After last month’s heated blog discussion about Lap Dancing Clubs, we asked two of the post’s commentators to review a copy of Natasha Walter’s book, Living Dolls – The Return of Sexism.
Read Mike Chitty and Kristal Ireland’s reviews below – we still have another copy of the book to give away so if you’re interested in reading and contributing to the debate let us know in the comments below by the 7th June!
Living Dolls – The Return of Sexism by Natasha Walters
Mike’s Review:
The Return of Sexism?
I obviously missed its temporary departure. I was asked to review this book mainly because of some observations I made on the rise of the lap dancing industry in Leeds and how this compared with local authority attempts to close down working men’s clubs in the city in the 1980s because they were ‘bastions of sexism’. We have travelled a long way on a well trodden path in the last 30 years.
I found Living Dolls to be very readable, treating an important and difficult subject with objectivity and wit. The debunking of lap-dancing and prostitution as the free choices of empowered women is well argued. They are instead portrayed as parts of relatively narrow range of ‘choices’ made readily available and easily accessible to women who are seeking a way ‘forward’. The role of online and off-line publishers, pushing at the boundaries of the law to meet the demands of the market, in making what were once considered extreme sexual practices now part of the norm is well treated. But where does ‘the problem’ lie? On the ‘supply side’ of the publishers or on the ‘demand side’ where consumer choices take little account of their political and social impacts?
There are some fascinating insights into the ways that the media portrays biological determinants or socialisation as the wellsprings of sexism depending on their political affiliations, and much of the science behind biological determinism is given the once over and gently dismantled.
The book ends with a call to action which highlights 10 projects that are all making some kind of contribution to the development of sex equality and invites our participation.
I hope that this book gets widely read, and that it travels beyond feminist circles to stir the better nature of a much wider demographic to action.Review of “Living Dolls, The Return of Sexism”
Kristal’s Review:
As Mike writes below I was asked to review this book following a fairly heated debate on Culture Vultures about the lap dancing scene in Leeds. Without wanting to go over old ground my opinion on this is that I don’t like lap dancing clubs, I think men who go to them have a very shallow level of respect for women and I think the girls who dance in this kind of club are far from being empowered.
Needless to say I couldn’t wait to get into the book. We begin with an exploration of some of the scientific studies conducted around biological determinism as Walter seeks to route her ‘Doll’ concept and societies proliferation of gender pre-requisites in generally accepted (however albeit questionable) scientific and psychological studies. I particularly enjoyed her deconstruction of the neuro scientific research conducted to explain why girls like pink and boys like blue. Amusing that the marketeers at Barbie used this as a way to justify the hyper sexual vision of Barbie and as to why the Barbie Princess range was so successful. After all, little girls by virtue of their biology want to be princesses right? I wonder who paid for this research?
Chapter 2, Pole-dancers and prostitutes, made for a troubling read. Here Walter explores first hand experiences of girls who work as lap-dancers and prostitutes, how it affects them in terms of their self esteem and how unregulated and dangerous the industry is as a whole. The female experience in this chapter is sharply contrasted with what can only be described as a typical male (I hasten to point out not all male) attitude in society today, that ‘no stag night would be complete without a lap-dancing club’. As Walter rightly points out this kind of club is now just seen as a cheeky part of the entertainment industry, a bit of fun for a night out with the lads. She contrasts this viewpoint effectively with the shocking reality, and research, that shows that more often than not the ‘don’t touch rule’ is largely ignored in lap-dancing clubs. As ‘Ellie’ points out in this chapter it’s all part of the game, the allure of the stripper and that lap-dancing clubs are really a straightforward route to prostitution for many. What I find most poignant about this is that many of the men who I know go to lap-dancing clubs would never admit, or one hopes, visit a prostitute, and yet lap-dancing clubs are seen as socially acceptable.
Walter finishes the first half of the book with a chapter on ‘Choices’ in which she explores the concept that our ‘highly sexualised culture is tolerated and even celebrated because it rests on the illusion of equality’. I think Walters is bang on the money here. All of the evidence shows us that equality for women, particularly in the work place, politics etc is not living up to the dream that feminists, particularly in the 70’s held for the modern woman. I think the illusion of equality is the basis of the lie we tell ourselves as a society as to why lap-dancing clubs and the hyper sexualisation of women are acceptable, and now very much mainstream. When I ask men how they feel about the women in these clubs I get standard responses, ‘she enjoys it’, ‘she has all the power’, ‘it’s harmless fun’, ‘my wife doesn’t mind, ‘she earns good money’.
