The Evolution of Feminine Sexuality in Print Culture: A ...



The Evolution of Feminine Sexuality in Print Culture: A Look at Print Culture from the 18th Century to the 21st CenturySamantha J. HuffPrint Culture and Society Spring 2018University of AlabamaAbstractFeminine sexuality in print culture has evolved greatly in the past four centuries. It is important to understand how feminine sexuality has evolved in print culture to better understand several points. First, how, viewing women as sex objects and sexualized victims drove our societal views of women and the restrictions placed on them. Second, the evolution of sexual beliefs affected the evolution of sexuality in print culture. Third, these tropes affect our ideas of sexual practices, discourses, and identity over the centuries. By looking at literature, advertisements, zines, and academic texts it will provide confirmation that as print culture evolves, so should the feminine sexuality within it. Keywords: sexuality, advertisements, print culture, literature, academic textsThe Evolution of Feminine Sexuality in Print Culture: A Look at Print Culture from the 18th Century to the 21st CenturySince before the beginning of The Printing Revolution sex and sexuality have been prominently depicted images across all mediums. In fact, sexual images date back as far as 480 B.C. on a ceramic cup from Greece called Kiss, which is located at the Louvre in Paris, France. The creation of the printing press in 1440 made sexually charged images of women easier to distribute.?It is important to understand how feminine sexuality has evolved in print culture to understand many things. First, viewing women as sex objects and sexualized victims affected drove societal views of women and the restrictions placed upon them. Secondly, the evolution of sex affects the evolution of sexuality in print culture. Last, these sexual tropes affected our ideas of sexual practices, discourses, and identity over the centuries. By examining advertisements, academic texts, and literature, it will administer affirmation that as print culture evolves the feminine sexuality within it will evolve as well. Relatively the first time women were allowed to participate in print culture began in the 18th century. These women were primarily upper and middle-class women. Although many people in print encouraged the participation of women, they were still focused on containing their participation. This restriction on women participating in print culture still held prominence into the 19th century. In the 19th century, society experienced a rising fear of sex, specifically when women embraced it. Men began to weigh in on feminine sexuality by stating that women do not have sexual feelings of any kind and that their sole purpose sexually was for procreation. Although this belief was widely accepted, there were those that spoke against these theories until The Sexual Revolution of the 20th century normalized sex, sexuality, and the discourse surrounding it. The Sexual Revolution normalized the acceptance of pornography, premarital sex, homosexuality, access to contraception, and abortion. Accompanying The Sexual Revolution was the advancement of the sex manual and the open discussion of sex. The acceptance of sex and sexuality opened doors for the discussion of sexual assault and feminism in the 21st century. Now that sex is widely accepted culturally, print culture has begun to deliberate sexism, sexual assault, and sexual aggression. Authors like Michelle Goldberg, Jessica Valenti, and Roxane Gay to name a few, are feminist icons that are looking for a revolution against sexual assault. By examining each of these centuries further it will become evident how sexuality evolves within print culture. Feminine Sexuality in 18th Century Print Culture - Sexuality EmergesThe 18th century saw an emergence of people demanding for radical changes in women’s rights, due to this, culture perceived the rise of what we would call today: feminism. Although the term “feminism” was not penned until 1837, some 18th century writers are considered feminists. Feminism in the 18th century centered on women having equal rights in legislature, education, and freedom from the double standard of sex placed on women in this time frame. There were two leading feminist writers who spoke on these issues: Jeremy Bentham and Mary Wollstonecraft. Just three years before Mary Wollstonecraft published her Vindication of the Rights of Women, Jeremy Bentham published his Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Although it was published only three years earlier than Vindication of the Rights of Women, Bentham had been a spokesperson for women’s rights in the legislature for years. Bentham points out that the main reason for putting so many limitations on women is because the legislature claimed that women are intellectually and biologically inferior to men. In Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, Bentham argues that women are more naturally intellectual when it comes to sensibility: “The female sex appears in general to have more sensibility than the male