''Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture'' is a 2005 book by Ariel Levy that critiques the highly sexualized

American culture The culture of the United States of America is primarily of Western, and European origin, yet its influences includes the cultures of Asian American, African American, Latin American, and Native American peoples and their cultures. The U ...

in which women are

objectified ''Objectified'' is a feature-length documentary film examining the role of everyday non-living objects, and the people who design them, in our daily lives. The film is directed by Gary Hustwit. ''Objectified'' premiered at the South By Southwest ...

, objectify one another, and are encouraged to objectify themselves. Levy refers to this as "raunch culture".

Background

According to Levy, raunch culture is a product of the unresolved

feminist sex wars The feminist sex wars, also known as the lesbian sex wars, or simply the sex wars or porn wars, are terms used to refer to collective debates amongst feminists regarding a number of issues broadly relating to sexuality and sexual activity. Diff ...

– the conflict between the

women's movement The feminist movement (also known as the women's movement, or feminism) refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality between men and women. Such is ...

and the

sexual revolution The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the United States and the developed world from the 1 ...

.Levy 2005, p. 74. Another source places the beginnings of raunch culture in the

permissive society A permissive society, also referred to as permissive culture, is a society in which some social norms become increasingly liberal, especially with regard to sexual freedom. This usually accompanies a change in what is considered deviant. While ty ...

of the 1960s, which in

postfeminist The term postfeminism (alternatively rendered as post-feminism) is used to describe reactions against contradictions and absences in feminism, especially second-wave feminism and third-wave feminism. The term ''postfeminism'' is sometimes confuse ...

perspective was less about female sexual liberation than fulfilling the male fantasy of unlimited female availability. Levy also characterizes raunch culture as a backlash against the stereotypes of "prude" and "uptight" (women) applied to many second-wave feminists (e.g.,

anti-pornography feminists Reasons for opposition to pornography include religious objections and feminist concerns (for specific sectors of feminism), as well as alleged harmful effects, such as pornography addiction. Pornography addiction is not a condition recognized ...

). Marcuse's intuition of the increased role of sexuality in advanced industrialism was increasingly confirmed by a pragmatic alliance between

neo-liberalism Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent fa ...

and the commodification of sexuality. The 1990s saw the ever-growing

sexualization Sexualization (or sexualisation) is to make something sexual in character or quality or to become aware of sexuality, especially in relation to men and women. Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification. According to the American Psychologi ...

of the media, with raunchiness emerging in the overlapping interfaces of music, TV, video, and advertising. By the close of the century, figures like

Germaine Greer Germaine Greer (; born 29 January 1939) is an Australian writer and public intellectual, regarded as one of the major voices of the radical feminist movement in the latter half of the 20th century. Specializing in English and women's literatu ...

were talking critically of

sex-positive feminism Sex-positive feminism, also known as pro-sex feminism, sex-radical feminism, or sexually liberal feminism, is a feminist movement centering on the idea that sexual freedom is an essential component of women's freedom. Sex-positive feminism cen ...

, whereby acknowledging one's inner "

slut ''Slut (archaic: slattern)'' is an English-language term for a person, usually a woman or girl, who is considered to have loose sexual morals or who is sexually promiscuous. It is usually used as an insult, sexual slur or offensive term of d ...

" (in a commodified context) was seen as an ultimate goal. Levy claims that the enjoyment of raunch, or "kitschy, slutty stereotypes of female sexuality," has existed through the ages, but it was once a phenomenon that existed primarily in the male sphere and has since become mainstream and highly visible.Levy 2005, p. 34. Raunch culture has penetrated "political life, the music industry, art, fashion, and taste."

Levy's critique of raunch culture

Citing examples ranging from

Playboy Bunny A Playboy Bunny is a waitress who works at a Playboy Club and selected through standardized training. Their costumes were made up of lingerie, inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot. This costume consisted of a strapless corset te ...

merchandise for women to the

moral panic A moral panic is a widespread feeling of fear, often an irrational one, that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society. It is "the process of arousing social concern over an issue", usua ...

of rainbow parties, Levy argues that American mass culture has framed the game so perversely that young women now strive to be the "hottest" and "sexiest" girl they know rather than the most accomplished. Although raunch culture is focused on the sex appeal of women, it is solely image-based: "It's about inauthenticity and the idea that women should be constantly exploding in little bursts of exhibitionism. It's an idea that female sexuality should be about performance and not about pleasure." Levy argues that in a raunch culture, many women engage in performances of sexuality that are not actual expressions of their sexuality but are designed for the pleasure of the male observer(s) – or appear as though they are trying to be pleasurable sex objects. Levy describes "hotness" as the degree to which someone is trying to be sexually attractive, regardless of how conventionally attractive they are. Further, Levy theorizes that many women internalize the objectifying

male gaze In feminist theory, the male gaze is the act of depicting women and the world in the visual arts and in literature from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the heteros ...

that permeates a raunch culture, leading them to participate in self-objectification quite willingly, falsely believing that it is a form of female empowerment and sexual liberation. According to Levy, there is nothing to support the "conception of raunch culture as a path to liberation rather than oppression."Levy 2005, p. 82. Others, such as

Susan Brownmiller Susan Brownmiller (born Susan Warhaftig; February 15, 1935) is an American journalist, author and feminist activist best known for her 1975 book '' Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape'', which was selected by The New York Public Library as o ...

