Lesbian Culture Essay

However, there are also lipstick lesbians, who are usually closeted lesbians who reject the idea of butches and love to wear makeup, get dressed up, and wear high heels. Usually lipstick lesbians are attracted to other lipsti... ... middle of paper ... ...ers would increase, which appears to be the case. People find it hard to understand others that are different from them. With education and exposure to all types of lesbians and gay men, stereotypes and misunderstandings of non con-formative individuals may decrease. Gender norms and stereotypes go hand in hand, however, most people bend these in some way or another.

While this may be ascribed to the daunting tasks of mothering and childcare, the women pointed to a more self-appropriated explanation as they echoed one another in their tendencies to "downplay the significance of their lesbianism in giving accounts of themselves [as mothers]" (110). Simultaneously, these women were rooting themselves more deeply in the heterosexual world and losing ties with the homosexual world. Many of the reports quote the lesbian mothers as feeling stronger ties to the world they share with straight women than with other lesbians. Many felt the lesbian community to be unfriendly to lesbian mothers. One woman was even asked to leave her all-lesbian rap group after her child was born, as her fellow group members believed she was no loner "attuned to lesbian issues" (124).

Feminists and Media Stereotypes The media portrays feminists in unflattering ways. Largely because of the media portrayal, the word 'feminist' usually evokes images of crass, butch, men-hating, very masculine women. Many women believe in the feminist doctrine, but they would never consider themselves as a feminist because they cannot relate to the images of crass, butch, men-hating, masculine women. In fact, it has only been within the past year that I've been able to accept the fact that I am a feminist and that my preconceived images of feminists are merely media stereotypes. I'm now able to admit I care more about my own rights than whether or not someone will assume I fit the media stereotype of a feminsit.

In our study of women across cultures, and women empowerment it is imperative to include not just heterosexual women but lesbian and bisexual women as well, due to the fact that it integrates a sense of multiculturalism that inputs and values multiple perspectives of women experiences. In the fight for women’s equality heterosexual feminists have often overlooked lesbian and bisexual women, because of the negative connotations that have emerged, that deem all feminists lesbians, and haters of men. This is also frequent due to the fact that homophobia and heterosexism are often used to combat feminism, causing heterosexual women to resent the association of lesbians with feminists. In the specific context of the United States, lesbian feminism has created a foundation for women who like other women, to take a powerful stand and contend against patriarchal traditions. From the workplace, to marketplace, lesbians and bisexual women face daily discrimination and unacceptance, due to the incomprehensibility of people to understand and tolerate their specific way of life.

Pharrs’ readings are examples of an effort to resist this heteronormative normalization of heterosexuality for women with the concept of lesbian batting. The concept of ‘lesbian batting’ is the act of classifying other women as a lesbian, based on certain perceived behaviours that don’t seem feminine or women like. (p114) Unlike, Adams’ and Chenier’s beliefs, Pharr acknowledges that our society is normalizing heteronormative relationships, yet emphasize that it’s also normalizing homonormative intimacies through this act of batting. Lesbian batting is resistance towards Adam’s belief because this act of batting is normalizing lesbians throughout a heteronormative dialogue. Though the action of lesbian batting is used as an insult towards strong women who “resist[s] male dominance and control”, (p.114), this labeling is an acknowledgment of homosexuality through our heteronormative society.

Similarities also occur when it comes to lesbians. “Butch” lesbians oppose the idea of femininity, which is the building block of female beauty. Despite this, feminine lesbians are rarely shown as well and if they are, it comes from the world of pornography and using feminine lesbians as sexual objects even

So often, people think that Feminism is about replacing the misogyny in our world with misandry, but this is not the case. A true feminist defines Feminism as men and women sharing the exact same rights, not that women should have more rights than men. Even though many feel this definition should be obvious and cannot understand why people are not feminists, there are people who strongly disagree with Feminism for their own various reasons. Men’s Rights Activists (MRA’s), Women Against Feminism (WAF), People of Color (POC) and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender community (LGBT) all have some kind of bone to pick with Feminism. The POC and LGBT groups all have legitimate qualms about Feminism.

Research opposes the claim of men being the reason women have sexual activity in society. According to the research article by Marieke Dewitte “... women wanted more sex after being primed with romantic mood whereas men showed the least wanting of sex in the romantic condition” (Dewitte 1664). The author’s point is that during romantic occasions, women were more interested in seeking intercourse than men. The point made by the article is significant because men are not always the instigators in wanting sexual pleasure. The research showed that women in today’s generation feel the same when seeking sexual pleasure but are afraid of what society is going to think about their desires for sex.

Women who were not as feminine still had to deal with prejudice, and were sometimes labeled "homosexual" as a derogatory statement. Although there are still stereotypes that many women feel bound to, we see at the end of the film that images of women as athletes, rather than athletes as women are now acceptable. The Nike commercials are a good example of this. These commercials extol the physical prowess of wo... ... middle of paper ... ...t Like Beckham. This film also showed the stereotyping of women's sexual preferences that female women must endure.

Some lesbians outright refuse to date bisexual women, because they are afraid that they will later on cheat or leave them for a man. Some lesbians will date bisexual women as long as they’ve never been with a man before, because in their minds, women who have been with men are dirty and are tainted. It is also a belief among some lesbians that bisexual women are only saying they are bisexual in order to please heterosexual males. The belief that bisexuality isn’t a real and valid sexuality is most prevalent in the lesbian community. They often believe that these women are being “greedy” and “need to pick a