Vartanian 1

Tina Vartanian
John Kubler
English 114B
24 February 2014
Sexual Freedom
Throughout history women have struggled with equality and freedom amongst men. Over
the years, women have went from being perceived as property whether it was their husbands or
fathers, to actual human beings. By changing the outlook on women, the dynamics of sexuality
also changed. Women in general have embraced their sexuality through their appearances, their
postures, as well as the way they carry themselves. The question here being, has increased
sexualization had an impact on our identities? Of course it has. Although some people believe
that sexuality leads to violence and the degradation of women, I believe that it is empowering
towards women because it allows sexual freedom, the ability to have control of ones body, as
well as expressing an individual's thoughts, fears, desires, etc.
A wise woman by the name Alice Walker once said, The most common way people give
up their power is by thinking they dont have any. In other words, every individual has to
believe in themselves and the influence they have on others in order for society to accept them as
well. The question of what type of power is unclear; however, the power of sexualization,
strength, or even violence can fall into that category. For example, lets take Jessica Simpson's
music video for, "These Boots Were Made for Walking." There was a lot of controversy
regarding this video and whether it degraded or empowered women simply based on the females
physical appearances. This video empowered women by enhancing their sex appeal and giving
them the power to choose what to do with their bodies. The title of the song itself, gives the
Vartanian 2

audience an image in which women are the ones in control, as if they are the ones that walk away
and they have the freedom to do so. In the beginning of the music video, Jessica arrives in a
muscular vehicle almost immediately portraying her as the dominant sex.
As the video progressed, Jessica went to dance on the bar in front of all the males. The
men sitting at the bar seemed almost hypnotized by her. Some may argue and say that it was not
and empowering moment; however, the camera angle was pointed downward at the men. This
portrays that she was powerful as well as above the men (0:59). Another way this video
empowers females, is when Jessica punches the male for touching her. This shows the physical
attribute of women and how they do have the strength to knock a guy out and protect themselves.
Do women have to restrain their sexuality to avoid being victims of violence? In the
article, Naked for a Cause: Exposing Yourself Does Not Mean You Have No Respect author
Gina Luttrell, editor-in-chief of the libertarian women's magazine, discusses her opinions of
increased sexuality in women. Immediately Luttrell referred to a different article published by
The Libertarian Republic, regarding the issue of how our increased sexualization among
women has created a rape culture. The photograph used in the article published by The
Libertarian Republic of a woman wearing ...a bra and jeans with her back to the camera was
Gina Luttrell. This photograph was meant to create an image of a woman who was basically
asking to be a rape victim based on her body presentation. Luttrell began to define what the term
rape culture truly meant. According to Wikipedia, ...rape culture is a concept used to describe
a culture in which rape and sexual violence are common and in which prevalent attitudes, norms,
practices, and media normalize, excuse, tolerate, or even condone rape... (Luttrell 1). This does
not mean that rape is in any way acceptable or tolerated in our society.
Vartanian 3

Throughout the article, Luttrell brings up an example of how The New York Times
wrote an article on a young girl who had been raped. The article in The New York Times created
the same image that The Libertarian Republic wanted to create. It described the girl in details
such as ...she dressed older[wore] makeup[hung] out with teenage boys (1). The article
almost made it seem as if the young girl could have avoided the situation of being raped in the
first place by simply changing her appearance. This is absolutely ridiculous. Regardless of how a
body is presented, it is not in any way an object (1). Rather than fearing what to wear, how to
stand, or even what tone of voice to use, we must ...take power of our bodies and not let anyone
dictate, through shame or fear, how we use them (2).
Another sexually influenced area in our society is pornography. Many argue that
...pornography degrades women [and] leads directly to violence (McElroy 2). The term
degrading itself can be defined in numerous ways. Every person has the ...right to define what is
degrading and liberating for herself therefore the generalization is not correct (2). The
accusation that porn leads to violence against women not true. Studies prepared by Thelma
McCormick ...[found] no pattern to connect porn and sex crimes (3). The idea that porn and
sexuality increase rape and violence is nothing more than opinion-based.
In the novel, Persepolis 2, author Marjane Satrapi encounters her first sexual experience
when her friend Julie admits to sleeping around with several guys. Due to the fact that Marjane
came from a strict culture and was not use to the idea of someone being so open with their
sexuality, she was startled. She then became more and more comfortable as the years went on
and she matured into a young woman. Marjanes discomfort reminded me of myself. I was not
use to the idea of sexuality until I was about twelve years old. The idea that sexuality empowers
women became more and more to me, because of the media. Women use their sex appeal to
Vartanian 4

prove a point. For example Khloe Kardashian posed naked for the I rather go naked than wear
fur campaign. She went nude to make a statement to end the killings and abuse of animals for
fashion. Many other campaigns like this one involved sexuality. Just like Khloe, the women who
pose for these types of campaigns are empowering to the audience because its for a purpose.
The fact is that sex sells, regardless of what people think.
In all sexuality is a huge part of our daily life. It is in the media, entertainment shows,
online, and outside. The idea that the appearance of a women degrades them is an opinion
based statement. Everyone has the freedom to look a certain way and to express themselves
through their bodies. The transition that Marjane went through was a sexual transition in which
everyone goes through eventually. Sex appeal is a part of our culture. It allows us to express
ourselves through our bodies, whats the harm in that?