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Girls Gone Wild • Voice Male Book Review By Aviva Okun Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture by Ariel Levy New York: Pocket Books (paper), 2006. 240 pp. Ariel Levy’s book Female Chauvinist Pigs compels us to consider the origins of “raunch culture” and what women have done to perpetuate its existence. Levy questions why women today try so hard to be “one of the guys,” and why they are so convinced that by acting like men they will achieve equality with men. Levy explores the different facets of American society that have been influenced by raunch culture through interviews with women from all walks of life—from high schoolers to middleaged women’s libbers, lesbian “bois” to straight women. Through her investigative research, Levy shows us a culture that has become infused with sex as a means of currency, something to be consumed and accumulated, where women believe that they can only achieve equality with men by acting like them and by emulating stereotypical male sexual desire. “Female chauvinist pigs” view sex as a commodity and not as a means of getting in touch with their own desires and fantasies; rather, they associate sexiness with how the mass media presents it to them. They view breast augmentation and pornography as sexy, they adopt a narrow, male-influenced view of expressing sexuality and sexual desire, and they scorn women who do not strive to be like men. They have the utmost disdain for the “girly-girl”—even though this is the image of women they are supposed to take pleasure in viewing. The female chauvinist pig is a contradiction on many levels. She believes she is achieving gender equality by making a mockery of herself and other women while actually reinforcing the objectification of women. Levy does not believe that these women have much success, if any, at achieving their goals of equality and sexual freedom. In fact, Levy believes that these women are boxing themselves in by subscribing to such a narrow definition of what sexuality is and who is allowed to be sexual. Many of the women she interviews even report not taking pleasure in sexual acts. In the first chapter, “Raunch Culture,” Levy demonstrates how raunch culture has evolved from a covert male society that exploited women for sexual pleasure to a national phenomenon in which women are expected to encourage this behavior and to enjoy objectifying themselves and each other. In “The Future That Never Happened,” Levy gives a summary of the women’s movement and the sexual liberation movement and how these contributed to raunch culture as we view it today. Levy suggests that the rise of female chauvinist pigs came out of a need to rebel against the feminist movement and also as a response to a culture that encourages and rewards objectification of women. Levy continually comes up against resistance from women who deny that their sexual practices are objectifying and demoralizing. Sheila Nevins, an executive for HBO, explains that she enjoys her show G-String Divas because it’s sexy and fun. She does not understand why someone would make such a big deal out of it when there are so many other injustices that women face. She feels that it is worse to be out of touch with what’s cool than to be objectified. Levy also interviews women who have appeared in the Girls Gone Wild videos and who explain that for them, taking off their clothes and making out with each other on camera is a way to show how much they love their own bodies and how empowered they are. These women eagerly exploit themselves to win the approval of men. “People watch the videos and think the girls in them are real slutty, but I’m a virgin!” says one participant. “And yeah, Girls Gone Wild is for guys to get off on, but the women are beautiful and it’s…fun! The only way I could see someone not doing this is if they were planning a career in politics.” Levy believes these women are giving men permission to view them only as objects of their pleasure and not as people with desires of their own. They are teaching each other that they can only gain social status by showing off sexually. Raunch culture and female chauvinism are becoming such a societal epidemic that even our youth are displaying symp- continued on page 26 16
The Locker Room and the Closet By Gretchen Craig Maybe I should stop going to the library. I go in innocently looking for diversionary (and sometimes educational) reading and come out weighed down by a stack of books that I couldn’t possibly get through without sacrificing other things in my life, like karaoke, or perhaps bathing. The last time I went in I came across a book that I felt some curiosity about, and thought Voice Male readers would be very interested in. I scooped it up, hurried back to VM headquarters (something like the Bat Cave, but a little different), and started reading. What I found was in some ways very interesting, but in some ways just disappointing. Esera Tuaolo, with the help of sportswriter John Rosengren, has written a book about his experience as a closeted gay man playing professional football. At times the book is emotionally candid, focused and insightful. As someone who has always had the luxury of having a sexual orientation that mainstream America finds acceptable, I found it truly eye-opening to read about the various factors that can push an individual into a closet of fear. In Tuaolo’s case, class was an important factor. He stresses that football opened doors for him that he would not have had access to otherwise, and he lived in fear that coming out would mean losing football, which would in turn mean going back to a life of financial struggle. He also thrived on the praise he received from coaches and fans when he excelled at the sport. He makes it clear that, for a long time, this positive feedback was enough to offset the negative homophobic comments that surrounded him and kept him feeling isolated. In addition to explaining why he was closeted, Tuaolo is also effective in expressing the pain that he felt while Alone in the Trenches: My Life as a Gay Man in the NFL by Esera Tuaolo with John Rosengren Sourcebooks, Inc., 2006 278 pages he was. He openly describes periods of alcohol abuse and moments when he had suicidal thoughts. But what was more telling for me were his reactions to certain situations that arose in his life. His experience of playing in the Super Bowl, perhaps the pinnacle of an NFL player’s life, was tainted by his having to remain closeted. “I got depressed thinking that when Mitchell, my partner of three years, arrived, I couldn’t greet him openly with the affection I felt for him. I couldn’t show others my happiness at having him there with me.” Unfortunately, some of the more touching moments in the book are bogged down by weighty descriptions of football games and practices. While I do enjoy the sport, I did not feel the need to know, for example, the details of certain plays that took place while Tuaolo was in college. Much like Moby-Dick, in which the whale chase sometimes plays second fiddle to in-depth descriptions of whale skeletons and blubber refinement, Tuaolo’s journey as a gay man is sometimes obscured by his vivid recollections of games gone by. At times I wondered how the book would have turned out if he had not had a sportswriter as his wingman. Another disappointment for me was that the book felt a little disorganized and unevenly paced. It’s mainly chronological—except when it isn’t. Tuaolo tells the reader about his painful encounters with sexual abuse on pages 55 (age 13) and 191 (age 6). This method of revealing certain pieces of information at seemingly random places in the telling of his life made me feel like he had been withholding something. It diminished the effect that his moments of open, brutal honesty had. As an introduction to gay identity issues for sports fans who have had limited contact with openly gay people, Tuaolo’s book works. His message is one of acceptance and hope, putting into plain language the emotional toll that living in the closet can take. However, for those looking for a more emotional or sophisticated autobiography of a closeted gay man, or for those who simply can’t take lengthy descriptions of gridiron X’s and O’s, Tuaolo’s book may not make the cut. VM Gretchen Craig is the development coordinator for the Men’s Resource Center for Change, a quasi-avid reader, and the “jock” of her family. She is currently trying to finish three books before exploring her renewed appreciation for the game of football. Book Review F a l l 2 0 0 6 • 17
Page 1 and 2: New Visions of Manhood Voice Male T
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Features A Call t
Page 5 and 6: Men @ Work Voice Male, MRC Assemble
Page 7 and 8: One expert thinks the new study ref
Page 9 and 10: stops them from challenging sexist
Page 11 and 12: F a l l 2 0 0 6 • 11
Page 13 and 14: “she provoked me” because she 1
Page 15: Reflections on Men’s Loss, Grief,
Page 19 and 20: Love Makes a Marriage By Mitch Sore
Page 21 and 22: F a l l 2 0 0 6 • 21
Page 23 and 24: Finding the Way Through continued f
Page 25 and 26: Looking to Connect? Try the MRC’s
Page 27 and 28: Men’s Resource Center for Change

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