Walter ends the book with a call to action to bring about ‘Changes’. I find this admirable and gives a sense of purpose to her book. However this also left me feeling a little, well out of sorts. What do we do as a society about our little girls growing up and aspiring to become nothing more than living dolls? How many fathers who visit lap-dancing clubs etc can justify to their little girls why this is not an acceptable career choice for them when they spout out arguments like I highlight above? Surely we need positive, strong female role models that achieve at an academic, professional even charitable level? Seemingly though unless these women are also pretty pleasant on the eye the media pays them little attention. You ask most little girls under the age of 15 what they want to be when they grow up and a very large number will say ‘I want to be famous’ ‘like Jordan’, even worse a footballers wife. Even entering into a slightly feminist argument within the work place, in my experience, will get you shot down and is viewed negatively, even by fellow women, you know why? Because feminism isn’t cool anymore, we have sexual equality right? Or have we all just believed the lie that sexism ever went away in the first place?
What I am less concerned about, and is a core theme of the book, is women embracing, even socially constructed, preconceived feminine appearances and norms. I enjoy wearing pink, like nice clothes and doing my hair/make up makes me feel good about myself and boosts my confidence. I use my femininity to my advantage, after all why should I act like a man in order to be successful in life? But so what! The more troubling discussion here is about how lap-dancing, stripping and prostitution have been glamourised by society, leading to female abuse, a rise in sexual assaults in close proximity to venues and is seen as a viable career choice by many women.
If I had a daughter I would buy her this book, hell actually scrap that, this book is for everyone. I think we should re-evaluate why sexual exploitation has become so mainstream and acceptable in our society. Ultimately this will effect future generations like never before with our ready access to media in all its forms, and societies endless need to consume everything. Walter finishes the book by discussing the feminist dream that men and women will one day be able to ‘work and love side by side, freely, without the constraints of restrictive traditions’. I would say that until as a society we stop believing that we are anywhere closer to equality between the sexes this dream is a long way off.
I think the book is good, but I’m still amazed it’s an argument that needs to be made. If I was 17 today I would be – ahem – pleasantly surprised that women have come to believe that their liberation lies in being what every 17-year-old boy wants them to be. Obviously, if women really do want to dress like Barbie and provide oral sex on demand, that’s fine, but the little I know about the women I admire doesn’t support that premise. Germaine Greer has expressed some regret about the coincidence of the sexual revolution with feminism and how a few things might have got mixed up amid all that ‘free love’.
But there is a weakness: Walters is stymied by her liberalism, which is why the wider argument about the objectification of women is not as strong as the more specific one about prostitution: she just can’t bring herself to say that women are making bad choices when they dress in ways that – to male eyes – advertise their sexual availability.
Last night I was out in Headingley (for the cricket) and was confronted by acres of beautiful young flesh. I’m sure many of these young women really do believe that their display is a form of liberation. And who are we to argue? What we wear and and how we behave are a ‘text’, but the problem is that nowadays even a GCSE English student will tell you that the author no longer has any control over the meaning of the texts they produce. What does it mean when a Muslim woman wears the veil? Is her dress a sign of patriarchy and misogyny or of freedom from those things? Who decides the meaning of what we wear?
It’s why I’m mystified by the Slutwalk movement. Yes, of course women should refuse to be blamed for sexual assault, but why celebrate dressing and behaving in precisely the ways men (and the tabloid newspapers as well, for that matter) WANT you to dress and behave?
I’m mystified that these clubs have become acceptable. I have never been to one, but when I look inside myself the parts of me (pardon the pun) that would enjoy paying for a woman to be my sex slave are not parts that I want to encourage. Are we really so in thrall to liberalism (as the previous Labour government clearly was) that we are unable to say that this freedom needs to be restricted for the wider good of society?
I hope the council can come up with a better story for Leeds than, ‘come and shop, go clubbing and then end up stuffing money down a stripper’s pants.’
I look forward to Reg Bailey’s report on the sexualisation of childhood on Monday. Labour had three similar reports over the years, and I don’t know of any piece of legislation that resulted. Maybe the Tories will do better in this area?
Interesting that when the Unions start to work within the law to organise industrial action in pursuit of their goals, the Government starts to talk about changing the law. When editors, programme makers, advertisers and pornographers start to work at the edges of the law for their own commercial gain the government stays quiet.
Perhaps the sole criterion being used here is Gross Value Added. As long as it makes a few bob its fine.
I didn’t like Living Dolls much.
I thought the parts that show how psychology is ‘gendered’ and presents an ‘essentialist’ view of male/female girls/boys was good.
But the bits these reviews focus on, about the sex industry I found unconvincing and part of the current feminist dogma which is anti-sex industry and particularly anti-sex workers.
Some women who work as lap dancers/strippers actually enjoy their work!
Capitalism is exploitative. Why sex work is taken as an example of the most exploitative work is complex. It has to do with how feminists like to demonise the men who are clients of the sex industry, and to turn the women who work in it into ‘victims’ of a predatory male sexuality. This relates to feminism’s ‘essentialist’ views on men and women. It therefore contradicts Walters’ own arguments about the construction of gender!