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assignment 06

Feminist theory targets gender inequality, and narrows in on discrimination, oppression, and sexual objectification. Adrienne Rich argues that heterosexuality is institutionalized, and in the examples she introduces in her work, she believes the view of female homosexuals are bias, and looked at as abnormal. Assuming in a sense that lesbians are just spiteful and resentful towards men, so that explains why they prefer other women, which is false. Therefore in this article it is shown that women choosing other women as their lovers/ partners is suppressed and greatly  discredited.

She argues that their is a lack of understanding of gender equality in literature, not enough texts exist on lesbians precisely, yet heterosexual romance is shown all over in films, books, and even art. There is the demolition of documents focused on lesbians specifically, and undercover messages showing that cruel heterosexuality is normal rather than sexual attractiveness between two women. Rich claims that in society heterosexuality is some what forced on women due to male domination. Women were overpowered, and discriminated against professionally in the work place, with no education, they were poorly paid, men controlled childbirth, abortion, and contraception along with physical sexual harassment such as rape. Being exposed to chastity belts, child marriage, arranged marriages, and even brutal surgeries (clitoridectomy) where the clitoris is cut to make a female more “marriageable” and making sure that female sexual relations will be cut out is also a sign of male domination. Feminists viewed this as female torture.

Men were economically powerful, so for women to keep their service jobs being sexualized came along with it, they would have to look a certain way, purposely promoting sexual attractiveness for men so they can keep their jobs. Women were automatically considered “dried up” lesbian, or sexless if they happen to withstand these sexual approaches on the job. I agree this is form of female enslavement, as well as female torture because a lesbian women would have to actually deny her true relationship with another women, pretending to be heterosexual although she might not have been, in order to maintain her employment. Dressing up and playing the ‘feminine’ role she then was considered a real women. These women were put under certain pressures, forced conditions, and continuously endured exploitation…. because they simply had to. Rich shows in her article that heterosexuality is indeed institutionalized.