Porn Week at Yale

For most of last week, I couldn't really put my finger on why I hated Sex Week - it claims to be an exploration of all kinds of sexuality and all aspects of sex, which seems like a good conversation-starter for the issues of gender and sexuality which concern feminists.

But then a) I got an email containing the words "hottest Porn Star" and b) it wasn't spam, but an advertisement for an event that hundreds of Yalies attended. It all clicked: I hate Sex Week because it's basically a bunch of Yalies pretending to be porn stars and pimps.

Here's the thing: sex is not the same as objectification, and it does not have to involve unequal power dynamics. In fact, seeing it this way invites oppressive stereotypes and harmful relationships; Helen in the YDN does an awesome job of pointing out the gender dimensions in SWAY's magazine. There's something wrong when enormous amounts of funding and resources are available for this stuff at one of the best universities in the world. I still can't believe intelligent Yalies ate up the (self-?) promotion of women in "fashion-forward" lingerie, a talk for men about how to "mack" "girls" by asserting your power over them, and a panel on pornography with the "very high-profile" (I wouldn't know) porn star Jesse James - all without seemingly thinking about the implications for their own sexual awareness.

Just check out these quotes from Mr. Macker Nasheed, which seem representative:
"Never ask for a number; instruct them to give you their number" - that's the power stuff - and "the definition of a gentleman is a man who hasn't had sex with you yet" - there's the unhealthy view of sex. 'Nuf said.

Yes, we can play with gender stereotypes and experiment with our sexuality in many ways. But most of us don't even have the healthy sexual relationships necessary to do so. Let's talk about that, shall we?*


*oh, sorry, there's no funding available.