| Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Ariel Levy |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Pop culture |
| Publisher | Free Press |
| Publication date | August 2005 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 240 |
| ISBN | 0743249895 |
| Preceded by | None |
| Followed by | None |
Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture[1] (2005) is a book by Ariel Levy which critiques modern feminist culture in the United States and elsewhere.
Levy argues that America is a sex obsessed culture that objectifies women and encourages women to objectify themselves.[2] Citing examples ranging from the fad of Playboy Bunny merchandise for women to the moral panic of rainbow parties, Levy argues that American mass culture has framed the game so perversely that young women now strive to be the "hottest" and "sexiest" girl they know rather than the most accomplished.[3] She traces the history of this trend to long-unresolved conflicts between the women's movement and the sexual revolution.[4]
Levy criticizes what she refers to as "lipstick feminists" and "loophole women". According to Levy, lipstick feminists believe, for example, that stripping is empowering for women and that putting on a show to attract men, for instance through makeup, clothing, or girl-on-girl physical contact, is not contrary to the goals and ideals of feminism. Levy disagrees with this view, criticizing such lipstick feminists as those involved in the CAKE organization, which provides sexually-oriented entertainment for women.[5] Levy quotes from the CAKE website: "The new sexual revolution is where sexual equality and feminism finally meet."[6]
On the other end of the spectrum, Levy takes issue with women who make their way in a man's world by playing by men's rules. Sometimes, she argues, these women even make their fame and fortune by objectifying other women; for example, Levy finds it interesting that the Playboy organization was run by a woman, Christie Hefner, Hugh Hefner's daughter.
Levy addresses those women who make their way in their fields on their own merit, but shy away from feminism, saying: "But if you are the exception that proves the rule, and the rule is that women are inferior, you haven't made any progress."[7]