sex does. . . Moral, religious, sympathetic, and antipathetic sensibility are more commonly stronger in her than in the male” (37). Bentham follows up by saying that different qualities are praised in women vs. men. For example: Delicacy, chastity, and modesty are praised more than courage, which is an attribute put above all others in men. Therefore, for a woman to be successful and praised in this time period she must be chaste and modest, denying all sexual desires and attributes she may have. Bentham states that because women obtain more sensibility, naturally that they are more inclined than the male. Bentham’s goal is to request an abolishment of this belief and allowing women to obtain more freedom in legislature, personal, and home life by showing that they progress in more areas than men. The next step for Jeremy Bentham is to acknowledge sexuality: not just feminine sexuality but sexual desire in general. Seeing an injustice in the problems of marriage in legislature led to his life’s work being dedicated to eradicating these injustices. Bentham admits later that women are more likely to be condemned for fornication (adultery) than men. He also goes on to state that nowhere in Christianity is it directly stated that sexual gratification is to be deemed delinquent and incriminated. Bentham states, “For what would become of the species if it were not for the motives of hunger and thirst, sexual desire, the fear of pain, and the love of life?” (67). Bentham is alluding that sexuality and sexual desire is just as prominent and important as hunger, thirst, pain, and the love of life. Bentham does not believe that it is inherently criminal to embrace sexuality when it is engrained into our bodies and minds so deeply that it is second nature. Previously, any crime of sex outside of marriage was an infringement on that marriage and was deemed illegal and illicit in the eyes of legislature. Bentham’s theologies are the first in print culture of their kind, but alas, not the last. The 18th century saw a rise in upper and middle-class women participating in print culture. Although many people advocated for women to become a part of print they were still focused on containing their participation. Jeremy Bentham had begun to advocate for women’s rights in legislature and home life and Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication on the Rights of Woman speak back to Bentham’s ideologies. Wollstonecraft is considered one of the founding feminist theorists. Wollstonecraft advocated that women were born just as intelligent as men were however; they lack the same opportunities for education so they were, in turn, limited in their capabilities. She believes that women should obtain education to advance their position in society and can educate their children. In A Vindication on the Rights of Woman she states, “Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience; but, as blind obedience is ever sought for by power, tyrants and sensualists are in the right when they endeavor to keep women in the dark, because the former only want slaves, and the latter a play-thing” (Wollstonecraft 25). This directly mirror’s Bentham’s argument that, “in certain nations, all women have been placed in a state of perpetual wardship, obviously based on the notion of a decided intellectual inferiority in the female sex, analogous to that which comes from infancy or insanity in the male” (128). Both Wollstonecraft and Bentham are arguing that women are in a perpetual form of slavery. Wollstonecraft also speaks on the injustices and double standards within marriage. She states, “The married woman, on the contrary, breaks a most sacred engagement, and becomes a cruel mother women she is a false and faithless wife” (142). Wollstonecraft is proving that women are more harshly judged for their indiscretions than that of the man/husband. In conclusion, Mary Wollstonecraft states, “Public spirit must be nurtured by private virtue, or it will resemble the factitious sentiment which makes women careful to preserve their reputation, and men their honour. A Sentiment that often exists unsupported by virtue, unsupported by that sublime morality which makes the habitual breach of one duty a breach of the whole moral law” (152). Wollstonecraft is alluding that if a man or woman broke one of their “moral duties” they would infringe on the law that was wrongly based on morals. Both Bentham and Wollstonecraft are working for a separation of law and sexuality. Essentially, Bentham wants women to have a freedom of sexuality and Wollstonecraft just wants there to be equality in decisions made by both the woman and the man inside and outside of marriage. They utilize their publications as a way to voice these theories and opinions through print culture. Although the 18th century seemed to be progressive, the 19th century saw a setback when male writers, doctors, and theorists stepped in to voice their opinions.Feminine Sexuality in 19th Century Print Culture – Men Weigh InPeople in the 19th century were afraid of sex, specifically when women embraced it. Women were required to speak