Bisexuality Feminism, Men And Me Essay

From the moment a woman is born, she is automatically expected many things from her. Wear a dress, have no body hair, be with a man, don’t be too loud, etc. The list of “norms” that a woman is anticipated to uphold to goes on for days. And often times, women that decide to branch out from those “norms” are viewed as less valuable or obscene. In Robyn Ochs essay, “Bisexuality, Feminism, Men and Me”, she discusses the revolutionary moment when she realizes that living up to the assumptions of what it means to be a woman systemically limits us from our true potential. As presented in the movie “Frida”, a brilliant artist is often times overshadowed by her promiscuous relationships with women and men. A woman’s life does not dwindle down to the

Ms. Ochs explains that there are even given privileges that come with being in heterosexual relationships, such as non-discrimination of your work, non-designated gender roles, and being viewed as an equal to your partner. Once society is able to learn how to escape from those expectations, they are able to accept that a women’s sexuality is ultimately her choice and allow women to have positive views about themselves. Frida’s story also brings up major issues concerning the inequality that society creates when it comes to women being sexual beings. Men, such as Frida’s husband Diego, remains respected despite his very public immodest behaviors. Any woman around such a man is often seen as a fool and someone who is incapable of handling these type of men. Ms. Ochs address this issue by arguing that society tells women they should be surrounded by men that present “good” qualities, or are husband material because sooner or later the woman will need to settle down with a suitable partner to reproduce. No woman is able to tame a man that decides to live such a reckless lifestyle nor is it acceptable to be understanding of that lifestyle such as Frida was with Diego. And if the woman is able to tame the man, they lose a part of themselves and live a very miserable life until their death. Frida’s story in the movie ends in a way that presents the audience with the conclusion that because she lived such a reckless lifestyle, and not the one society designed for her, she lived a short and painful