Raunch
Culture:
The Pussycat Dolls
Discover Your Inner Slut
Presentation by: Natali Fry & Annie Duggan
Raunch Culture
“Raunch culture” is a term
coined by feminist Ariel Levy
in
her
book,
Female
Chauvinist Pigs: Women and
the Rise of Raunch Culture
(2006).
Levy refers to raunch culture as an:
“over-sexualised culture… which
not only objectifies women but
also encourages women to
objectify themselves in the (false)
belief that this is a form of female
empowerment.”
(2006, pg4)
Levy traces the history of raunch culture back to conflicts
between the women's movement and the sexual
revolution.
She targets the following as manifestations of raunch
culture
1. The branding of Playboy
2. TV shows
3. Other popular culture media
These encourage girls and women to strive to be the
'hottest' or 'sexiest' rather than the most intelligent or
accomplished.
Manifestations of Raunch Culture
1. The Branding of Playboy
A company and brand associated with gentleman’s
publications (R18+ pornography) has now developed items
of clothing amongst other marketing devices, which are
being fashioned by both women and girls.
Manifestations of Raunch Culture
2. TV Shows
The portrayal of characters are often founded on their sexual
habits rather than their moral, ethical or intellectual stance.
Today's average 14 to 16 year old girl watches (on average) 15
hours of television a week, following programs such as
Desperate Housewives and Sex in the City.
Manifestations of Raunch Culture
3. Popular Culture
Hit music single “I Kissed A Girl” by Katy Perry
“Bratz” dolls/toys marketed to
younger girls
Previously restricted (R18+) online content is advertised in mainstream media
Levy argues that :
It isn’t “liberated” or “feministic” to
learn to pole dance, wear a T-shirt
saying “porn star” or have lots of nostrings sex “like a guy”, but rather its a
trick created by men twisting the idea
of “liberation” for their own ends.
(2009,pg100).
Raunch culture is essentially;
a reflection of the changing in the social
and cultural acceptance of:
•Increased sexual liberties
•Values
•Practices and identities within society.
Raunch culture has emerged within a broader context of postindustrial transformations of culture and sexuality, further
framed through new forms of sexual experiences, changing
rules and emerging sexual discourse.
“This increasing sexualisation of female representations in
popular culture has been criticised by a number of
commentators.”
(Genz & Brabon, 2009:91)
‘Who’ Does Raunch Culture Exploit/Target?
Raunch culture specifically targets women, both young and
not so young. The underlying commercialism associated with
selling a particular message seems to have driven the rise of
raunch culture.
McNair suggests that the accelerating flows of sexual
information – aided by new communication
technologies - have led to a: “less regulated more
commercialized and more pluralistic sexual
culture”(2002, pg11).
The rise of raunch culture focuses on the increased
openness and accessibility of the industry as both a
liberating form of expression and for others, an immensely
profitable industry (Genz & Brabon, 2009).
“ The Big SEX Issue”
“Cue Fireworks!
Kissing Special”
“The Ultimate
Hook-Up Guide.
Pash Guaranteed”
Today’s average 14 to 16
year old girl is familiar
with sexual innuendo and
with a woman's body
being used to promote an
image.
She knows what oral sex
and STDs are.
Her celebrities—Paris
Hilton, Britney Spears,
and Lindsey Lohan—
flash flesh and cash,
and have sex with little
or no consequences.
Women and girls are encouraged to
‘adopt a sexualised stance as an
expression of positive female
autonomy, whereby the possession of
a ‘sexy body’ is presented as
women’s key source of identity
(Gill,2003 pg101).
Even if you're a woman over 35, you're not
immune. You're a target, a number in the
coveted adult demographic age group, where
television shows like Grey's Anatomy reign.
Each week "McDreamy" gets steamy with
Meredith, the intern who slept her way
through several one-night stands while
waiting for her love to leave his wife. Even
though 20 million viewers in the coveted adult
demographic tune in each week, do we stop
to question the message behind the
entertainment?
A Raunch Culture Case
Study :
Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton came into the limelight
after the release of a home sex video
on to the internet in 2003, just weeks
before her reality television debut in
“The Simple Life”.
Paris Hilton: A Raunch Culture Case Study
She became an instant celebrity. Complete with journalistic
coverage and magazine photo shoots. Becoming one of the
most recognizable and marketable female celebrities in the
western world warranting a range of endorsement deals
including jewellery, perfumes, jeans, books, cds etc.
