After
reading excerpts from Catherine MacKinnon’s works, I wonder: do we enjoy sexual
agency? MacKinnon’s dominance framework suggests that women do not because their
sexual agency is an illusion that furthers their subjugation within our patriarchal
state. In other words, women’s sexual agency is a form of false consciousness
that conceals how women’s sexuality within heterosexual relations benefits men.
I do
not agree, however, with MacKinnon’s implication that because women’s sexual
agency is constrained women therefore lack sexual agency. Instead, all individuals
face constraints within which they exercise their sexual agency. And, in turn,
individuals use whatever sexual agency they possess to negotiate the boundaries
of those constraints, which are effectively in flux. Take the protagonist Ana
Steele in the movie Fifty Shades of Grey.
At first, her sexual agency is constrained by her libido: her pronounced sexual
attraction to Christian Grey, and her quest for sexual pleasure. This prompts
her to coyly negotiate a detailed BDSM-contract with Grey that outlines the
sexual practices he’s allowed to perform on her. And though neither character
tendered consideration to seal the deal, Ana had a voice during negotiations: she
rejected the use of tape during bondage play. As silly as the scene may be, it illustrates
that Ana had some sexual agency even if patriarchy loomed in the background. But
I am sure that MacKinnon knew that much, so there must be more to her argument
of sexual agency than meets the eye.
I think
MacKinnon’s work raises a more provocative question: is a woman’s sexual desire
her own? Or, more generally, are our sexual desires our own? This is a more provocative
question because desire, being psychological in nature, may precede and shape individuals’
sexual agency. Further, it is difficult to imagine sexual desire as existing
outside what is socially and sexually intelligible, and thus socially and
sexually possible. But as dominance theory implies, it is our patriarchal state
that moderates what is intelligible. If this is so, then Ana Steele didn’t have
bargaining power at the table. Instead, she was a slave to her patriarchally moderated
desires. But couldn’t the same be said of Christian Grey?
The numerous
questions and responses that MacKinnon’s structuralist analysis elicits confirm
the value of her work. Does MacKinnon’s dominance theory explain gender
relations? Only partly. Does her theory elide over how our patriarchal state
also subjugates men? Yes. Nevertheless, MacKinnon’s dominance theory provides a
nice segue into more nuanced analyses of gender, sexuality, and erotic
practices. Indeed, MacKinnon’s suggestion that our patriarchal state delimits
what is socially and sexually possible (for women), is reminiscent of Judith
Butler’s “matrix of intelligibility,” which is what allows for (gender)
identities to be socially viable.
Thank
you MacKinnon for pushing me to question my sexual agency, and desires!
2 comments:
I enjoyed reading your post as you echo many of the same thoughts I had while reading MacKinnon. You also mentioned a few ideas that I must admit I hadn't thought off. You question "...are our sexual desires our own?" was really thought provoking. I hadn't really given the question thought on that level. Our desires are largely influenced by what we're socialized into but perhaps there is more to that, perhaps there are intrinsic factors at play as well along with other factors that I simply cannot imagine.
I also agree with you here and with what you said in class about MacKinnon. Her writings are very much worth a read and useful as far as creating the avenues for a more nuanced discussion on gender, sexuality etc. It's too bad that, as the readings suggest, MacKinnon seemed more interested in defending her work as is against critics than having nuanced and constructive conversations about the subjects she raised.
Thank you for such a thought provoking blog!
While reading your post I was reminded of another way women's sexual agency is socially constrained. Today we live in a much more sexually liberated society in which it is widely deemed socially acceptable for individuals to have multiple sexual partners throughout their lifetime. However, the extent to which individuals are sexually liberated differs depending on your gender.
It remains the case that women are under pressure to have a much lower number of sexual partners throughout their lives than men. Men are free to go out "on the pull" (as we would say in Ireland) and sleep with as many different women as they like without fear of social stigma. Women, on the other hand, must be cautious not to sleep with "too many" different partners or they might risk being labelled a "slut" or a "whore". Such stigma can be a strong pressure on women not to act on their own sexual desires, thus constraining their sexual agency.
Women are merely allowed to "kiss a few frogs" before they "find their prince," while men are encouraged to "play the field" before finding a "nice girl" (not a slut) to settle down with.
Post a Comment