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RE: More Thoughts on Women, Oppression and Porn

in #sex8 years ago

I believe that "power" in this case, was meant to refer specifically and perhaps only to the female sex appeal discussed early in the article. To recap, the ogled woman should be perceived to have power over the ogler. Ogled women who admit that they are in a powerful position in relation to oglers can be said to own that specific power. I don't think the author's intention was to reduce the absolute meaning of the word "power," but only to refer to a certain type that is often misunderstood. The social currency wielded by politicians and based on built reputation simply isn't the sort of power being referred to here.

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If, solely in the situation 'female sex appeal', a person, the ogler, is demonstrating their power, how are we expecting the ogled to demonstrate their authority in the situation? Or, how should they respond to emphasize their power in the situation if their desired outcome is to have the ogler stop because the ogled is uncomfortable?

Nobody is entitled to a lack of discomfort.

You demonstrate your power the same way that a desirable engineer who is being pursued by an employer demonstrates his/her power. You name your "price" and accept the offer, or you decline the offer and walk away. Either way, you are in control.

By "naming your price", I don't necessarily mean truly selling sex, so please don't go there. I simplify mean getting something valuable in return for the attention you are receiving. There are a million ways to do that. The make-up tutorial here on Steemit is a recent example of one creative and effective way. Do you blame her for exploiting her got given assets to get upvotes? If so, do you blame Michael Jordan for exploiting his? If not, what's the qualitative difference between the two? In my view, there is none.

This is a great question for @sean-king, who will answer it better than I can. One ad I happened to see on youtube showed a female photographer who began taking pictures of the cat-callers. I don't think that's a great example of owning power, though. I'd describe that more as turning the tables. I will say that I relate to being uncomfortable with that kind of attention and have had some pretty far fetched experiences, even as a child, where I felt I was hated when it turned out I just stood out in a provocative way that wasn't my fault. Coming to view that as power instead of feeling victimized is one of the best things a person can do for their self-esteem, I believe. Just refuse to think of it as them making you uncomfortable. You are captivating. You are enchanting.