I have a post for the Mercy class blog:
On "Progress"
Although it seems obvious in retrospect, Andrea's life took a dive
off a cliff with her first sexual experience (when she was molested in
the movie theater), and she hasn't lost momentum since. From her
mother kicking her out for early on in the book upon learning of her
sexual activity to the cab driver deciding to rape her into
unconsciousness when she showed eagerness for sexual activity, it seems
Andrea's worth as a human being is almost if not entirely predicated
on her sexual activities. This got me thinking about the artificial
hymen story that broke a few years ago, which disturbed me to the point
where it still sends a little shiver down my spine.
For those who haven't heard about it, the artificial hymen is
inserted before sex and creates a feeling of "tightness" and
"resistance" before it rips and a blood-like substance comes out.
Um, who, exactly, is the market for this thing? Turns out the market is
so huge it made international headlines. For women in middle-eastern
countries who can be murdered ("honor killings") if they fail to
produce a bloody sheet on their wedding night, it's literally a life
saver. Predictably, several Middle Eastern countries FREAKED OUT and
some legislated that anyone trying to get the product over the border
would be "exiled."
The thought of anyone being born in a place where it is considered
morally acceptable to stone her to death because her hymen didn't
bleed on her wedding night, whether or not she was a virgin, is
terrifying. WHY is a woman's worth predicated AT ALL on her genitals?
Who got to decide this? Why is this still an issue in 2012? Why do we
pretend "honor killings" do not happen in the United States, where
women have a higher chance of being murdered by an intimate partner than
in any Middle Eastern country?
It just makes me wonder: in the decades since Dworkin wrote Andrea's
story, has
anything really changed?
See you Tuesday,
Vivian Hagerty
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