Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 07/22/2009

sex is power is alive

Lindsay Horvath at Huffington wrote about seeing Jenny Humphrey (sorry…Taylor Momsen) in concert with her band the Pretty Reckless, the openers for the Veronicas. 

Her thoughts? 

I was horrified at my realization that our culture not only encouraged this package but also sold it as young feminism personified. The ‘empowered’ 15-year old female can belt risque lyrics, flaunt racy lingerie, and flirt with suicide to be sexy and appealing. While I had read Ariel Levy’s Feminist Chauvinist Pigs, it was altogether different to consciously witness teenagers buy into this ‘sex-is-power’ model.

But this is not my feminism.

The feminist movement seeks to advance and empower women. While we strive for equality, we recognize that focusing on sexuality as a means to empowerment misses the mark entirely, reducing women to our body parts instead of embracing our personhood. We realize that it is a patriarchal culture that encourages women to seek empowerment and independence through sexual appeal in service to men.

Once the mantra of the feminist movement, sexual liberation lost its thread, making way for the Momsen image instead of focusing on our ability to own, respect, and love our bodies for our own enjoyment. Young women have an especially difficult time being comfortable in our ever-changing physical forms. Feminism gives young women the opportunity to develop and mature in a climate free from judgment or shame about their sexuality and without the requirement for men’s approval.

Needless to say, I completely agree. The one thing I’d ask Momsen is “who the fuck are you doing that for?” Because, personally, my idea of a good time is not going up on a stage half naked and pretending to kill myself (an apparent theme of the show) BUT THAT’S JUST ME.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand getting off on rock and roll. I’ve been thrown around in the sweaty pits of a few concerts myself, about 3 feet away from the musicians who are always clearly in ecstasy. And I know it’s a rush and it’s awesome. I can’t even imagine what it must be like to be onstage. But seriously? If I wanted to see a blonde girl in lingerie, I’d turn on the T.V. I’d open a magazine.

There’s also a difference between expressing your sexuality and exploiting it, perhaps to attract a male audience or sell your female audience an image you know they’ll buy. Because they have and they do. And that’s the problem. 

It disappoints me that a girl who is obviously trying to be empowered is still caught in the same old misogynistic traps. Wanting people to think of her as strong and independent, she just distracts people from any substantial quality and deduces herself to her body and sex appeal. It would be really freakin sweet if this 15 year old girl could just turn it all on it’s head and actually use, oh, I don’t know, maybe her talent to be empowered rather than her sexualized (and creepily suicidal) image. 

And who knows? Maybe Momsen knows exactly what she’s doing and this is some kind of social commentary on the music industry and she has the last laugh. 

But I’ve seen Gossip Girls. I think not. 

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Read other posts about: Lindsay Horvath, sex is power, Taylor Momsen, The Pretty Reckless, The Veronicas