The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - November 12, 1992- Page 5
An ideology or just another material girl?
"The question is: what sexuality are
women tobe liberated to enjoy?Merely
to remove the onus placed upon the
sexual expressiveness of women is a
hollow victory it the sc;: ality they
become freer to enjoy remains the old
one that converts women into objects
..This already "freer" sexuality mostly
reflects a spurious idea of freedom: the
right of each person, briefly, to exploit
and dehumanize someone else. With-
out a change in the very norms of
sexuality, the liberation of women is a
meaningless goal."
-Susan Sontag
sited from MacKinnon
"My pussy is a temple of learning"
-Madonna "Sex"
Which one does not belong?
If you haven't guessed, it would be
Madonna'sself-absorbed comments re-
fening to her pussy as a place of study
--one of many introspective and eroti-
cally vacuous statements made by the
newly minted porn queen in her new
book, "Sex."
I used to think that Madonna was
the ultimate feminist -making all her
own decisions, doing only what she
wants. However, after spending an hour
with "Sex" at Border's Bookstore, I
have changed my mind. Madonna is
not a feminist -she is a capitalist,
selling what women have been able to
sell since the beginning of time - sex.
Yes, "Sex" is pornography in its
mostrefined form.l gamnottrying topit
Madonna against the feminist move-
One of the many photos in her book
shows Madonna being tied up while
two women hold a knife to her crotch.
If it were a knife at a man's penis, no
one would buy the book. I am not
saying that the book would be any
better if there was a knife at a man's
penis, rather I am pointing out a fact of
life. If Madonna, or any other woman,
held aknife to a man's penis, she would
be labeled a man-hater, or an angry
lesbian. However, if a woman holds a
knife up to her own crotch, it qualifies
as erotic and she is seen as powerful
because she "chose" to do it. This is the
loosest definition of choice ever.
Madonna claims that some women
who are in abusive relationships must
"like it." I have news for Madonna -
no woman likes it. No woman chooses
to be hit or have a knife held at her
crotch. Not in her dreams and not in
real life.
Madonna does an injustice to the
situation of women who are forced into
the pornography industry merely to
stay alive - women who have to sub-
jugate themselves for a living. Maybe,
on a grand scale, Madonna is a victim
like all women. After all, no one would
even pay attention to her if she wasn't
selling her body - she isn't that great
a singer.
Madonna's fame and the success of
her book, and for that matter, the suc-
cess of the pornography industry in
general, highlights a truism that many
people try to deny: we live in a society
that rewards women for self-objectifi-
cation---asociety that sees a woman's
sexuality as her greatest commodity.
What sells in our society? What
sells is a woman's body. What sells are
pictures of women being tied up by
men. What also sells is women being
tied up by other women. This has sold
forcenturies, and Madonna's new book
is just packaged better.
I don't care if people line up at
Border's to take a peek at the book. But
let's not fool ourselves. All "Sex" is
meant to do is shock people into spend-
ing their $50 on high-class pornogra-
phy. Itisnotatextbook tobeusedin sex
education classes. It is not out to make
a statement. It is not out to teach people
the difference between sex and love or
erotic fantasies and reality. This would
be giving the book too much credit.
You can see these same pictures for a
dollar in Hustler. Anyone who thinks
that "Sex" is more artistically valuable
than Hustler Magazine or that Ma-
donna is making a statement about
feminism is being fooled by the Mylar
cover. It is a woman selling sex for the
almighty dollar. Same old, same old.
ment. The feminist movement is not
one specific ideology - rather it is a
movement that at its roots is committed
to women. However, Madonna's book
is not committed to women and she is
not leading a "Sexual Revolution."
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" SISTERS AND BROTHERS OF AMERICA "
SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA PRESENTS
WORLD VISION 2000
November 13-15, 1992
4, r
.-
k
"'f~gion comes wit/i intense self-sacrifice...'Do
aiffor otfuers.'Ihis is to five and move and hFave
your being in od.'
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Chinmayananda
In 1893, SwamiT'ivekananda first drought the message of !-indtuism to the 'West. 'To commemorate the 100th anniversary of his historic visit,
the Chinmaya International foundation, in conjunction with the Yfindu Students Counci, wil! host WCORYDD'VISI1 2000. "IJis unique
conference wiLL feature the worfL4 renownedSwami Chinmayananda who wilt present a series offour ectures on the universal message of
Yinduism. wDon't miss this opportunity to get to Learn adout the essence of !{induism and its profound relevance for Life today!
WORLD VISION 2000 PROGRAM SCHEDULE
Friday, November 13, 1992
7:30 pm Swami Chinmayananda's first talk
at Michigan Union Ballroom.
Saturday, November 14, 1992
10:00 am Swami Chinmayananda's second
talk at MLB auditorium 3.
12:30 pm Seminar on Swami Vivekananda's
message presented by Dr. Mahesh
Mehta at MLB auditorium 3.
4:00 pm Swami Chinmayananda's third talk at
MLB auditorium 3.
8:00 pm Dandia Raas/Garba at Michigan
Union Anderson Room.
Sunday, November 15, 1992
10:00 am Swami Chinmayananda's fourth talk
at Michigan Union Ballroom.
11:30 am Cultural program at Michigan Union
Ballroom.
Pictorial exhibit on the life of Swami
Vivekananda, Saturday and Sunday at Michigan
Union Pond Room.
!1 - 1