Gendered violence is an extremely prevalent problem, preeminently for women, in this modern society. Despite laws and acts that try to stop this, “nearly 3 in 10 women, and 1 in 10 men in the United States have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by a partner…” (Shaw and Lee, pg. 538.)
Of course these laws have not always been in place and can only help so much, especially when the cause of this gendered violence is deeply rooted into today’s culture in the form of sexual mythology and sexuality attitudes. Some of the most evident reasons behind this the sexual scripts and stereotypes put in place for both women and men. Other rampant problem is the focus on victimization and the connection between violence and power.
In the western culture, women are given very specific ideas of how we are supposed to behave. These really are sexuality stereotypes. The world tells women they need to fit in these ideas by the media, men and other women; this idea is known as gender …show more content…
On the positive side, being a virgin is thought of being holy, pure, moral, self-respecting, in control, and even magical and romanticized in some cases. There is even a sexual script about women pledging to stay a virgin (“day 22 sexuality”.) Jessica Valenti in “The Cult of Virginity” notes that “virginity has become the easy answer—the morality quick fix. You can be vapid, stupid, and unethical, but so long as you’ve never had sex, you’re a “good” (i.e., moral) girl and therefore worthy of praise” (Shaw and Lee, Pg. 336). This pedestal of praise and idolization does have its down fall, because it really is shaming women into being chaste. Of course being a virgin is a double-edged sword. Along with being praised, it is also looked down up. Being a virgin is embarrassing and shameful because you could only be a virgin if you fat, ugly, and socially
Of course these laws have not always been in place and can only help so much, especially when the cause of this gendered violence is deeply rooted into today’s culture in the form of sexual mythology and sexuality attitudes. Some of the most evident reasons behind this the sexual scripts and stereotypes put in place for both women and men. Other rampant problem is the focus on victimization and the connection between violence and power.
In the western culture, women are given very specific ideas of how we are supposed to behave. These really are sexuality stereotypes. The world tells women they need to fit in these ideas by the media, men and other women; this idea is known as gender …show more content…
On the positive side, being a virgin is thought of being holy, pure, moral, self-respecting, in control, and even magical and romanticized in some cases. There is even a sexual script about women pledging to stay a virgin (“day 22 sexuality”.) Jessica Valenti in “The Cult of Virginity” notes that “virginity has become the easy answer—the morality quick fix. You can be vapid, stupid, and unethical, but so long as you’ve never had sex, you’re a “good” (i.e., moral) girl and therefore worthy of praise” (Shaw and Lee, Pg. 336). This pedestal of praise and idolization does have its down fall, because it really is shaming women into being chaste. Of course being a virgin is a double-edged sword. Along with being praised, it is also looked down up. Being a virgin is embarrassing and shameful because you could only be a virgin if you fat, ugly, and socially