desiree o
february 16th 2011.
There are endless contradictions for women and girls to face when trying to understand and explore their identities, and a contradiction that has always fascinated/frustrated me is the one that exists between feminism and sexiness.
We’re seemingly free as feminists to embrace our sexuality, but when it comes to being “sexy” there’s a very blurry line that is impossible to define.
The concept of “sexy” itself is full of personal opinion, cultural influence, and a million debatable factors. One person’s idea of sexy could be another person’s idea of tame sensuality and yet another person’s idea of pornographic smut.
Go beyond this to try to pin down what is “acceptable” sexiness (how it is portrayed and/or used), and the debate is never ending.
This is what leads me to pinups. As an example of this acceptable sexiness debate, it exemplifies the differing opinions. Some feel that pinups are women who are empowered and owning their beauty and sexuality. While others believe that pinups are stereotypical representations playing into harmful beauty standards.
I recently stumbled across an article where Heidi Van Horne identifies as a feminist pinup. “It may sound like a contradiction in terms, but I’m a pin-up and a feminist. I’m very specific about the way I portray women. I’ve turned down major projects that just didn’t sit well with me.”
We’ve previously had a discussion on the Shameless blog that addressed an ad that used a pinup-esque style. That post (as well as the comments) addressed not only the pinup aspect, but also the fact that it was being used for advertising (and advertising razors to shave your legs which reinforces another beauty standard). But what if we removed the advertising and shaving points from the debate? What if we were just talking about the pinup?
I needed to copy this whole thing over because it's quite short and has some valid and useful points. It parallels with my questioning of the male gaze and female sexuality - can an image of a woman be sexy without having to appeal to a male audience? What subverts the male gaze in images of 'sexy' women. Is it the intent of the author? Body language? The presence of power? A combination of all of these things?
Although the pin up may have originally been created for a male audience it is something that has definitely been re-claimed by women. Joannah Frueh definitely has some good points about what she calls “Erotic -for –women – for women meaning that women are producers and consumers –is erotic for oneself” (Joanna frueh. P.143). which I have referenced within my essay. When women have reclaimed the pin up, the imagery is not intended for male consumption, it's more about self-pleasure and even pleasure from influencing other women. Nowadays you will find 'pin up' style imagery of a diverse range of women; an example, Tess Holliday, a plus size model.
Although the pin up may have originally been created for a male audience it is something that has definitely been re-claimed by women. Joannah Frueh definitely has some good points about what she calls “Erotic -for –women – for women meaning that women are producers and consumers –is erotic for oneself” (Joanna frueh. P.143). which I have referenced within my essay. When women have reclaimed the pin up, the imagery is not intended for male consumption, it's more about self-pleasure and even pleasure from influencing other women. Nowadays you will find 'pin up' style imagery of a diverse range of women; an example, Tess Holliday, a plus size model.
