Today’s women seem to show more interest in looking at other women then looking at men. What sense does this make? Here are 5 rarely considered reasons why the majority of heterosexual women have yet to show interest in seeing the male body and why it’s time for change.
1. Men have money, women want money. Traditionally, women relied on men’s support for their very survival. Because of this, women’s efforts were best spent 1)increasing their own desirability, 2)comparing themselves to other women of desire in order to successfully compete for men, and 3)to avoid doing or saying anything that would make them less desirable to men. In today’s world, women are educated, have careers, have the ability to support themselves, and can be just as independent as men, and many are.
2. Men have more physical strength. Historically, women put themselves in danger if they didn’t conform to what men wanted, because physical strength was necessary for survival. Now we have laws in place to protect women from rape and other forms of violence, and there’s a strong social stigma attached to violating those laws. In countries without these protections for women, it is extremely dangerous for women to rebel against men’s preferences. Even today, women are stoned to death for violating sexual norms. In parts of the Middle East, it’s considered acceptable to kill a female rape victim, because the victim is viewed to have disgraced the family by her rape. Men don’t fear being physically harmed by women they stare at, harass, or come on to. Women have more reason for concern.
3. Women are primary caretakers of children. While women were stuck at home with children, they did not have the opportunity, time, money, or independence to pursue their own interests. Now women have birth control, have fewer children, later in life, and men’s and women’s responsibilities for childrearing are becoming more equal.
4. Men have the power. Men still have the majority of socio economic and political power. As a result, women have been quick to conform to men’s desires. Few women who gain power have brought other women up with them, and as with anything, people are slow to change. Even today, women have few opportunities to develop the habits of viewing men sexually.
5.Shame if a strong deterrent. Historically, paternity testing did not exist and men wanted to ensure they were the biological fathers of the children they were supporting. This is why the sexual double standard came into existence. Even today, men feel much more secure when their woman is thinking about them, love, kids, cooking, and cleaning, then lusting for others. Women are socialized to feel shameful for having impure thoughts. Although women would also feel more secure if their men had similar devotion and focus, women are told, men can’t help it, it’s the way they’re made. After all, there has to be some explanation for the existence of the sexual double standard.
