Raunch Culture Essay

Feminism has come a long way in establishing equal social, political, and economic rights for women. However, the rise of “raunch culture” has defined unrealistic mentalities for women. Some of the women that Ariel Levy, author of the “Female Chauvinist Pigs” article, has interviewed do not want to be compared to other women because they don’t wish to be viewed as overly sensitive, whose desires consist of only caring about their appearance. They want to become exceptions to the stereotype that women are weak by trying to identify with men, since masculinity is perceived as powerful. Women also feel as if it’s their responsibility to please men and make them more comfortable, as it is insinuated by the co-executive producer of The Man Show, Jennifer Heftler. She claims that, “If you can show you’re one of the good guys, it’s good” (“Female Chauvinist Pigs” 276). In order to fully examine the gender stereotypes that women try to identify with so that they may be a part of “raunch culture”, the term itself needs to be defined. Raunch culture is known as the objectification of women by others and by themselves, and they are even encouraged to do so. Also, a “Female Chauvinist Pig” is described by Levy as someone who is “Post-feminist. She is funny. She gets it. She doesn’t mind cartoonish stereotypes of female sexuality, and she doesn’t mind a

There are only two types of a “female chauvinist pig” and those are that you can be like a man and objectify women, or you can be one of those objectified women under false impressions that you are being empowered. It’s not possible to simultaneously identify with raunch culture and promote equality for all women. The reason why is because the women at the top, such as Sheila Nevins or Christie Hefner, maintain gender oppression for their own benefit, thus they do not care about the empowerment for women as a