Can we please stop resurrecting the writer who has his panties in such a twist over the fact that some women aren’t afraid of the “slut” label anymore that he even wrote an entire bad, bloated novel about it every time this stupid conversation about young women and sex happens? This is about as old as Ruslana at Eurovision, for God’s sake.
And the girls — it used to be even if they were total sluts, they always insisted they were virgins.
Oh, for the good old days of double-standards. Then again, I don’t know. There is a streak of such bitterness running through I Am Charlotte Simmons, that Dr. Sigmund here has to wonder how much of this is actually sour grapes.
That’s totally changed, and along with it comes a change in language in which girls talk the same way as the boys. I call it the f— patois.
I cringed with secondhand embarrassment when I read this response years ago, and I am cringing again right now. Other people were cringing at Tom Wolfe that year too, which is why Charlotte Simmons won the Bad Sex in Fiction Award.
So why is this guy relevant to the discussion of modern female sexuality again? Because he’s an old, rich white dude who looks great in a suit? I see.
Honestly, I don’t like bashing Wolfe, I really don’t. He’s a stylish older man with an endearing smile and lots and lots of talent. He charms me, despite his ridiculous, horrible statements. I’ll cop to that. BUT HE STILL HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUNG WOMEN AND THEIR COLLEGE SEXUAL HABITS, OK?
Oh, and, classy headline there, ABC. “Sluts or New Feminists?” – huh?
What’s going on here is that my childhood fantasy is melding with my childhood nightmare. I knew that one of these days, someone, somewhere would seize upon my old obsession with crystal chandeliers than hung in the otherwise drab living rooms of the great aunts, and explode my brain with it. And that I would love every second.
Not really, no. This is so delightfully creepy. I love it when she’s when she’s wearing something that resembles a chandelier popular with Soviet grandmas. And the ending is awesome, so you have to watch the entire thing. Her being auctioned off kinda makes me think of the human trafficking angle. And then, boom.
I love women who are sexy and weird. They make life more interesting.
Because someone reminded me of De La Soul the other day…
Me Myself And I – De La Soul
That Fascinating Thing – Squirrel Nut Zippers
Taking You Out – Eleni Mandell
Tomber La Chemise – Zebda
Drive My Car – the Beatles
Parklife – Blur
Sugar (Original Version) – Flo Rida feat. Wynter
River – Lights
Limits – Calvin Harris
Squares – The Beta Band
…I have more power than a Playboy model in the real world, since my opinions are taken seriously. All of us would never have this if we posed for Playboy, because as much as the men who make the rules coo and flatter Playboy models, they actually think you’re dumb bimbos and they don’t give a shit what you have to say. – Amanda Marcotte on Playboy & the sex industry.
I normally wouldn’t want to stop anyone from expressing how great their self-esteem is (God knows, we women critique ourselves way too much already), but, and I hate to break this to you but it really needs to be said, many men and women do in fact take people like Renegade Evolution and Nina Hartley pretty seriously. Hell, when Linda Lovelace spoke about being forced into the industry by her abusive husband and being used by the likes of Andrea Dworkin, her statements on the subject of sex-work carried just a tad more weight than yours.
Of course, realizing that and working toward more recognition for women who have actually done sex-work would mean letting go of some of that privilege and authority that “good girls” enjoy, or think they enjoy, right?
Shh, whores. The feminists are speaking now (is this wheat-blond thing working out for me, ya'll? I have to throw it out there, been wondering).
I know that patting yourself on the back for not being a dumb dirty whore is practically a rite of passage in certain upper-to-middle class feminist circles, but a little perspective never hurt anyone. And anyway, it’s not as if there aren’t millions of men all over this world who think you’re a dumb dirty whore simply for being a woman. Or, for that matter, a feminist woman. Particularly a feminist woman who writes blog posts in which she actually cops to liking sex. So how come their opinions don’t matter, but the standard misogynist view of a Playboy Playmate must be legitimized for the sake of arguing against the sex industry? Because you’re a special and unique snowflake who never let her knickers down for money, and hence deserve to keep your dignity intact?
The comment section is, as always, a treasure trove, some good observations notwithstanding. I did like this exchange between McDuff and calm tongue, on the subject of what should be done about the sex industry in general:
Take it away, calm tongue:
I hate the idea of having to make people’s lives harder, but sometimes things have to get harder before they get better.
Oh. Wow. Even for a bastion of relative economic privilege that liberal blogs inevitably present, this is a hall of fame moment.
And here’s McDuff:
Ah, spoken like a true middle class liberal.
You do know, don’t you, that it’s not the middle class hookers or the wealthy porn stars who suffer most? It’s the already vulnerable people in the sex industry, the ones who you’re so concerned about, allegedly, who get hurt by bad laws written by people who are trying to legislate the industry out of existence because of their moralising, authoritarian, patronising need to try and save the poor, victimised fallen women.
But, OK, fine, you’re willing to make the noble sacrifice of making their lives worse before they get better. You blessed, brave soul. I’m glad you’re willing to accept the sacrifice of being called a lousy fucker by women whose lives you make harder while doing nothing whatsoever for them, under the guise of “making the world a better place”. Except, y’know, not for them, obviously. You made their world worse, but their working conditions and safety were a sacrifice you were willing to make. You bravely contributed to the problem in the hopes that some day, the millennia-old strategy of criminalising sex work and treating sex workers are victims or sluts would finally work. Go you, you inventive, noble soul! Keep that up, and some day all sex workers will be miserable, and then they’ll stop doing it, and feminism will win! Or something, I guess.
Thank you, McDuff. I’d kiss you silly, but I wouldn’t want any of my fellow feminists to think I’m a dumb dirty whore.
Natalia A. 