A New Sexuality in a Post-Feminist World?

It is no small matter that girls are still being judged on their reproductive capacities and how well it fits to the pro-social version of nurturer. However, while some women would deny the strain that'having it all' can bring, they also acknowledge the inequality of labour division within and beyond the home that's the origin of such stress. The basic right to equal opportunities remains regardless and is a battle still being fought.

What of feminine sexuality in our mothers' daughter's generation? It is old news that the contraceptive pill allowed women unprecedented sexual freedom. But, much like all the workplace/homelife polemic, women are denigrated and castigated over the choices they make under the banner of sexual liberation, if these choices have not sat neatly within the traditional view of female sexuality. "Nice women do not" might be a cliché but its implicit negative judgement remains busy in the world however.

However, despite this, some women are choosing to maintain their sexuality in traditionally male arena's, challenging 20th century feminist arguments that women are only being exploited if they work in the sex industry, for instance.

So what of the new post-feminist posture the sex sector can offer the chance for women to maintain sexual control and power? Instead of victim-hood and manipulation, many are arguing it is a reclamation of the female, a radical victory against the stigma attached to female sexuality in the male dominated world. Whether you agree or not a lap-dancer is the one with all the power, or think that pornography for girls isn't simply white-washing the larger problem, one thing is for sure, women are shaking off the shame attached to female sexuality.

One area where this is evident, perhaps more than any other, is the web. It would be fair to admit that the proliferation of pornography on the global web caters in the main for guys, and the long-running talks on whether it's exploitative are absolutely legitimate. However, it would be absurd to think that the female of the species only harbours a desire for procreational, matrimonial, mission-position sex; with increasing openness to a once-secret underworld of sexual desire, women are claiming their sexual desires and getting them fulfilled online.

Willing to enjoy explicit material should they choose, women are also choosing to step out of voyeuristic surfing and get active: there are increasing numbers of online dating websites that cater especially to the'adult' market. As the booming business of online dating flourishes, pockets of market sites are emerging that aid the approval of a new sexual culture for girls. The typical etiquette of dating is set aside with a liberating honesty of what women may be seeking. If you wish to research your desire to dominate, you can. If you wish to meet somebody who enjoys your super-size body, there are dedicated sites. In actuality, whatever the taste or special sexual practice, both women and men are openly advertising to fulfill like-minded people with no stigma attached.

Take the fetish scene for example. Girls are meeting partners through expert sites and forming friendships with other girls in the fetish scene to the extent that they're organised under a'vanilla' dress-code; everyday wear in ordinary places.

No-one is stating that the sexual revolution has stopped revolving. There's a need to challenge and debate issues that adversely affect women, according to the recent media focus on women who work and have families. Some may even say that the old source of feminism has gone astray. However, in this post-feminist world, women are without doubt asserting their sexuality in unprecedented ways, coming out of the closet and unashamedly doing it for themselves.