Sex-Positive Feminism Flashcards
(10 cards)
What are some central ideas surround sex positive feminism?
Views consensual sex for pleasure positively
Response to gender oppression & social control of women’s sexuality
Encourages embracing sexual pleasure in many ways (consensual)
Fights sexual stigma & critiques “slut shaming”
Sex is diverse and refusable (link to challening rape culture)
Recognizes sex as political:
► Women’s right to sexual pleasure/ orgasm
► Fights sexual repression /shame around sexual practices that bring pleasure
Sex positive feminism is also “__________” and “________” positive
Relationship; body
Affirms gay, trans, queer and other relationship models
Affirms sex that happens outside heterosexual, monogamous, committed relationships
Affirms body difference, size, ability
Sex positive feminism rejects “______” arguments
Moral
Pornography and sex work - if consensual
= aligns w/ harm reduction approaches
What do 2nd wave feminists believe in terms of porn?
Porn exploits women, is harmful, women cannot
freely consent to it
What do 3rd wave feminists believe in terms of porn?
Porn is a tool for pleasure/ income if consensual
women are capable of consenting**
What do 4th wave feminists believe in terms of porn?
Intersectionality/ diversity in sex-positive
movement
Oxford students argue with “___nd” wave feminists
Why?
2nd
Porn objectifies / harms women
Increasing awareness of power differences in sex / sexual scripts
Does not speak to their longings / frustrations
“Porn, the students say, provides the script for their sex lives, one that leaves them insecure and alienated”
What is the problem with sex-positivity?
Oxford students argued it feels like the pressure to be up for anything
= “It feels like we are exploiting ourselves”
Today it seems less relevant to women who feel brutalized by the expectation that they’ll be open to anything
