New Millennial Sexstyles

New Millennial Sexstyles

Carol Siegel

Sexualradicalism in contemporary American culture.

New MillennialSexstyles questions the twin feminist orthodoxies that the 1960s sexual revolutionfailed women and that the sexual attitudes most prominent in current youth culturesare deplorably regressive. Comparing the American sexscape she inhabits to thevision of contemporary culture produced by feminist theorists, Carol Siegelconsiders whether the sexual revolution may have

succeeded, but in ways notrecognized by current academic studies of gender and sexuality. In discouragingundomesticated heterosexuality, academic feminism ignores the connection betweenmainstream opposition to all unrestrained sexual expression and the growth of newforms of homophobia in our times. At the same time, the youth subcultures'challenges to these views of sexuality and gender have been dismissed asinsignificant, or misunderstood as sexist. In this book, they receive morerespectful attention. Siegel draws on her own experience as a college student tocreate a personal history of academic feminism's early sympathy with bourgeoisvalues. She looks at the development of American sex advice literature and at thereception of such transgressive

popular films as Basic Instinct, Thelmaand Louise, and Natural Born Killers to demonstrate that the most profoundlycapitalist feminist theories have always been the most culturally authoritative. Amore encouraging vision emerges in the book's second half, where a record ofconversations about sex and gender with young people, and of their responses toproducts designed for their

consumption, takes the reader through some oftoday's most radical youth cultures and suggests new directions for genderstudies.

Carol Siegel is Associate Professor of English andCultural Studies at Washington State University, Vancouver. She is author ofLawrence among the Women: Wavering Boundaries in Women's Literary Traditions, MaleMasochism: Modern Revisions of the Story of Love, and various articles on Modernistand Victorian literature, gender theory, film, and rock music. She also coedits thejournals Genders andRhizomes.

Contents

Introduction

Part One: Styling Love: Feminism, Love, and Realism

Nonsense Terminable andInterminable

Horizon Visions and Unchained Melodies

Part Two: Millennial Sexstyles: The Violent Bear It Away

Glass Slipper Boys, RubySlipper Girls

Closer to Gender Chaos

AlternativeWomen

Conclusion

New Millennial Sexstyles questions the twin feminist orthodoxies that the 1960s sexual revolution failed women and that the sexual attitudes most prominent in current youth cultures are deplorably regressive. Comparing the American sexscape she inhabits to the vision of contemporary culture produced by feminist theorists, Carol Siegel considers whether the sexual revolution may have succeeded, but in ways not recognized by current academic studies of gender and sexuality. In discouraging undomesticated heterosexuality, academic feminism ignores the connection between mainstream opposition to all unrestrained sexual expression and the growth of new forms of homophobia in our times. At the same time, the youth subcultures' challenges to these views of sexuality and gender have been dismissed as insignificant, or misunderstood as sexist. In this book, they receive more respectful attention. Siegel draws on her own experience as a college student to create a personal history of academic feminism's early sympathy with bourgeois values. She looks at the development of American sex advice literature and at the reception of such "transgressive" popular films as Basic Instinct, Thelma and Louise, and Natural Born Killers to demonstrate that the most profoundly capitalist feminist theories have always been the most culturally authoritative. A more encouraging vision emerges in the book's second half, where a record of conversations about sex and gender with young people, and of their responses to products designed for their consumption, takes the reader through some of today's most radical youth cultures and suggests new directions for gender studies.

New Millennial SexstylesCarol Siegel

Sexual radicalismin contemporary American culture.

New Millennial Sexstylesquestions the twin feminist orthodoxies that the 1960s sexual revolution failedwomen and that the sexual attitudes most prominent in current youth cultures aredeplorably regressive. Comparing the American sexscape she inhabits to the vision ofcontemporary culture produced by feminist theorists, Carol Siegel considers whetherthe sexual revolution may havesucceeded, but in ways not recognized by currentacademic studies of gender and sexuality. In discouraging undomesticatedheterosexuality, academic feminism ignores the connection between mainstreamopposition to all unrestrained sexual expression and the growth of new forms ofhomophobia in our times. At the same time, the youth subcultures' challenges tothese views of sexuality and gender have been dismissed as insignificant, ormisunderstood as sexist. In this book, they receive more respectful attention.Siegel draws on her own experience as a college student to create a personal historyof academic feminism's early sympathy with bourgeois values. She looks at thedevelopment of American sex advice literature and at the reception of suchtransgressivepopular films as Basic Instinct, Thelma and Louise, and Natural BornKillers to demonstrate that the most profoundly capitalist feminist theories havealways been the most culturally authoritative. A more encouraging vision emerges inthe book's second half, where a record of conversations about sex and gender withyoung people, and of their responses to products designed for theirconsumption, takes the reader through some of today's most radical youth cultures and suggestsnew directions for gender studies.

Carol Siegel is AssociateProfessor of English and Cultural Studies at Washington State University, Vancouver.She is author of Lawrence among the Women: Wavering Boundaries in Women's LiteraryTraditions, Male Masochism: Modern Revisions of the Story of Love, and variousarticles on Modernist and Victorian literature, gender theory, film, and rock music.She also coedits the journals Genders andRhizomes.

ContentsIntroductionPart One: Styling Love: Feminism, Love, and RealismNonsense Terminable and InterminableHorizon Visions and UnchainedMelodiesPart Two: Millennial Sexstyles: The Violent Bear It AwayGlass Slipper Boys, Ruby Slipper GirlsCloser to Gender ChaosAlternative WomenConclusion

Carol Siegel is Associate Professor of English and Cultural Studies at Washington State University, Vancouver. She is author of Lawrence among the Women: Wavering Boundaries in Women's Literary Traditions, Male Masochism: Modern Revisions of the Story of Love, and various articles on Modernist and Victorian literature, gender theory, film, and rock music. She also coedits the journals Genders and Rhizomes.

Contents

Introduction

Part One: Styling Love: Feminism, Love, and Realism

Nonsense Terminable and Interminable

Horizon Visions and Unchained Melodies

Part Two: Millennial Sexstyles: The Violent Bear It Away

Glass Slipper Boys, Ruby Slipper Girls

"Closer" to Gender Chaos

Alternative Women

Conclusion