carefully to sound more polite. Women were required to use works like “limb” instead of “leg.” Due to the insecurities surrounding sex it led to doctors publishing their sex-advice books. Authors like Dr. William Acton and George H. Napheys utilized print to educate readers on feminine sexuality. Dr. William Acton’s The Functions and Disorders of the Reproductive Organs in Childhood, Youth, Adult Age, and Advanced Life: Considered in Their Physiological, Social, and Moral Relations is the most quoted sex-advice book of the 19th century. In The Functions and Disorders Acton states, “the majority of women (happily for them) are not very much troubled with sexual feeling of any kind” (Acton 101). Acton is using print culture as a way to get his unprecedented ideas into society. His views and theories had real consequences on the practices, discourses, and identity of feminine sexuality in the 19th century. An example of the consequences surrounding Acton’s idea is what is known as the “masturbation hysteria” According to Acton masturbation and excessive sex is dangerous because according to his ideology there is only a definite amount of sexual energy within the human body. Therefore, increased sex and masturbation could lead to running out of this energy, which would not allow them to be able to have children. He also stated that masturbation could lead to blindness. This increased societies’ discomfort with sex and sexuality. On the opposite side of the spectrum from Dr. William Acton is Dr. George H. Napheys. Napheys who wrote: The Physical Life of Women: Advice to the Maiden, Wife, and Mother led to him becoming an advisor to women regarding their sexual feelings. Essentially, his ideas were in opposition of Dr. Acton's. He was such an advocate for women that he spoke on their passions whilst women were pregnant, stating that sexual intercourse should not be halted on the grounds of pregnancy. This idea was new and progressive for the 19th century and it was brought to attention by print culture. There were not very many cases of 19th century female writers talking back on Dr. William’s rhetoric. Mary Shelley comes the closest to speaking back to Dr. William Acton when her character in Frankenstein is basically sterile and has little-to-no sexual desire toward his fiancé Elizabeth. It can be argued that Mary Shelley is proving that even men aren't always sexual beings. Shelley even places sexual desire in Frankenstein's monster, which exhibits a strong sexual desire for a partner and stronger human desires than Frankenstein. The monster says of Caroline Beaufort, "In spite of my malignity it softened and attracted me. For a few moments I gazed with delight on her dark eyes, fringed by deep lashes, and her lovely lips; but presently my rage returned; I remembered that I was forever deprived of the delights that such beautiful creatures could bestow..." (Shelley 122). The monster is sexually deprived and angry, opposite Frankenstein himself. Shelley is alluding that people, regardless of gender, can be sexual or have no sexual desire at all.Acton, Napheys, and Shelley are all utilizing print culture as a way to discuss feminine sexuality. Feminine sexuality in print culture starts to evolve as Napheys publishes his new ideas on feminine sexuality in a time when it is usually ignored. Feminine Sexuality in 20th Century Print Culture – The Sexual RevolutionBefore the rise of The Sexual Revolution of the 1960s – 1980s there was a wide array of sexist advertisements circulating the media. Many of these advertisements were published between the 1930s and the 1950s; however, they even peaked into the 70s in the height of The Sexual Revolution. Everyday brands that are still relevant today took part in these sexist advertisements. Some of those companies and brands are: Kellogg, Van Heusen (Now known as PVH Clothing Company), and Lux. Also, prominent in print culture during The Sexual Revolution and the 20th century were Sex Manuals.Sexist advertisements have been around since the dawn of advertisement. These advertisements pose the question: how does viewing women as sex objects and sexualized victims affect our societal views of women and the restrictions placed upon them? To better understand this question, we must analyze some advertisements of this era in detail. 4357508107950043014903593769Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1 - Courtesy of The Advertising Archives400000Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1 - Courtesy of The Advertising ArchivesThe first advertisement that displayed gross sexism is the Kellogg “So the Harder a Wife Works the Cuter She Looks” ad of 1938 (See Figure 1). In the advertisement the husband says to the wife, “Gosh, Honey, you seem to thrive on cooking, cleaning and dusting and I’m all tuckered out by closing time, what’s the answer?” to which the wife replies, “Vitamins, darling! I always get my vitamins.” You can clearly conclude that this is an advertisement for Kellogg’s PEP vitamins. However, the discourse that surrounds this image is concerning. Kellogg’s is providing the dialogue that a woman