Rebecca Traister poses worthwhile questions in her article, "The Game is Rigged: Why consensual sex can still be bad and why we're not talking about it." She argues that the emphasis on sexual consent has the consequence of making consent seem like the only necessary requirement for sex. She explores the ways in which even consensual sex often relies on an unequal power dynamic between male and female partners. She writes "male climax remains the accepted finish of hetero encounters; a woman’s orgasm is still the elusive, optional bonus round."
Traister traces the changing place of sex in U.S. feminist history stating that now, there's almost a feminist pressure placed on women to be pro-sex while ignoring the imbalances of power and the double standards that suggest, for example, that women who want sex are "whores."
My take away from Traister's article is that consensual sex isn't enough. What do you think?
Traister traces the changing place of sex in U.S. feminist history stating that now, there's almost a feminist pressure placed on women to be pro-sex while ignoring the imbalances of power and the double standards that suggest, for example, that women who want sex are "whores."
My take away from Traister's article is that consensual sex isn't enough. What do you think?