“No Sex Please, We’Re Middle Class” Article Review
In her “No Sex Please, We’Re Middle Class” article, Camille Paglia explores the reasons behind decreased libido of modern American women. She argues that the issue is not of medical nature, but rather caused by socio-cultural and economic factors. Paglia compares media representation of women and sex in the 60s and modern day; views on working conditions, lifestyle, and human bodies. As the result, she concludes that present day media fail to explore psychological complexity or erotic needs of women. Women themselves have the same social and economic functions as men do, which results in loss of number gender features. Additionally, Paglia claims that lifestyle of modern men does not make them attractive.
I agree that decreased libido is a real issue in the contemporary American society and that it cannot be solved with medical substances. However, I do not share the overall negative view on the situation. It is obvious that Camille Paglia is not a big fan of the modern culture. However, at the beginning of the article, she claims that the roots of the problem lie in the late nineteenth century bourgeois propriety. Censorship, repressions, and middle-class values are opposed to 60s sexual revolution, which she describes as “return to the norm”. Thus, she believes that modern culture is another deviation of female (and, apparently, male) sexuality. I strongly disagree with this claim. In my point of view, throughout twentieth and twenty-first-centuries American society was shifting from the nineteenth-century ideals towards ideas of equality and personal independence. I believe that modern society, which still has a number of serious issues, gives people more freedom in expressing their sexuality and making decisions about their sexual life. Hence the seemingly decreased female libido, women prefer to explore the world and fulfill their ambitions. Indeed, the author does not mention any study that would indicate the modern day issue or the situation in nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This makes me wonder whether women used to have higher libido, or simply were forced into sexual relations despite their will. I believe that the author's view is biased with her 60s nostalgia and does not consider possible alternatives to her view of the issue.
Works Cited
Paglia, Camille. No Sex Please, We’Re Middle Class. …