is better looking based on the amount of work she does at home. Therefore, men in the 1930s are learning that it is okay to objectify women but also base their level of sexual attraction on the amount of housework the women complete while the man is away at work. This places many restrictions on women: according to this advertisement the woman must be a stay at home wife, has to do chores while she stays home, and must have her chores completed and dinner on the table by the time her husband arrives at the end of the day. Not only does she have to comply with these things, but according to Kellogg’s, she must do it while being cheery and full of “pep.” The only sexual identity a woman can have is if she is successful with her chores and does so with enthusiasm. Another sexist advertisement in this era was published by Lux Detergent in 1930 known as the, “Wanted – Husbands for these Girls” ad (see figure 2). The focus of this advertisement is to tell women to, "Avoid Offending" and prevent smells due to perspiration by purchasing the Lux detergent. The problem lies in the imagery that is depicted in the advertisement. In this 43665361109900advertisement the women are in their 20s. One is 23, 22, and 27. It is significant to note that other advertisements run by this same company stated that the likelihood of finding a husband after 25 is slim. Lux is providing the discourse that being a single woman in your twenties is a negative thing and if they are in their twenties and still single they should consider purchasing their product to better appeal to men. This advertisement, much like Kellogg’s, is stating that in order for a woman to be sexually attractive and sexually obtainable they must do what is appealing for men. Women of this time aren’t considered sexual beings unless they smell nice, clean the 43414133522318Figure 2 – The Advertising Archives400000Figure 2 – The Advertising Archiveshouse, and cater to a man’s every move. 44284904143375Figure 3 - Courtesy The Advertising Archives400000Figure 3 - Courtesy The Advertising Archives457962070866000Finally, another popular advertisement of this era was the Van Heusen advertisement known as, “Show Her it’s a Man’s World” of 1951 seen in figure 3. In the advertisement a woman is pictured on her knees next to the man. The woman is providing him a meal in bed while he lays back and relaxes. This is yet another advertisement of this era that depicts a woman serving solely the man’s needs. She is pictured as still in her pajamas and the man is in his suit. It can be assumed that the woman in the photo had to immediately get up and make breakfast for the man while he got ready, all the while ignoring her own hygiene needs. This advertisement portrays the dialogue that the man’s image, self-care, and life come before that of the woman. This toxic conversation denotes all feelings and needs of a woman, sexual and not, until the man is wholly satisfied. These three images perfectly depict what it is to view a woman as an object. These companies are using print culture as a way to restrict woman from desiring their own wants and needs. The next most significant type of discourse surrounding print culture in the 20th century is provided through sex manuals. Some notable sex manuals of this time-period are: Sex and the Single Girl: The Unmarried Woman's Guide to Men, Careers, The Apartment, Diet, Fashion, Money and Men by Helen Gurley Brown and The Way to Become the Sensuous Woman by Joan Garrity. These sex manuals were significant because they were all factual and available to mainstream readership. The purpose of Sex and the Single Girl was to encourage women to have sexual experiences before getting married, with or without a partnership, and to be financially independent from men. Although Brown’s advice is solid and progressive for this era, there still lies a great many problems due to the surrounding perception and conversation surrounding feminine sexuality and feminine lifestyles. She states, "When a man thinks of a single woman, he pictures her alone in her apartment, smooth legs sheathed in pink silk Capri pants, lying tantalizingly among dozens of satin cushions, trying to read but not very successfully, for he is in that room- filling her thoughts, her dreams, her life" (Brown 6). The first major problem that can be discussed is the idea that a woman cannot successfully read when she is plagued by the idea of a man. Once a woman meets a man, she becomes fully consumed by him and lacks the ability to complete normal daily activities. The second problem lies in the fact that the woman depicted in these images must have smooth shaven legs. For a woman to be sexually attractive in this image she must have shaved legs for the man. Lastly, this woman is expected to have a fair bit of her own income since she is single and somehow has satin sheets and owns pink silk pants (which for this time period would’ve cost a fair penny because silk is a luxury material). Due to the discourse surrounding this century, even Brown, a successful female writer of the 20th century, has these problematic views of feminine