Sex & Sexuality

Within the gendered sexual system, violent instances of sexuality are somewhat easy to come by. Mackinnon states that “only 7.8 percent of women in the United States are not sexually assaulted or harassed in their lifetimes.” Despite this statistic, acts of sexual violence are often taken as acts of violence, separate and distinct from the sexuality that is innately present within them. Mackinnon suggests that this conception of rape as violence and not sex needs to be reassessed. In neglecting the sexual nature of sexual harassment, assault, and rape, there is a blatant refusal to acknowledge the fact that sexuality, at times, is inclusive of violent acts. This violence is one of the reasons why sexuality is such a heavy issue for feminism.

The employment of violence in sexuality reinforces the notion of physical and social male dominance within patriarchy. Once again, it places women in the submissive role. This role is reinforced time and time again through the ways that sexuality is expressed. As Mackinnon affirms through her argument against pornography, sex is taught in such a way that promotes the subjection and objectification of women.

This idea of sexual violence complicates the idea of sexuality as it reflects a physical dominance of men over women. This causes Mackinnon to call into question the very idea of consent. She states that women are objectified socially to the extent that they become irrevocably linked to their sexual functions. Mackinnon again suggests that this can be attributed largely to the way that sexuality is depicted in pornography. She suggests that it is the “appearance of choice or consent [in pornography], with their attribution to inherent nature, [that] are crucial in concealing the reality of force.” This corrupts the reality of consent in that it “legitimizes the political system by concealing the force on which it is based.”

I question whether or not sex is innately violent and/or oppressive. Mackinnon does not provide any solution to the problems that she presents so I am left wondering where to go from here. Are one’s own sexual expressions merely a reflection of what one has been taught? If so, does this challenge the idea of consent? While I am not sure where I stand on Mackinnon’s arguments, I can say that they make me think about my role in the gendered sexual system.