Maybe there are more new waves of feminism than we thought. The New York Times recently published an article called “Students of Virginity.” Sounds … harmless, right?
Well, these closed-legged students have made quite a splash in world of feminism by claiming that by keeping their pants zipped and legs crossed, they have reclaimed a sense of female empowerment.
They claim that the notions which are traditionally linked with virginity, such as innocence and purity are skewed by a patriarchal culture which views virgins as alluring, mysterious – objects for plunder, basically.
These stereotypes of virgins incite and indulge male fantasy and myth, according to the “Students of Virginity” and by reclaiming strength through virginity, women reclaim the power of their own bodies.
Some feminists, however, wish these students had kept their mouths as tightly shut as their legs, arguing that “Students of Virginity” are reverting back to a tradition where women were the sexual and moral yardsticks of our culture.
When women are placed, or place themselves, into positions of “strict sexual gatekeeper” as Salon.com writer, Tracy Clark-Flory put it, it reinforces the traditional gender stereotypes of male as aggressor and female as defender.
Feminists claim that these traditional gender roles lead to harmful and violent acts against women where men assert their aggression.
But these “Students of Virginity” state that it’s the irreverence towards sex that has allowed for the objectification of women in our culture. Abstinence is the true rejection of objectification for these students. They further claim that women have only embraced patriarchy by means of sexual liberation on their own parts.
Nonetheless, feminists maintain that sexual liberation works against patriarchal oppression, which too often strips women of freedom of lifestyle choice and forces them into passive roles of sexual submission and repression.
Doesn’t it seem like all these ideologies are in response to a male-influenced culture? Isn’t feminism all about lifestyle choice anyway? And if so, shouldn’t we embrace our diversity of thought and action? Does it make sense that abstinence works as a form of feminism? Or does it buy into patriarchal and religiously influenced standards of womanhood? What do you think?
– Phaedra Call-HimwichVoice your opinion! Write your response to
theothersection@gmail.com in 150 words or less.

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