Second Wave Feminists have been calling for an empowered vision of female sexuality for decades. Adrienne Rich called for it in Of Woman Born in 1976, Riane Eisler called for it in Sacred Pleasure in 1995, Naomi Wolf called for it in Promiscuities in 1997, and more recently in the collection Yes Means Yes! editors Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti called for it in 2008. Women fiction writers have tried to respond to this call to create strong female characters who have strong sexual desires, but the entrenched sexism and misogyny of American culture does not allow a true depiction of empowered female sexuality in fiction whether Young Adult fiction or adult fiction. Instead, what readers encounter time and time again is a masculinization of female sexuality. This masculinization manifests itself in different ways. It can be girls and women having sex like boys and men, but it can also simply re-enforce notions of the sexual double-standard which privilege male sexuality and demonize female sexuality. In E.L. James’ Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy (Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed), she attempts to depict Anastasia (Ana) Steele’s sexual desire and awakening under the tutelage of BDSM (Bondage, Dominant, Submissive/Sadism, Masochism) Dominant Christian Grey. However, the portrait that she paints is not about female sexual empowerment. Instead, it is yet another manifestation of the masculinization of sex and the story of a seemingly bright, educated woman tolerating and even basking in a disturbingly abusive relationship.
About the presenterKathleen Murphey
Kathleen Murphey is an Associate Professor in Community College of Philadelphia’s English Department. She presents regularly at MAPACA conferences. In addition to academic writing, Dr. Murphey has been doing some creative writing. Some of work has been published through The Voices Project (http://www.thevoicesproject.org/) and Writing in a Woman’s Voice (http://writinginawomansvoice.blogspo...). More information about her work can be found at www.kathleenmurphey.com.