Women: Sexual Beings

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Women: Sexual Beings A View Into the Social Stigmatization of Women Throughout an American woman’s lifetime we are told to be lady-like, classy, sophisticated, and non-masculine. We are taught that if we are like a man, we are unworthy. If we are sexual beings, we are manly; only men think of sex. As women, sex is taught to be for reproduction, not pleasure. But what if these ideals were not taught? What if sex were not socially stigmatized for women, but was praised as it is for men? Better yet, the question that should be the most focused on is, if not for the social stigma presented to women through the beginning of their lives and continued on through media, peer groups [fill in extra findings here], would they have the same sexual drive, urges, and thoughts that men are perceived to have? Women are sanctioned to believe that they are lesser of a woman if they have male stereotyped tendencies, including ideals about sex. Women who ignore the social stigma are placed in a category that does not exist for men; a box of damnation, gaining degrading names, stereotypes, and typically are looked at as a physical being/ an object, rather than a human being who deserves respect. Sexuality is the hypocrisy that is “acceptable” among the people, and in the simplest of statements, it’s wrong. In America, we are raised with the viewpoint that it is acceptable to use language in a way that makes a woman feel lesser than who she deserves to be if she is a sexual being, like that of a man. “There has been a shadow cast over that part of our beings, as if our sex dwelt in the cave-sucking underneath, relating to darkness and to death, the devouring dark side of nature.” (Chester, 1988, p.3) Through this research I’m dedicated to finding ... ... middle of paper ... ...ce Journal, 44, 677-686. Elmerstig, E., Wijma, B., Sandell, K., & Berterӧ, C. (2012). “Sexual pleasure on equal terms”: Young women’s ideal sexual situations. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 33, (3), 129-134. Jackson, S. M., & Cram, F. (2003). Disrupting the sexual double standard: Young women’s talk about heterosexuality. British Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 113-127. Murnen, S. K. (2000). Gender and the use of sexually degrading language. Psychology Of Women Quarterly, 24(4), 319. Web. Peplau, L. (2003). Human sexuality: How do men and women differ? Current Directions In Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell), 12, (2), 37-40. Web. Rudman, L. A., Fetterolf, J. C., & Sanchez, D. T. (2012). What motivates the sexual double standard? More support for male versus female control theory. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39,(2), 250-263.

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