sexuality. Another sex manual during this time was The Way to Become the Sensuous Woman by Joan Garrity. In The Sensuous Woman, Garrity tells us to appreciate the benefits of being a woman which include being waited on hand-and-foot by men in public. She wanted us to embrace having doors being opened for us and getting expensive gifts like jewelry. A common thought process during the 20th century. Another sex manual means to be progressive and it was – it talked greatly of female masturbation and highlighted the clitoris, something that men of that era disregarded however the discourse of the 20th century has shrouded its capability of being progressive. Garrity even says, "It isn't easy to take thirty, forty or fifty years of brainwashing and reverse it suddenly to meet new ideas" (Garrity 96). Although these manuals have their issues they still achieved a great number of things such as: the rarity of women not knowing what to expect on their wedding nights, the open discussion of sex, and the normalization of sex as pleasure and not just for reproductive purposes all of which were done because of the utilization of print culture. Feminine Sexuality in 21st Century Print Culture – Feminism Strikes BackThe Sexual Revolution of the 20th century accomplished mass acceptance of sex and sexuality, the discourse surrounding it, and the normalization of the act itself. Once sex evolves in print culture to the point of normalization it opens the door for a greater conversation. According to the?Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)?"Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted, every 8 minutes, that victim is a child, and 1 out of every 6 American women have been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime"?What happens when we ignore sexual violence against women? What happens when we continue to view women as sex objects? Feminism is here to answer these questions and to help bring attention to sexual violence, not only to print culture but to culture in general. Two leading feminist writers are Jessica Valenti and Roxane Gay.?Jessica Valenti is a 39-year-old feminist and journalist. Valenti helped found the Feministing blog and currently is a columnist for The Guardian. Valentin has written five books on feminist titled: Full Frontal Feminism, He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut, The Purity Myth, Why Have Kids? Sex Object: A Memoir, and Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape.?Sex Object: a Memoir, is a collection of personal stories that have occurred since childhood in regards to being faced with sexism on a daily basis and being treated as a sex object.? Valenti fixated the attention of this book on sharing her experience with readers and hoping that they will understand how paramount they are for other women and to exemplify?the vast size of the sexual assault and sexual victimization problem. In Sex Object: a Memoir Valenti states,"Women are raising children, picking up socks, and making sure you feel like a man by supporting you when you need it and looking sexy (but not trying too hard, because that would be pathetic). We’re being independent and bad bitches while wearing fucking lipstick and heels so as not to offend your delicate aesthetic sensibility, yet even?just the word 'feminist' pisses you off. How dare we. Still, no name for the men who kill women because we have the audacity not to do what we're supposed to do: fuck you, accept you, want you, let you hurt us, be blank slates for your desires. You are entitled to us but we're not even allowed to call you what you are" (Valenti 38). Valenti is pointing out that there is still a discourse surrounding what women are supposed to do for men. In the 20th century, it was assumed that in order to be a successful woman or a good wife you must stay at home and prevail at house-work all while keeping a smile on your face. In the 21st century, it is an unspoken assumption that men believe that women are to be used when and how they want to use them. When women abolish these notions, and praise themselves as feminists, we are faced with male rage.?Along with male rage comes the acceptance of how violence is a leading factor in male sexuality. Valenti states, “No matter the content, the message is clear: we are here for their enjoyment and little else. We have to walk through the rest of our day knowing that our discomfort gave someone a hard-on” (26).? According to 98.1% of the rapes that occurred to women were men. Also - 93% of the time when men were raped a man was also the perpetrator. With these statistics it is safe to assume that for men aggression, anger, and violence go hand-to-hand with sexual desire. Through print culture, Jessica Valenti is trying to educate the masses on male violence and its effects on female sexuality.?Another feminist writer who talks about sexual assault and sexual violence is Roxane Gay. Roxane Gay is a Haitian American writer, editor, and professor. Her essay collection, Bad Feminist became a New York Times best-selling collection. Although none of her current published novels solely focus on