Evolution Of Female Sexual Identitity Essay Example for Free

Evolution Of Female Sexual Identitity Essay Female sexuality and their sexual identity is categorically becoming less â€Å"straight†. Emerging expressions of human sexuality in females once considered â€Å"abnormal† like bisexuality and bi-curious behavior- specifically in Americans under the age of 40, have gone from a shaming `closeted` behavior, to significantly more `normal` and overt. This paper will discuss the evolution of female sexuality from the 1950s to the present as perception and expression of female sexuality underwent significant undermining and rethinking in the past half decade. The paper relied on various sources that documented this â€Å"emergence† to support the above-mentioned thesis. Human Sexuality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Britannica Online defines sexuality as human tendencies and behavior associated with sexual arousal. It is how humans express sexual sensation and intimacy and is largely influenced by biological/physiological circumstances, societal attitudes towards sexual behavior, and one’s leniencies and/or psychological make-up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A person’s anatomy can only set so many boundaries on one’s sexual behavior. Many variations in human sexuality occur through a person’s upbringing and habituation. Cultural differences often instigates enormous variations as a certain sexual behavior may be considered taboo or deviant in one society while others may consider the same behavior to be perfectly acceptable and healthy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sexuality includes under its wide umbrella discussions aside from actual physiology other topics such as those on gender, sexual orientation, personal acceptance of sexuality (how we view our sexuality which may differ from our actual physiology), sexual dysfunctions, sexual activity, social sexual structures (marriage, morality, and legal aspects), sexual misconduct, sex in the media and sex education as well as research on sex and sexuality among others. Throughout history, every aspect of human life has allocated a generous portion to sexuality. There are always laws, in every society and in every era as to how sexual behavior is to be enacted. Sexuality and societies views towards it have changed continually throughout the ages. Human sexuality has many aspects to it; defining who, what when, where, why, and how we are to express sexuality. Human physiology has an enormous effect on our sexuality. Genetics decides how the rest of human life will be played out. A person’s sex will have innumerable consequences during the course of life. Many factors determine the sex of a person. Hormonal changes during pregnancy, the time of conception, even temperatures dictate the sex of an unborn baby. Human physiology, culture, and preference, as well a variety of other factors makes certain forms of sexual expression possible. Society plays an equally immense part on human sexuality. Social norms affect how sexuality can be expressed.   Sexuality is part of human social environment, guided by rules of behavior. Society is, in parts large or small, responsible for the way a person’s self schema, self-esteem, self-efficacy, among others. Gender is a function of a person’s social milieu and it must be noted that cross-cultural differences in behavioral attributes towards sex thus, differing effects on gender. The cultures to which we belong dictate our sexual behavior throughout life. Human sexuality is in a great part a function of the cultural norms of our societies; such as customs regarding marriage, homosexuality, and self-eroticism, among others. Often these norms are dictated by politics and religion, etc. Subcultures are formed when an individual’s sexuality dissents from the conventions of the local culture. Because culture dictates what is proper in bed many sex issues are taboos conceived by society. Feedbacks from the society around us at large exert a great influence on sexual behavior and to some extent even sexual performance. The possibility of an unfulfilled sexual desire because of cultural influences as to what is right and wrong happens as a result of the lack of communication. Also education on sexuality and health plays a part in the proper and healthy expression of sexuality. Changes in how women expressed themselves have gone through a significant change over the years following WWII. Sexuality in females and how they identify themselves sexually is now more open to the fluidity of sexual expressions. Female Sexuality The world shifted from valuing women equally with men to a patriarchal society that gave less and less premium on the female population and their significance in human civilizations. According to Francoeur et. al. in Female Sexuality: Challenging Cultural Repression, human cultures   experienced this change in an Axial period as early as the first millennium. This occurred in three separate geographic locations: in China; India and Persia, in the Eastern Mediterranean (Israel and Greece). â€Å"The transformation consisted of a shift from being a female dominated consciousness to a male-dominated, individualistic consciousness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Society changed from a mythical, collective, ritualistic culture to a more rigid, analytical, and rational one (Pastoetter, 2004). Women and their roles as well as their power and place in civilization gradually changed and eventually, the shift to a male-centered world due mainly to factors such as: the rise of a patriarchal, monotheistic Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Women