Sexuality: The Dominate Male Power

Sexuality is something we are not used to talking about but it is part of everyone's everyday experience and it influences the way people act towards others. In most cases sexuality is the underlying factor for sexual arousal. But before that, sexuality can serve to identify someone as beautiful and attractive because it sparks something inside us that makes us want to be with the other person. But, as highlighted by Catherine A. McKinnon author of of Sexuality, sexuality also has a negative effect because it is a product of male dominance. Sexuality, in this sense, is an oppressive tool used to place the male on top of the social hierarchy. We are so accustomed to this version of sexuality because it has been taught to us from a very young age. The movie Pretty Woman (1990), is one such movie that highlights the established male and female roles, the negative view it holds on women prostitutes, and the narrative of the wealthy elite saving a woman prostitute from a horrible life.

In the movie Pretty Woman, Mr. Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) needs an escort for a social event and hires Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) and by the end of the movie they fall in love and live happily ever after. First of all, lets address the male and female roles that are used to categorize male constructed sexuality. McKinnon says, "the male sexual role... centers on aggressive intrusion on those with less power" (127). Mr. Lewis drives up in a grey 1989 Lotus Esprit SE (if you do not know it is a very expensive sports car for that time) to a really bad part of the city, most likely the "ghetto," where there are women lined up displaying their bodies and services. Ms. Ward is first seen having a pep talk by her friend and then takes off her red jacket to display her body as she walks towards Mr. Lewis' sports car; where they negotiate. This behavior is all for the male power. Mr. Lewis is wealthy not rich, he has the contacts to acquire a beautiful escort but he goes to the ghetto to find someone "different." In addition, Mr. Lewis parked ten feet or more ahead of Ms. Ward, making her walk towards him. Both of these aspects are putting male dominance on a pedestal by Mr. Lewis, the wealthy male, as the shot caller and Ms. Ward as the female servant.

In the movie, Ms. Ward represents a male constructed type of woman that men have created for his pleasure. To name a few, Ms. Ward is snappy, venturous, strong but also in need of someone, lost, and unhappy. This characterization of Ms. Ward is oppressive to females. McKinnon says, "men author scripts to their own advantage, women and men act them out; that men set conditions, women and men have their behavior conditioned" (128). Just like in the movie, Ms. Ward and Mr. Lewis are playing certain roles that were constructed even before him. Ms. Ward believes she has to act like this in order to portray the female prostitute and Mr. Lewis believes that he has to act that way in order to portray himself as of that class. So, what we have here are male constructs oppressing the female. This sexual construct does not only play in the client-prostitute formate but also in everyday experience. The man of the house is suppose to be the provider for the household is another one of these constructs commonly known to most of us.

This leads to the third factor occurring in the movie. The narrative of the wealthy elite saving a woman prostitute from a horrible life. This resembles everyday experience because the male is suppose to be the provider and keeper for the female since "the female cannot take care of herself" and when the dominate male experiences an independent dominate female, he gets scared and fears the uncontrolled. This is seen in gender inequality, males are afraid of the unknown and uncontrolled. However, in the movie Mr. Lewis and Ms. Ward fall in love. How is it possible for two people of the opposite socioeconomic status find each other in a street corner and fall in love? This does not happen everyday and it resembles the whole prince charming story. The prince somehow overcomes horrible obstacles to climb up the tower to rescue the beautiful (actually good) woman. This prince charming story is overplayed in our everyday lives and we do not acknowledge it but it plays a tremendous influence. The sexual role of Mr. Lewis is the dominate savior of the the fragile lost Ms. Ward.

As seen sexuality has been used as a tool for male power. It has been taught to us from a very young age and it is part of us. But what can we do to change this? Why can we not depart from this way of thinking? Is it just natural for us to separate ourselves? Hopefully one day we can truly be equal.