Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Sex fo MONEYYYYY
When discussing feminist jurisprudence, a topic that came to my mind is prostitution. Nevada is the only U.S. state to allow legal prostitution; in most of it's rural counties brothels are legalized, yet heavily regulated. 28 legal brothels exist in the state with 300 prostitutes in each. What comes to my mind is whether or not this would be allowed if some of the prostitutes that were legal in the state were male. A subject that surrounds much feminist controversy is that men view women as sexual objects who are meant for their pleasure and admiration. This is part of the reason that many people believe that prostitution has flourished throughout the world. Would male prostitution be as accepted throughout society? This is part of the reason that many feminists believe that society is focused on the male perspective of women and their objectivity. Male prostitution does exist. But, how prevalent is it? Many people don't even know that male prostitution happens throughout the world. I believe that this happens because it is not as accepted for men to be seen as sexual objects. This can also stem to the argument that when men sleep with several women, it's seen to be a conquest. Opposite of pride, a woman can sometimes be persecuted for sleeping with several men and they are called "sluts." Why is there this constant double standard? Although it is not seen through all aspects of society and not all people believe this, the facts still stand true. The ratio of male to female prostitutes is very large and I believe this has a lot to do with the fact that women are objectified within society.
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Good point here. There does seem to be a correlation between prostitution and gender roles. Women are objects, prostitutes. Male prostitution is not as accepted because it makes men the object which requires women to be sexually empowered. This scenario does not fit into the traditional gender roles that society still reflects. Thus, the gender disparity in prostitution.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think that prostitution is a little different than other women who are having sex. I think that it would be very true to say that prostitution and the way that prostitutes are treated in society are very much a product of social institutions. While I very much disagree with what MacKinnon writes in her article, I will concede that prostitution is one of the areas to which her philosophy is very applicable. It fits perfectly. Even though women choose to be prostitutes, once they adopt that identity they do lose control over their sexuality to some extent. their sexuality then becomes defined by what society expects from them and the stereotypes that confine them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this post. Traditional gender roles serve as a barrier to male prostitution, at least in the United States. Male prostitution goes against beliefs and ideals regarding gender roles, and therefore it is not very prevalent. While male prostitution does exist, I agree that it is widely unknown because of the disparity between male prostitution and gender roles. Male prostitution would surely be frowned upon in the states.
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