emmanuel reynaud holy virility the social construction of masculinity

eeootiful!' 'Look at those legs ... and that wiggle, eh!' But
worse, man is not content just to stare and show his
appreciation noisily; often he makes no bones about groping.
Wandering hands take advantage of the slightest opportunity,
talking is accompanied by clammy pawing and he makes the
most of rush-hour crowds to rub up against the woman next to
him in the tube, preferably a woman he has selected. All in all,
he imposes continuous pressure and woman's daily life is
governed by sexual terrorism, constantly reminding her that she
can be sexually appropriated at any moment.
The only limitation on the appropriation of a woman for sexual
purposes is, in fact, not to encroach too obviously on the
interests of another man― father, pimp, husband or lover. Legal
practice concerning rape is, in this respect, revealing. For a
woman to obtain legal recognition that she has been raped, not
only must the rapist not be her husband, but, amongst other
obstacles, she must submit to a gynaecological examination to
establish the presence of injuries and, above all, traces of
sperm. Patriarchal ideology and institutions do not generally
admit that rape has taken place unless there is obvious
evidence of violence and, in addition, the assault must
culminate in ejaculation. This last point, which has, in itself,
little to do with rape, becomes a matter of vital importance in the
courts― it indicates the possibility of a pregnancy which is
undesired by the victim's rightful owner: the husband or the
father. In other words, the crime only really exists if it might be
harmful to another man. This attitude, which is codified by law
and guaranteed by tradition, explicitly reveals one of the many
expressions of the collective appropriation of women. It can be
found, too, in everyday relations, where every woman who has
not been clearly appropriated by a man prepared to defend his
rights, is considered 'available'.
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A 'free' woman does not remain so for long. She represents a
challenge and taking possession of her depends mainly on a
balance of power between men: on a fight or an agreement
between them. Matters are sometimes dealt with amicably, to
the tune of 'May I borrow your daughter, Sir?' But things can
sometimes take an aggressive turn: the woman then becoming
the object of a fist-fight, of a verbal contest or a display of
prestige and money. Men consider women as chattels― except
for the obvious fact that they 'move and speak, which
complicates matters considerably'. [13] So the acquisition of a
woman gives rise to the usual conflicts and transactions in this
sort of business. The most striking example in the history of
western mythology is doubtless that of the leaders of ancient
Greece who agreed that the women they judged to be the most
beautiful should be given exclusively to one of them, and who
had to launch their fleets ―after Paris had broken the
agreement― in order to honour their pact and bring Helen back
to Menelaus, to whom she had been loyally assigned. The
Trojan War lasted for ten years, and is still today a symbol of the