(no subject)

[pantryslut]

Post-Femme Con thought for the day:

"However, the success of early female punk performers' attempts to desexualize the clothes they wore in such a parodic fashion is debatable. Whereas punk women intended to present these garments in such a way as to discredit their effect as fetishistic, sexually titillating items, the overriding cultural view of women as sex objects may have worked at cross-purposes with their intent. Thus, Laing argues that "an attempt to parody 'sexiness' may simply miss its mark and be read by the omnivorous male gaze as the 'real thing'." Their attempt at resistance, when contained within the subculture's private code, could be, and was, often read by the mainstream press and by observers more in terms of its accomodation, rather than resistance, to feminine sexual stereotypes. While striving to counter stereotypes of women in rock, punk women were repeatedly described as sluts, perverts, whores, and junkies by those outside the subculture."

-- Lauraine Leblanc, Pretty in Punk

Comments

[twostepsfwd.livejournal.com]

This encapsulates many of my thoughts about the whole in-vogue attitude about slutty clothes, sex work, etc being seen as liberating or feminist simply because they're being done by people with some kind of feminist analysis.

[justin42.livejournal.com]

The omnivorous male gaze has a way of sexualizing and objectifying a lump of shit on one's shoe, if it has no better distraction at the moment. Reclamation is so tricky. Even if words are taken back and redefined, they can still sting and cut coming from the wrong mouths. And even if the image of what woman supposedly should look like turns into empowered costuming with parody, intention, and fuck you interspersed, it can still be consumed by unwanted eyes in an unintended perspective, or defused as nothing more than unimaginative, opposite reaction to perceived structure/rules. Nothing can be done about eye of the beholder, but I still believe (ever the idealist) in the power of the wearer/presenter and their intent... the eye of the beholder cannot necessarily strip that away, though years of socialization may make one shaky/uncertain in the face of it.

[(Anonymous)]

Thus, Laing argues that "an attempt to parody 'sexiness' may simply miss its mark and be read by the omnivorous male gaze as the 'real thing'."

I wonder where drag queens fit into this theoretical framework?

[goodbadgirl.livejournal.com]

Wow Lor. Wow.

I keep trying to form an articulate response to half of your posters but I've had such a crappy day it's all I can do to keep myself from crying when I read these comments.

Fuck.

I suppose it's always good to know what the boys really think of you.

Such. A. Tired. Argument.

Let me know how many times the fact that I'm just to slow to understand that I'm really a pawn of the patriarchy comes up, will ya? Cause I don't think I can read this anymore.

I do appreciate where you're going with this. I'm not calling you out. But fuck.

[mr-heathen.livejournal.com]

i'd like to state, for the record, that i'm not attempting to parody sexiness. i'm actually sexy for serious.