Sex= liberation?

Rebecca Walker raises very interesting points some I agree with others I do not in her article Lusting for Freedom. First of all it takes a very strong women, to admit when she lost her virginity. Her article was interesting because she provides an idea about sex that is very rarely discussed. Sex is not a bad or shameful act, but is often portrayed that way or to be dirty. I appreciated her acceptance that at times sex can be an avenue that can lead to self hate or unwanted pregnancies or disease. She says this should not be the case and women should be given the knowledge about safe sex or birth control methods and apportion options. Most importantly she argues that women should be given the opportunity to learn our bodies and "self-exploration (should not be) blocked by cultural taboo, government control or religious mandate... Without being able to respond to and honor the desires of our bodies and our selves, we become cut off from our instincts for pleasure, dissatisfied living under rules and thoughts that are not our own." This is very powerful!!!

She is not saying that we should go out and be slutting around but that wanting sex is a natural desire and we should fulfill it. Only when we listen to our bodies do we learn more about ourselves. "We learn much of what we know from television, which debases sex and humiliates women." There needs to be an emphasis that sex is a space where we learn about ourselves only from our experiences not from what we see, read or hear. Thus it is imperative that women are given the opportunity to have safe sex and know what is available to them. We must address the question, "what do young women need to make sex a dynamic, affirming, safe and pleasurable part of their lives... how do we build the bridge between sex and sexuality, between the isolated act and the powerful element that, when honed, can be an important tool for self-actualization?" These are the questions we should strive to answer and the answer needs to be changed in how it is presented on television or movies.