began to take secondary positions to men until they have come to be considered secondary to males and even lesser individuals; a source of evil and corruption. The Second Axial period is the one we are going through right now. This is according to theologian Ewert Cousins(1981). Centuries old forces are building up and soon according to cousins, we will reach a point where society will have to set up a new equilibrium point. Friendship-pleasure based values are now gradually gaining momentum over heterosexual-coital-procreative values. However, to achieve more gender-equal societies, we must be able to first understand and solve issues of the repression of female sexuality worldwide. It is no secret that various forms of repression exist in societies worldwide in varying degrees as potential and actual damage. In their study, Francoeur et. al. (Female Sexuality: Challenging Cultural Repression), they discuss in Part 1, 12 years worth of sexological research showing that women in a lot of places worldwide are being sexually repressed and they hardly derive pleasure from their relationships. Examples of repression are prohibitions on talking or acknowledging sex, sexual needs and preferences even when talking to a spouse. The second part dealt with restrictions to loveplay such as female genital mutilation. Repression and lack of sexual gratification is a probable reason why many women are now found to be masturbating, cheating on their husbands, or seeking gratification from same sex relationships. Masturbation is a topic that is controversial with men but exponentially more so for women. According to, it was found out in research that over 95% of all men have masturbated and surprisingly an enormous percentage of women at 89% also practiced self-eroticism. The practice of masturbation is a constant source of shame and ridicule even for men despite of the mounting number of studies that disprove the myths surrounding self-stimulation; even the researches that prove that masturbation is indeed a physically as well as psychologically healthy practice isn’t gaining much acceptance (Vause, 2004). In more liberal societies, female masturbation raises the question of why they do it and the reverberant answer is that, they are not getting enough sexual gratification from their sexual partners. Unfortunately, in spite of sexual fulfillment being healthy for partners, sexual double standards, sexual repression, and centuries of bad rep stifle women’s efforts to achieve fulfillment either through their partners or by doing it themselves (Vause, 2004). Another possible repercussion of the repression that women are getting even in this day and age is, especially for married women, to seek an outside â€Å"source† of sexual pleasure; outside meaning extra-marital. Adultery among married, â€Å"Christian women†, was recorded by Michelle Langley, in Womens Infidelity: Living in Limbo: What Women Really Mean When They Say, Im Not Happy,† as cited in â€Å"In Search of Intimacy; Wandering Wives† by Sybil C. Mitchell. The ten-year study shows women are as much prone to cheat on their spouses as their husbands are. In fact she goes further by adding that it may even take a lot more effort for women, who are by their nature just moving into their sexual prime, than men who by the time they 30 are slowly moving off of their sexual peak. It is remarkable to note though, the different treatments that society has given in view of men and women’s infidelities. Even in indiscretions/sin men are less likely to be persecuted (sometimes they are even glorified for it), than women (Mitchell, 2005). What women have to realize is that the affair or string of affairs is indicative of something more deeply seated in her, said Taylor. A woman feels a deficiency within herself. And certainly, there may be issues that both the husband and wife need to deal with together. Said an Christian minister, Elder Anthony Taylor (Mitchell, 2005). Another emerging trend in female sexuality from the 50s to the present is the rise of homosexuals (lesbians), Bisexual, and bi-curious women. Considered part of the wide rubric of human sexual variation, the three above-mentioned categories have recently enjoyed a lot of limelight with all the kissing on national TV and in bars all over the metro. Homosexuality is an increasingly familiar phenomena nowadays and not just with gay men,; the population of women who are exclusively attracted to another woman in all aspects of human personality. Another emerging trend is the Bisexuals. According to the pioneering study by Alfred Kinsey, human sexuality is not black and white, straight or gay; rather, he believes it is a continuum. His findings show that although there is a pronounced polarization of sexuality as either exclusively heterosexual or homo sexual, there is also a significant part that is in-between. Kinsey model was drastically improved upon by Fritz Kline’s Sexual Orientation Grid that had the bisexual option. Although, disputes still rage as to the acceptability of bisexuals in established social groups that include even homosexuals. The debate about what qualifies as bisexual still rages on and though some say that it is only the stepping stone to homosexuality, others argue that it is indeed a distinct possibility that a person may be able to relate to both sexes (Fairyington, 2005). In the paper, The Vagina Dialogues; Bi-curious women are here but not quite queer. Welcome to the new Lesbian Chic, the authors discussed a new breed of women who are straight but are kissing and groping even having sex with other women. They are not bisexuals, nor are they exclusively homosexual. They