Beloved Readers,
Strolling through the magazine section at our local Barnes & Noble, a certain magazine caught our attention. It was a publication that neither one of us had seen before, called what is enlightenment. However, the title wasn't the thing that initally captivated us... it was the interesting graphic on the cover and the subject of this specific issue.
A line of faceless women was coming out from the past toward us, surrounded by headlines such as "Woman, a Cultural Philosophical & Spritiual Exploration," "Why are Girls Going Wild - Sex, freedom, and feminism in Gen Y" and "24 Women Envision the Future."
With headlines like these, it was hard for the two of us to resist.
While we haven't digested the entire magazine as of yet, one interesting theme continues to pop up throughout the different articles - and that is the issue of sex. The power that woman have through sex and their sexuality, the fact that the "sexual revolution" was so closely tied to the feminist movement of the 1960s and the distribution of the birth control pill, and now - how our freedom in sexuality has become a commodity.
It's interesting to think about the fact that for men, sex is just a normal, healthy part of life and has been so throughout the history of time (with the exception of certain taboo sexual acts at certain times and in certain cultures, such as homosexuality during the Victorian Age). But for women, sex has been a key factor in our very definitions of freedom and equality.
As woman suffragists were fighting to get the right to vote in the early part of the 20th century, they were also fighting for safe birth control (Margaret Sanger opened the first U.S. birth-control clinic in Brooklyn, N.Y. The clinic was shut down 10 days later and Sanger was arrested, but she eventually won support through the courts and opened another clinic in 1923). In the 1960s, while women fought for equality in the work place, they were also fighting for the right to make their own family-planning decisions. Indeed, in 1965, Connecticut still had a law that made it illegal for a married couple to use birth control. And it wasn't until 1976 that the first marital rape law was enacted in Nebraska, making it illegal for a husband to rape his wife.
What do these 20th century milestones mean to today's, sexually liberated woman? Feminism in the 20th century is interesting and complicated, and is something that each woman should educate herself about, especially because we all live with the fruits and consequences of those struggles. Women have fought so hard for equality as well as sexual liberation, and now the questions and issues have changed.
Now each woman must decide for herself - when is the right age to lose one's virginity? When and how do we want to have children? How short of a skirt should I wear to the office? Is it appropriate to flirt to get what I want? Am I my sexuality, and when does my sexuality become a problem for me?
Looking at women like Paris Hilton and the Girls Next Door (Hugh Heffner's three girlfriends who have their own t.v. show), who flaunt and use their sexuality with seemingly no knowledge or awareness of where their freedoms come from -- it makes us wonder, is this what women have faught so hard for?
All of these questions, and so many more, are what frame today's construct of femininity and feminism. At Oysters & Chocolate, we believe we are an important part of today's feminism. Because as women explore their sexuality and decide what turns them on and what they want, it's important to have fun with the process and take responsibility for it as well.
We want O&C to be a part of today's sexual conversation, as well as the overall conversation that goes on between women. One of our basic tenants here at O&C is the belief that part of who a woman is is indeed her sexuality - and that that part of her should be nurtured and pursued individually and not only in relation to her partner (specifically, not only in relation to men). The important questions here are: What turns ME on? (Not ,what turns him on?); What do I find sexy? (Not, what does he find sexy?); What will help improve MY sex life? (Not, what will help improve his sex life?). You get the point.
We would love to hear from our readers - what do you think of women and feminism today, and how does sex play a part in that? Email us and let us know your thoughts!
Perhaps it's fitting that as we continue to contemplate our role in today's sexuality, we put together an issue dedicated to group sex. Whether group sex is simply a fantasy for you or reality, it embodies the idea of fun, exploration and responsibility. We hope you enjoy the August issue of Oysters & Chocolate, individually and with others!
xoxo
Jordan & Samantha
Originally published August 2007 - "One, Two, Orgy!"