Although sexual liberation for women is not a new concept, recently it has been swarming popular culture more than ever. Social networking sites such as Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and others have become a platform for what is referred to as the “Pro-Hoe” movement. Celebrities with a significant following have recently gotten on board as well. Beyonce, who is one of the most influential artists of all time ( don’t argue with me) broke the internet when she released her 2014 self-titled and highly controversial album Beyonce. What was so controversial about it? The album featured many sexual explicit lyrics, a complete 360 from 2001 “Nasty Girl” Beyonce.
Nasty Girl- Destiny’s Child:
Shakin’ that thang on that man, lookin’ all stank and nasty
Swore you look cute girl in them dukes, booty all out lookin’ trashy
Sleazy put some clothes on, I told ya
Don’t walk out ya heezy without clothes on, I told ya
You nasty girl, you nasty you trashy
You classless girl, you sleazy you freaky
Lyrics from Partition (Beyonce)
Now my mascara running, red lipstick smudged
Oh he so horny, yeah he want to fuck
He popped all my buttons, and he ripped my blouse
He Monica Lewinsky-ed all on my gown
At the time that Nasty Girl was released, Beyonce was only 20 years old, which may have played a part in her choice of lyrics for the song. Partion was released when Beyonce was 33 years old. Personally, I believe that as we mature, our mindsets change. Why is this though?
From a young age, girls are taught that the way to get a guy is to play hard to get. “Guys want what they can’t have.” Therefore as they get older, that becomes the standard for what is acceptable. The girl with the least amount of partners= marriage material. The whole “virgin=purity” concept is socially constructed. More than an “acceptable” number of partners= no self respect. I put the word acceptable in quotation marks because is there really a such thing as a number that automatically means a woman has no respect? Self respect simply means having pride and confidence in oneself. With that being said, who am I to tell anyone else how much respect they have for themselves? Sure there are women who use sex to cope with internal issues, but what about the women who just enjoy the act?
“Oh, she engages in casual sex so there is no way she loves herself, she must have low self esteem.”
Looking at it from a realistic standpoint, women desire sex. Although scientifically speaking men have higher sex drives, women still desire sex. My only question is: Why is that such a hard concept for society to grasp? Why was the entire world so amazed at Beyoncé being so open about her sexuality? I’ll tell you what I personally believe is the answer. One example would be the “Rihanna vs Beyoncé” debate. Beyoncé is looked at as the “good girl” . . .married and fairly private (for an entertainer), while Rihanna is the “hoe who is trying to hard to act like a man”. Why? Rihanna’s contribution to the music industry defies traditional gender roles. Of course she is not the first female to express her sexuality, however, she is one of the first with an extremely large following to do so. Between her “risqué” clothing and explicit lyrics, Rihanna is definitely one of the biggest faces of this Third Wave of Feminism.
Lyrics from Needed Me-Rihanna
“You was good on the low for a faded fuck, on some faded love. Don’t get it twisted, you was just another nigga on the hit list.”
Whether we like to admit it or not, the fight for equality between men and women hasn’t made as much progress as we think. There are still several people with the traditional values that women can either be smart or sexual, no in between.
“Be more like Ayesha Curry and less like Amber Rose.”
What exactly makes Amber Rose worth less than Ayesha Curry? She’s a published author, actress, as well as an anti-rape activist. In what biology textbook does it say “If a woman likes sex, she can’t be successful”?
Bottom line, there’s nothing wrong with a woman liking sex, casual or not.
K.I.W.K 