved in it. A person who could be your neighbor, co worker, or even child, may have to deal with the troubles of people confusing their gender identity with their sex. While also facing challenges that deal with the sex of the person they choose to love. Learning the difference between gender and sexuality will open the eyes of many people and see how the two are different but relate to one another very much.

Tran, Thanh. "Extended Essay: Gender Roles, Sexual Desires." Winter Term Assignment. Portland State University, 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.

Bell’s use of the “Paradox of Sexual Freedom” stands out to be one of the most fundamental concepts on how a woman should live her twenties: free from all cultural and social restrictions on sexuality and relationships. For instance, Bell states, “Be assertive, but not aggressive. Be feminine, but not too passive. Be sexually adventurous, but don’t alienate men with your sexual prowess. Be honest and open, but don’t overwhelm someone with too much personal information” (Bell 26). We are told to be a certain way, yet there are always limitations set for us that completely throws us off and makes us doubt ourself about our sexuality and relationships. In fact, Bell’s use of the repetitive word “but” establishes the limitation and extent that women can go up to. Along with stating the “normal standards” of sexual desires, the society also challenges women to maintain the fine line between being assertive and aggressive, feminine and passive, sexually adventurous and sexual prowess. Moreover, Bell also mentions in her text, “Given the discordant nature of these prescriptions, it’s no wonder that the women I interviewed and counsel struggle to square these contradictory messages with their own individual experiences” (Bell 27). As a result, while we are told that we are free to make choices that defines our sexual lives and there is no

Freedom, opportunities, and information are some features of this modern society. Clearly, humans are now having a very different life compared to the past. Along with this well-developed world, people get more chances to express how they think, do what they want, and love who they love. Especially young people, they become more independent and are capable of living their own lives. However, while society provides people a lot of benefits, it actually makes their lives even more complex at the same time by leaving them pressures and confusions of who they really are. In her essay, “Selections from Hard to Get:Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom,” Leslie Bell mentions that while in this new-in between developmental period American twenty-something women have more freedom and opportunities about their sexual lives than previous generations, they are struggling with the paradoxes of their relationships and desires. Bell suggests that social expectations and culture guidelines, which are conventions of female sexuality and stereotypes of being a good girl, prevent these young women from pursuing their sexual desires and limiting their relationships with men. However, even these women have chosen the way they live and what kind of sexual life they want in order to be bad girls to break those old rules, they ended with losing their identities. In general, female sexuality is impacted more by establishing a

Dr. Savin-Williams argues in his newest book, The New Gay Teenager, young adults are becoming much more open in and about their sexualities, and many are resisting the pressure to label themselves as one thing or another.  But, of course, even researchers of Dr. Alfred Kinsey’s time knew that sexuality is not black and white, but rather much more complex.

“Neither is it uncommon to see a man able to shed tears, or a woman who demonstrates typically masculine traits of character, like assertiveness. It is perfectly fine if each member of a couple is comfortable with such a distribution of roles, temporary or permanent. However, the shift in gender roles especially in the United States is becoming more than a voluntary redistribution of tasks, but rather a massive occurrence, which sociologists are researching why.” stated by sociologist Michael Kimmel. Many women view themselves as controlling the man in a relationship in urban society. Some of the reasons why this is happening may come from education in particular, in the attitude male and female students have towards it. Females are usually more conscientious about studying, engage in school activities vigorously, and are more academic performance, among males, where they are considered more lazy. Males also believe that academic disengagement is considered to be more masculine. High academic performance and good grades are very important but those all lead to employment. Many young men do not think about this and don't realize that there is a high demand for graduates with high levels of knowledge. “The economy shifting to a service economy, a knowledge-based economy, a words-based economy rather than an action-based economy has certainly been to the detriment of that traditional

In a busy and complicated landscape of sexuality and gender, it is generally recognized that children need instruction in how to behave. Unfortunately, the way that adults wish young people to be introduced to sexuality is governed by diverse worldviews and values, and the subject is seen as so important that this disparity leaves little room for neutrality, much less reasoned compromise. In many cases, the education of children in sexuality is regarded on all sides as a life-and-death issue, involving fundamental assumptions about the role of public and private institutions and even the very stability of society, to say nothing of the potential risks to individuals. As When Sex Goes to School puts it, there is very little within the domain of American politics and the infamous “culture wars” that is not touched by or based in the realm of sexuality and gender, and sex education is an arena where each side seeks to have its values publicly established for the benefit of students.

Sexuality has long been a key concern of feminists and egalitarians. Most notably, they have long insisted that female sexuality is no different than male sexuality and that a woman should have the exact same right to choose not to marry, and instead engage in casual sex while pursuing a rewarding career that will secure her a (supposedly) much better future than the lifestyles of past generations of women afforded them. What has long been a major proponent of patriarchal societies is the inhibition on female sexuality. The “double standard” in sexuality is to

Sexuality is something that seems to dominate a lot of the world we live in. It’s in our schools, at work, and especially in the mass media. The way your body develops and the way you feel and respond to others sexually creates your sexuality (“Sexuality and Sexual Orientation”, Youthoria). It can shape and affect people’s lives as well as our own. Sexuality can be influenced by culture, religion, media, friends and experiences. Some people are very sexual, while others experience no sexual attraction at all. Sexuality has always been treated as taboo and some people are uncomfortable talking about it so they avoid it. For this reason sexuality can produce confusion, anxiety and fear. Sexuality includes much more than just sex. It includes anatomy, biological sex, gender, sexual orientation, relationships, and sexual behaviors (“Sex and Sexuality”, Planned Parenthood). Applying the sociological approaches will give us a better understanding of human sexuality.