Title:
Sexed up : how society sexualizes us, and how we can fight back
Author:
Edition:
First edition.
Publication Date:
2022
Publication Information:
New York, NY : Seal Press, 2022.
©2022
Physical Description:
vii, 309 pages ; 25 cm
ISBN:
9781541674806
Abstract:
We tend to think of sexualization-that is, when people are reduced to their sexual bodies-as an issue that only affects women. But, as Serano reveals, society sexualizes everyone along dehumanizing double standards, to disastrous effects. She shows how a predator-and-prey dynamic leads straight men to both admire and deride their partners, how bisexuals are stereotyped as "greedy," and how trans people are maligned as "entrappers" of cisgender people. Along the way, she unpacks why queerness is thought of as contagious, how people of color are sexualized to justify violence against them, and more broadly, how sexualization harms us all. Julia Serano confronts these arbitrary social rules, showing us that they're not natural or innate but instead are constructed. She then reveals powerful new ways to resist, by affirming consent and redefining courtship, so that we can forge life-affirming values for future generations.
Contents:
The two filing cabinets in our minds -- Opposites -- Unwanted attention -- The predator/prey mindset -- Confused sluts -- Sexualization, objectification, and stigma -- Intersectionality and hypersexualization -- Queer as a three dollar bill -- You make me sick -- Fantasies and hierarchies -- Rethinking sex and challenging sexualization.
Language:
English