Connection Between Culture/Norms and Sexuality part 2

By Nicholas Louis

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…Continuing the discussion on sexual exploration I came across some interesting readings.  The book Feminist Porn is a collection of writings by many authors.  One essay in particular struck my interest deeply.  I wanted to explore the realm of sexuality from the Feminist point of view.  The essay that struck my interest,  Every time we f*ck, we win: The Public sphere of Queer, Feminist, and Lesbian Porn as a (safe) space for sexual Empowerment. by Ingrid Ryberg.  This book investigates not only how feminists understand pornography, but also how feminists do porn—that is, direct, act in, produce, and consume one of the world’s most lucrative and growing industries.

After reading this essay one question came to mind.  How does sexual practice become sexual identity?  I ask this question because I personally feel that in order to fully understand one must have an understanding of all facets within the realm of sexuality.  In the essay she describes her disdain of the shift from a more sensual visualization of  women in production to a more distasteful portrayal.  This quote lead me to this speculation.

 “Importantly, empowerment is not an issue of individual agency.”

Agency is the capacity of an agent to act in a world.  The capacity to act does not at first imply a specific moral dimension to the ability to make the choice to act.

I chose this quote because of the way it translates into the boundaries of sexuality.  Meaning that, from my understanding, empowerment is not just embodied by the amount of sexual partners a woman can attract.  When the discussion of empowerment evolves into the dominance of sexual prowess then it is nothing but a sexual encounter and lacks dimension.  All women poses the power of the sexy but the collective power of what a woman [female]is biologically is where the empowerment materializes.  The foundation is just, in my opinion, the women [female] thought ability.  Less glorification of the sexual or sexy.

Connection Between Culture/Norms and Sexuality

By Nicholas Louis

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The connection of sexuality and culture, and norms is quite difficult to actually dissect. Sexuality is so personal to me that defining exactly what it is can only come from a personal viewpoint. Also, with explaining my view, I must be able to take criticism or scrutiny of what I deem to be pleasurable to me. This can cause a person to withdraw into one’s self which can make it difficult to connect to others. On the other hand, a person may react in a reckless manner and behave in a way that is unpleasurable [if I cannot enjoy what feels good to me then no one will feel good]. In an effort to explain my view on sexuality without the risk of disclosing any of my dirty little secrets, I will start with a quote from some books I came across while doing some research on broadening my perspective.
Sexuality and Cultural Norms:
“Beyond Bisexuality” an essay by Marco Vassi in “Pomosexuals” (Metasexuality) This concept stroked me as what has been going on all along.  It is simply, “Sex is that activity which takes place between one man and one woman who are having sex to make a baby. Metasex is everything else.” The assumption that man and woman only allows for the most perfect erotic union is a misconception rooted in primitive bisexual consciousness. The concept begins with the one, the single point, metasex of no dimension. This is the realm of masturbation. To masturbate to full orgasm is a sublime and solitary act, requiring capacity for fear and awe. To bring about one’s own orgasm, without the company of others, with fantasies requires great inner imagination. This concept goes into greater depth with four, the most sophisticated and will lead to the end of a particular tunnel vision. This essay gave a new understanding that when a person understands that sexuality is not a one-way street. That even in the conventional relationship, the dimensions of achieving sexual gratification are boundless.

Exploration into this subject matter is not a religious trek.