Sexism at Rocky

[jrising]

Elaina is quitting the show for a variety of reasons, but the relevant one is sexism at Rocky. She convinced me that the problem is extensive, but I don't know how to respect those concerns and still encourage the individual creative talents and sexualities of our members and the boundary-pushing of the show. But I think we can find a way, and enjoy our work better for reaching for it.

Sexism has become a party-crashing term. People worry that if they acknowledge it, it will make every decision more difficult and force us to be more conservative. It shouldn't. Sexism itself-- the faulty societally-ingrained role preconceptions we have-- is inherently incredibly conservative and creativity-blocking. By harboring it, we cripple the sexual and individual potential of our members.

I think that the best solution to the sexism problem has to do with promoting an attitude at the show, not by making rules, and I think we can do it, because we're strong, freely-sexual people who want to promote sexual equality. This attitude would be characterized by honest recognition of how our actions and shows play out sexual stereotypes, and the constant search for what's beyond them.

One aspect of this attitude might be that men at Rocky would be encouraged (expected) to put themselves on sexual display as much as women. It will make us better men. Another is that we should consider the sexism-jostling potential of our preshows. We can get more out of challenging our audience than playing to its fantasies.

Next week: How to get the most out of a rape fantasy...

Comments

[overstim.livejournal.com]

Men should be WELCOME to put themselves on display as much as women. EXPECTING anyone to be put on display is the exact opposite of what youre trying to accomplish here.

how would you feel if i said "Women at Rocky should be EXPECTED to put themselves on sexual display?"

Sexism is the INEQUALITY of men and women. Men and women ARE inequal. For one thin,g i think if you poll men AND owmen youll find that women are considered way hotter. Men like looking at women. Women like looking a women. Gay men dont even mind looking at women. just look at the fashion industry. Men are just around ot open jars and kill spiders.

Am I being facetious? of course. But hopefully you get my point. Rocky is about sex and women are sexy. No one has EVER discouraged a preshow with men strutting their stuff. in fact, one of the preshows weve put up more than any other is "sit on my face", which normally features a row of guys in nothing but aprons shaking their hairy man-asses. Full Monty was pretty kickass, too.

Instead of just flatly demanding that men bring on the sexah, why dont you propose some man-centric preshows? I for one support the idea 100%. Men can be hot. just not this one.

I dont think the problem at Rocky is encouraging women to be naked and sexy. Objectifying women is only a bad thing if they are PRESSURED into it. that is the real danger at Rocky, the peer pressure. And sometimes there is some, and I try my best to discourage it. I like when Frank, during monologue, encourages the virgins to "dance nasty" and "do waht comes naturally". I HATE when Frank just says "Be a stripper". That impies an obligation to strip, which some arent comfy with. its all in the wording.

Women AND men should feel welcome and encouraged to express themselves how they see fit. Women and men should be wlecome to objectify and Be objectified. But NO ONE, EVER, should feel "expected" or pressured to do anything.

If it harm none, do as thou wilt.

[5411tech.livejournal.com]

The problem is when women ARE expected to put themselves on display, either explicitly or, as I think is more the case here, implicitly. Just saying someone has the right to refuse doesn't mean the expectations aren't there, and aren't uncomfortably pervasive. I've only been at Rocky about 3 months, but in that time I've seen women expected and/or pressured to put themselves on display sexually, and I've seen that happen to men, oh, about never. I think it either needs to happen to everyone, or not at all.

[overstim.livejournal.com]

I agree. I was trying to say that above. But as soon as you pepper your discussion with words like "sexism" and"objectification", people are going to go nuts and miss the point. The problem, and I feel its minor, but it IS present, is the peer pressure. And thats something that we all just need to stay aware of and work together to eliminate.

But youre kidding yourself if you think it can be eliminated completely, not when youre around a whole bunch of sexually charged and intoxicated people. its par for the course. If I go to Tennessee, Im going to be pressured to read the bible. If I go to Circuit City, Im going to be pressured to buy a protection plan. And If i go to Rocky, Ive got to expect to be pressured to be sexy, and if I cant handle that, I should step away. I think we do a DAMN good job of keeping the peer pressure to about 1/100% of, say, your average frat house of landsdowne st club. But its something we should remain aware of.

[jrising.livejournal.com]

You're probably right that no one should be "expected" to do anything, but Rocky is about exploring sexuality, and we should all be encouraged to do that.

Yes, men and women are unequal, and I *love* looking at women, and I don't know if men strutting their stuff can ever be as good. But I don't think we try that much. Even if women are doing everything totally voluntarily, we can't let it become an expectation that if someone is going to put themselves on display, it'll be a woman.

I'm not proposing putting pressures on guys because I think there should be a *new* pressure at Rocky. Rocky drives people to be sexual, whatever equipment you have. But currently it does it so differently for men and women as to be insulting.

And I do plan on doing some role-modeling in this, including finding some preshows and dressing up more for the show. And I want to do a sexy-guy striptease trixie sometime soon, but I need to learn how first.

[catullus-5.livejournal.com]

There's a difference between "Hey, let's have a preshow all about guys in banana hammocks" and "The lack of banana hammocks in recent months is evidence of unacceptable attitudes toward women."

[overstim.livejournal.com]

Im drawing a distinction between "encouraging" and "expecting".

"Encouraging" is like, "hey, give this a try, you might like it. Seriously. Comooon. No? okay, okay."

"Expecting" is more like... "Yo, get naked or you suck and dont belong here."