are called Bi-curious women. According to studies a large number of women involved in these kinds of relationships tend to do it for the viewing pleasure of a man while others contest simply liking the act as the primary reason for their involvement. At any rate, these women occupy an even more controversial status than bisexuals as even the lesbian community is â€Å"getting tired† of girls who want to try kissing another girl (The Vagina Dialogues; Bi-curious women are here but not quite queer. Welcome to the new lesbian chic, 2005). In many clubs like the Axis Club in Phoenix, many â€Å"lesbian† couplings are sighted. In fact, it is so common in bars like this that you almost expect them. Homosexual or girl-to-girl activity is often seen in pornography targeting men (The Vagina Dialogues; Bi-curious women are here but not quite queer. Welcome to the new lesbian chic, 2005). In conclusion, it safe to note that indeed, times are changing and with it so are the views and practices â€Å"behind closed doors† especially as it relates to women. New trends in a sexually dichotomous society such as America are emerging and the rest of the world is taking the hint. Endnotes: â€Å"Call them bi-curious. These women dont come out so much as try it out think Anne Heche, not Ellen DeGeneres. Men are in their past; men may be in their future. But for the moment, theyre hooking up with a woman, and its cool. Dabbling isnt particularly new. Straight women slept with other women long before June Miller taught Anaà ¯s Nin a thing or two. And female college students have long expressed their heightened consciousness by shagging their roommates. (Theres even a term for that: Lesbian Until Graduation, a.k.a. LUG.) But this is different. Ask an Arizona State University student today which of her friends has kissed another girl, and she may well fire back, Which one hasnt? When Pepper Schwartz, a sociologist at the University of Washington, wrote Sex and the Yale Student in 1971, the topic of bi-curious couplings never even came up. That would be impossible today, she notes. A pair of cute blond lesbians, Lauren Levin and Lauren Blitzer, has inked a deal to write a book called Same Sex in the City: So Your Prince Charming Is Really a Cinderella. It hits stores next spring. Its not underground anymore. It would have been unthinkable for the girls of Beverly Hills, 90210 to jump into bed together, but when Marissa and Alex did it last year on The OC, no one even feigned surprise. It was scandalous when Ellen came out; it was just another piece of celebrity gossip when she started hanging with the once-married Portia DiRossi. And so just like that, Jen Sincero found herself landing smack in the middle of the zeitgeist. The Straight Girls Guide made it to number 7 on the Los Angeles Times best-seller list. Sinceros Website started getting 8,500 hits a day. And Sincero began teaching workshops to girls who want to learn more, including one next week at Phoenixs MADE Art Boutique. The workshops almost always sell out. Even Sincero is shocked by that. These are people who not only want to have this taboo sex, but theyre willing to show up in public and admit it! she exalts. The reason for that is simple enough: Sex between two women isnt taboo anymore. Instead, its become so damn trendy that its changing the way we understand feminism, gay rights, and even human sexuality itself. (The Vagina Dialogues; Bi-curious women are here but not quite queer. Welcome to the new lesbian chic, 2005) † â€Å"Why is it so hard for us to wrap our minds around bisexuality? Our cultural struggle to conceptualize bisexuality stems in part from the freighted history of the term. When it first appeared in a dictionary in 1824, bisexual referred to people possessing the characteristics of both sexes, now referred to as intersexuals (or, popularly, as hermaphrodites). In the mid-1860s, Karl Heinrich Ulrich postulated that men who have same-sex desires have female souls trapped inside male bodies. Subsequent sex researchers argued that people who desire their own sex have an inverted gender identity. From this sort of logic it was deduced that bisexuals are psychosexual hermaphrodites. Freud upended the conversation on bisexuality beginning in the early 20th century when he used the term in the modern sense and hypothesized that all people are initially bisexual before a fixed, usually hetero-, sexual identity takes hold. Basing his theories upon contemporary ideas, later discredited, as to the biological bisexuality of the fetus, Freud hypothesized that everyone had a primary and innate bisexual disposition with respect to sex-object choice. But instead of arguing that bisexuality might be a normal manifestation of this inherent predisposition, Freud went on to spin an account of normal human development whereby same-sex desires are repressed or sublimated and heterosexual ones allowed to arise, relegating homosexuality and bisexuality to exceptional states that develop as the result of a series of psychological malfunctions.† (Fairyington, 2005) Reference: Fairyington, S. (2005). Bisexuality and the Case against Dualism. The Gay Lesbian Review Worldwide. Mitchell, S. C. (2005, Dec 17-Dec 21, 2005). In Search of Intimacy; Wandering Wives. Tri State Defender. Pastoetter, R. T. F. R. J. N. B. O.-O. J. (2004). FEMALE SEXUALITY TODAY: Challenging Cultural Repression. Cross Currents, 54(3), 55. The Vagina Dialogues; Bi-curious women are here but not quite queer. Welcome to the new lesbian chic. (2005, Sep 15, 2005). The Phoenix New Times. Vause, M. (2004). Doing IT Ourselves; FEMALE MASTURBATION PAST AND PRESENT. Charlottesville: Spring/Summer 2004.