Hilton’s case exemplifies the repurposing of
pornography and the proliferation of porno-chic
across contemporary media.
Levy views Hilton as the
“breathing embodiment of our current,
prurient, collective fixations promoting
blondness, hotness, richness and antiintellectualism”(2006, pg30).
Impacts of Raunch Culture
Raunch culture and the societal fixation with celebrities,
image and style must be critically evaluated in the
context of Christian values and morality.
Raunch culture has been criticised by feminists and social
commentators for its promotion of a narrow if not
unrealistic definition of beauty to young women. Rates of
eating disorders, cosmetic surgery and boy image issues
are on the rise among young women as raunch culture
promotes this unhealthy female typeset.
Liz Funk has criticised raunch culture
for encouraging the rise of the
'stupid girl’.
Pretending to be stupid has become
'cool' for young girls looking for social
acceptance.
As she argues, the only way to
counter raunch culture is for
individuals to examine their attitudes
towards gender, gender equality, and
self-respect.
"Ending raunch culture will require citizens to
scrutinise the way they regard gender.
Objectification is rooted in disrespect,
condescending views of the opposite gender, and
power struggles. When men realise that they
have the capability to fundamentally respect
women, and women realise that they have the
power to present themselves as empowered, fully
capable people, raunch culture may moan its last
and final faked orgasm.“
Liz Funk (2006)
The Christian response to raunch can’t be one of fear. As
Eller states “isolating ourselves or our children from
raunch and any culture isn’t a reasonable answer”.
(2007:4). Rather, she recommends parents and
teachers:
• Model healthy, respectful relationships, appropriate
clothing, style as being both beautiful and modest and
positive self esteem / self worth.
• Write to television networks and fashion executives
expressing a rational and succinct point of view.
• Vote with your dollars and support quality programs,
clothing suppliers, magazine publishers etc.
• Engage young women and men in challenging a culture
that offends traditional Christian morality and family
values.
Religious Education has an
important role to play in
assisting students to
navigate the prevailing
culture. Developing a critical,
evaluative approach to
interpreting raunch culture and its influence on personal
development is essential. Issues must be explored in a safe
and informal environment where young people are assisted
to engage in thinking about issues and to make informed
judgments. Students must be encouraged to question the
authenticity of raunch culture in and how it impacts their
value and belief systems.
Bibliography & Additional References
Eller, T.S. (2007). The Rise of Raunch Culture: What's a Christian woman to do in today's hypersexed
culture? Downloaded from http://www.kyria.com/topics/hottopics/womensissues/3.28.html
Freeman-Greene, S. Nov 20 2009 Sydney Morning Herald. Raunch culture and the growth of the
‘designer vagina’. Downloaded on 29/07/10 from http://smh.com.au/opinion/society-andculture/raunch-culture-and-the-growth-of-the ...
Funk, L. Sex and the Stupid Girl. New Humanist Vol 121 Issue 4 July/August 2006. Downloaded from
http://newhumanist.org.uk/994/sex-and-the-stupid-girl
Genz, S & Brabon A. (2009). Postfeminism. Edinburgh University Press. Edinburgh.
Gill, R. (2003). ‘From Sexual Objectification to Sexual Subjectification: The Resexualistaion of
Women’s Bodies in the Media’. Feminist Media Studies Vol 3(1) pg100-106.
Giroux, H. A. Teenage sexuality, body politics and the pedagogy of display. Electronic article
downloaded via http://library.newcastle.edu.au/record=b2049690*eng. Alternatively available
from http://gseis.ucla.edu/courses/ed253a/Giroux/Giroux3.html
Hamad, A. 17 June 2010. The Drum Unleashed. Raunch culture and the virgin-whore dichotomy.
Downloaded on 29/09/10 from http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2929589.htm
Jeffries, K. 21 April 2010. Sex, oppression and “raunch culture”. Downloaded on 17/07/10 from
http://sa.org.au/women-a-lgbti-liberation/2689-sex-oppression ...
Levy, A. Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture. 2006
McNair, B. (2002) Striptease Culture: Sex, Media and the Democraticisation of Desire. Abingdon:
Routledge.
Neill, R. March 13, 2010 Feminists in anti-raunch-culture revolt. Downloaded on 14/07/10 from
http:///www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/feminists-in-anti-raunch ...
Powell (2010). Sex, Power and Consent. Youth Culture and the Unwritten Rules. Cambridge Press,
Melbourne.