iLiza's eyes

The person who lived here before me subscribed to Victoria's Secret catalogue. For some reason, I've always loved that catalogue even though I've never bought anything from it and I rarely buy from Victoria's Secret. It's still really fun to look at--probably because you can fantasize as you look at the beautiful girls in clothing that fits perfectly, in bras and panties that are just the epitome of sexy. I think think that girls probably fantasize looking at that catologue even more than guy: from the material want of the clothes, but more from the longing to be like those girls.

I was flipping through the magazine this morning, and I was doing my fantasizing. I didn't even realize I was doing it until I turned all feminist on the magazine. I thought to myself: Wow, look how far we've come in 100 years. This magazine would have been completely unacceptable, offensive and un-ladylike in the early 1900s. Women practically naked, radiating sexuality? No, that would never have passed.

It's funny though: that feminism is so fake. No, I dont' mean fake in the way that "The models are so skinny, real girls don't look like that," I mean fake in terms of sexuality.

I mean, seriously, let's look at them. They exude sexiness, but do they exude sex? As a girl, can you really picture a guy slamming one of those girls against a wall and really banging the shit out of her? Can you imagine their perfect hair getting all matted down by sweat? Their underwear on the floor and not perfectly arranged around their hips?

I can't. And I can't because those magazines create this look-don't-touch screen of femininity. They frame women in the way we've always been framed: as sexual objects who, regardless of what we're wearing or not wearing, are supposed to preserve our chastity and our dignity by NOT having sex. We're supposed to be sexy but not act on it and not let men act on it either. Beauty and sex-appeal are a necessity, but sex is taboo and disgusting.

And that's how it's always been. Or rather, that's the new sense of how it's supposed to be. Girls are supposed to be sexy like that, and make guys want them, but they're not supposed to have sex. Girls need to make guys want them, but they're also supposed to stop the advances of the men who persue them. What a twisted concept of sexuality. What an underhanded way of controlling women.

Well, the best part of my story is my goofy reaction it all. I was leafing through the back pages of the magazine, where all the clothes are. I was still oogling over these hot girls and their clothes and how much I wanted it all. And then I got to the last two pages and as I was finishing up the magazine, I literally said outloud: "Eh, I'd rather travel."

I left the magazine out in the kitchen in case a roommate wanted to look at it. But I'm not going to pick it up again.

posted by iliza @ 10:17 AM