Why do some men think they have a claim to women's sexuality?

Q: they spent the first half of the 20th century telling us that we shouldnt so much as show a bare shoulder and how dare we even think we had a right to our own bodies, and now they tell us that if we dont have sex with them by a certain age there's something wrong with us. inspired by my previous question http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Asksoej4pO1uaLUfoTg6oOfsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080918094253AAmUQJ4 what gives a man the right to think he can lay claim to women's sexual expression? "most normal women and men want sex." most normal men and women are also capable of controlling their sexual feelings until a time when they feel they can take responsibility for the consequences.

A: I think this is an interesting question. However, I don't think that its just women's sexualities are seen as 'public property'. A male friend of mine doesn't want to have sex, but does want kissing, cuddling closeness and companionship, but he avoids relationships because he doesn't want the sex. It is really difficult for him to explain it, and the whole world makes him feel freakish. Its interesting that there is so much pressure on people to be really 'into' sex. I used to believe that it was totally 'normal' to be highly sexed, but now I realise from my friendship with him that it isn't. In the past religions kept control of sexuality to keep control of the people, by telling us how and when and with whom we sould have sex. Now it seems that capitalism has taken over and uses sexuality to control us. So much money is now spent on the sex industry, and in the sexualisation of advertising, and on products to make people feel 'sexier'... So much money spent on something that is actually free! I think that there is another thing going on for you too. Women's bodies are also seen as public property. Either they have to cover them up, or apparently men will not be able to refrain from 'taking' whats on 'offer', or they should really be showing it off, putting out, looking good, etc. People feel entitled to comment on womens bodies all the time. The same guys who holler "beauty" at one woman will shout "ugly" at another. The magazines that worship the body of one celebrity will insult another. When a woman takes control of her own body and says "Actually my body is MINE. Noone elses. I choose only pleasure for it and I refuse to subject it to unwanted acts or attention" - it upsets people. She will be called 'unfeminine', 'uncooperative', 'uptight', 'selfish', etc, etc, etc... The reason that womens bodies are seen as public property is rooted in the history - that legally women literally 'belonged' to her husband and he was legally entitled to do what he wanted with her - as though she was his possession, including rape and battery... the laws have only very recently changed, but attitudes haven't. Don't bow to all this pressure, because if and when you do want sex - you'll certainly be in no doubt about it!

Related items