sexual assault and sexual aggression, it is a topic that appears in many of her novels such as Hunger, Gay’s memoir. However, Roxane Gay will publish a new novel on May 1,?2018,?titled Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture, which is a collection of essays from more than 30 authors.?Hunger by Roxane Gay is a novel that was published in June 2017. This novel relays her struggles with weight and building a positive body image. Part of Roxane Gay's struggle with her body image arose from a sexual assault. In Hunger Gay states, "with each passing year, I became more and more disgusted with myself. I was convinced that having been raped was my fault, that I deserved it, that what happened in the woods was all a pathetic girl like me could expect. I slept less and less because when I closed my eyes, I could feel boy bodies crushing my girl body, hurting my girl body” (Gay 82). Gay is alluding to something unspoken in the culture of sexual assault: women are encouraged to believe that rape is usually their fault. 21st-century police ask damning questions when a woman is raped: What were you wearing? They also ask questions that are too forceful in such close timing to the assault like?How many times did the assailant penetrate you? What position was he in when he assaulted you? By viewing these women as sex objects and sexualized victims the societal view is an unspoken assumption that women are to be ashamed of their assault and to be ashamed of their bodies because of the assault thus placing a restriction upon them that does not allow them to be truly free within their own bodies.These ideas will affect our ideas of sexual practices, discourses, and identity. Our society has normalized sexual assault and sexual aggression, society does this by providing lenient sentences for rapists, such as Brock Turner,?a 19-year-old rapist who sexually assaulted an unconscious 22-year-old girl. Upon conviction, he was sentenced to only six months of incarceration. Of those six months, Brock Turner completed three behind bars. This provides the discourse to society that sexual assault is something men can get away with virtually consequence-free. It can be assumed if society keeps normalizing sexual assault then it will continue to happen, and in many more instances. Feminism, through print culture, is using its platform as a way to abolish this discourse and create a world in which sexual assault and sexual aggression will be treated with the utmost penalty. The idea of sex has evolved greatly throughout the centuries as has feminine sexuality in print culture.?ConclusionAs sexuality evolves so does sexuality within print culture. By examining academic texts, literature, and advertisements from 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries it is clear that sexuality has evolved in many ways. Due to the fact that feminine sexuality is more common (sex is everywhere) sexuality in print culture went from informing society of sexual urges, needs, and representation, 18th and 19th century; to normalizing sex, sexual practices, and sexual rhetoric, 20th century; to finally being an outlet to talk about sexual assault and objectivity, in the 21st century. By examining discourses surrounding feminine sexuality we better understand how viewing women as sex objects and sexualized victims affected our views of women, how the evolution of sex affected the evolution of sexuality in print culture, and how these works in print culture affected our ideas of sexual practices, discourses, and identity over the centuries.ReferencesActon, William.?The Functions and Disorders of the Reproductive Organs in Childhood, Youth, Adult Age, and Advanced Life ; Considered in Their Physiological, Social, and Moral Relations. John Churhill, 1857.“Advertising Archives - Vintage Illustrations Adverts Posters Magazine Covers.” The Advertising Archives | Magazine Advert | Old Spice | 1950s, advertisingarchives.co.uk/en/page/show_home_page.html.Bentham, Jeremy, and Laurence J. Lafleur.?An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Hafner Pub. Co., 1948.Brown, Helen Gurley.?Sex and the Single Girl. Barricade Books, 2003.Dickinson, Ashley Lauren. “These Vintage Ads Illustrate Why the World Needs Feminism.”Medium, Human Development Project, 21 Jan. 2016, human-development-project/these-vintage-ads-illustrate-why-the-world-needs-feminism-b8549a3edffa.Garrity, Terry.?The Sensuous Woman: the First How-to Book for the Female Who Yearns to Be All Woman. Dell Publishing, 1969.Gay, Roxane.?HUNGER: a Memoir of (My) Body. HARPERPERENNIAL, 2018.Napheys, George Henry.?Physical Life of Women. Advice to the Maiden, Wife, and Mother. London, 1895.Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1851. Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus : the 1818 Text. Oxford ; New York :Oxford University Press, 1998. Print.“Statistics.”?Statistics | RAINN, statistics.Valenti, Jessica.?Sex Object: A Memoir. Dey Street Books, 2017.Wollstonecraft, Mary.?A Vindication of the Rights of Women. Prometheus Books, 1989. ................
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