|
 “That is so hot!” exclaims a friend as her eyes fixate on two scantily-clad women kissing in the latest issue of a men’s magazine.
“They’re drop dead gorgeous”, adds another as they peruse the pages. Whilst my friends gaze admiringly at these mostly tanned, big-breasted, blonde women, I can’t help but wonder if some of us have taken on the attitudes and desires of the stereotypical man.
Seriously, are these reflections of our own desires? Or, do these images influence what we perceive to be our desires? Such images make me think that queer women who engage with men’s magazines are co-opting into a culture that continues to objectify women and reduce them to their body parts; a culture that likewise reduces same-sex attraction amongst women to ‘girl-on-girl’ action.
In light of my friends’ perving at women in a men’s magazine, it seems ironic that when such conventionally attractive and feminine women are spotted on the queer scene, my friends dismiss them as straight and question if they know this is a non-hetero space. This is despite some event organisers often featuring such women in ads for girls’ nights. It seems that when outside the glossy pages of a magazine, such women are no longer seen as eye candy, but people to be cast aside.
I often think this stems from such women presenting with the traditional markers of femininity. That is long hair, make-up, heels and skirts. As any self-identified femme will tell you, femininity has a long history of being considered inconsistent with a queer identity. This dismissive attitude also reminds me of how masculinity is valorised by queer women, and of course, the stereotypical man.
Naturally, I have voiced these concerns and beliefs to my friends. Usually this results in being called a feminist. Whilst feminism and lesbianism are often regarded as synonymous by the mainstream, I often find us queer women perceiving anything associated with the ‘F’ word as past its expiry date.
Yet I can’t help but think this is wrong. Especially when my friends are looking at men’s magazines, objectifying the women featured in them, and then dismissing femininity as a gender expression on the scene. It seems feminism still has a place, at least in helping us to critique why we have these attitudes and desires and where they came from. Maybe then we can differentiate ourselves from the stereotypical man.
- Chantel Cotterell
 |
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form