When I hear the term ‘kyriarchy’, I reach for my revolver, but Melissa McEwan is so on-point here:
On Carrie Prejean.
I see a lot of people, including self-identified progressives, cheering the “schadenfreude” of Prejean’s being revealed as—what?—having a sexuality, I guess. But slut-shaming Prejean for expressing her sexuality merely perpetuates a culture in which the objection to same-sex marriage is justified with distaste for the icky, icky gay sex. Entrenching puritanical narratives about “deviant” sexuality (and let’s all stop and note the hilarious irony that young women who actually express the sexuality the entire culture admonishes them to express are immediately slut-shamed and accused of aberrant behavior) does not help the cause of gay rights. Or women’s rights. Which are both denied on the basis of kyriarchal control of bodies that are Othered.
I’m not really wrapped up in her ideological lens on things so here’s a sputter I wrote earlier this year:
I did think some of the comments directed against her were immensely shameful. Again with the implants and the topless pics—I don’t get it. I thought the whole reason we were progressives was we supported women making choices about their bodies. Even if it means competing in a pageant! (shock, horror.) Especially after the topless pics came out, the comments just nauseated me. I mean even before Hammurabi the idea of “we disagree with her, let’s strip her and point and laugh” was seen as pretty reprehensible. Why are we not supposed to hate Charlize Theron for posting naked for a dior ad? What the fuck people?
As for Perez Hilton, fuck that guy. I love how someone who makes a career out of being a major-league hater (but he’s just kidding!) is gonna get all Mr. Righteous Indignation; it’s like people at gawker getting a fit of the vapours and calling her a barely-naked stripper, painted whore, etc. Real charming, fellas. It’s pathetic.
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