, a well-known American feminist, journalist, author, and activist, share this opinion. Although raunch originated in the male domain, Levy claims that it "no longer makes sense to blame men." Central to Levy's analysis of raunch culture is the concept of "Female Chauvinist Pigs": women who sexually objectify other women and themselves. According to Levy, there are two strategies a Female Chauvinist Pig (FCP) employs to "deal with her femaleness."Levy 2005, p. 107. In the first strategy, an FCP distinguishes herself from women whom she deems excessively feminine ("girly-girls"), while simultaneously objectifying such women (e.g., going to strip clubs, reading Playboy, and talking about porn stars). Women may employ this strategy as an attempt to attain the elevated status of the dominant group and overcome their oppression by acting like

male chauvinist Chauvinism is the unreasonable belief in the superiority or dominance of one's own group or people, who are seen as strong and virtuous, while others are considered weak, unworthy, or inferior. It can be described as a form of extreme patriotism ...

s. In the second strategy, an FCP objectifies herself through her choice of apparel and expression of stereotypes of female sexuality. This strategy may also be employed as an attempt to gain status, through embodying what society portrays as the ideal object of male desire. Levy criticizes what she refers to as " lipstick feminists" and "

loophole A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system. Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow verti ...

women." According to Levy, lipstick feminists believe, for example, that stripping is empowering for women and that putting on a show to attract men, for instance through makeup, clothing, or

girl-on-girl Lesbian erotica deals with depictions in the visual arts of lesbianism, which is the expression of female-on-female sexuality. Lesbianism has been a theme in erotic art since at least the time of ancient Rome, and many regard depictions of lesb ...

physical contact, is not contrary to the goals and ideals of feminism. Levy disagrees with this view, criticizing such lipstick feminists as those involved in the CAKE organization, which provides sexually oriented entertainment for women. Levy quotes from the CAKE website: "The new sexual revolution is where sexual equality and feminism finally meet." On the other end of the spectrum, Levy takes issue with women who make their way in a man's world by playing by men's rules. Sometimes, she argues, these women even make their fame and fortune by objectifying other women; for example, Levy finds it interesting that the ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' organization was run by a woman,

Christie Hefner Christie Ann Hefner (born November 8, 1952) is an American businesswoman. She was chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises from 1988 to 2009, and is the daughter of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner. Early life Hefner was born in Chicago, ...

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

's daughter. Levy addresses women who succeed in male-dominated fields on their merit, but shy away from feminism, saying: "But if you are the exception that proves the rule, and the rule is that women are inferior, you haven't made any progress." Levy proposes the following as a solution: "Ending raunch culture will require citizens to scrutinise the way they regard gender. Objectification is rooted in disrespect, condescending views of the opposite gender, and power struggles. When men realise that they have the capability to fundamentally respect women, and women realise that they have the power to present themselves as empowered, fully capable people, raunch culture may moan its last and final faked orgasm."

Examples of raunch culture

''Playboy''

, an American magazine company that features photographs of nude women, was founded by

but is primarily run by women.Levy 2005, p. 35. Among these women is Hefner's daughter,

, the chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises. Brief biographies of the models sometimes accompany the images displayed in ''Playboy''; however, the focus is on the models' sexualized bodies. Not all of the women who have appeared in the magazine have careers in modeling; many are celebrities (such as singers and actresses) or athletes, for example. Female Olympic athletes, before the summer 2004 games in Athens, interrupted their busy training schedules to pose nude in ''Playboy'', or nearly nude in ''

FHM ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...

'' (''For Him Magazine'').

''The Man Show''

The Man Show ''The Man Show'' is an American comedy television show on Comedy Central that aired from 1999 to 2004. It was created in 1999 by its two original co-hosts, Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel, and their executive producer Daniel Kellison. The pilot ...

'', a variety program on Comedy Central, was initially hosted by well-known comedians and television hosts

Jimmy Kimmel James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the host and executive producer of ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-night talk show that premiered on ABC on January 26, 2003, ...

and

Adam Carolla Adam Carolla (born May 27, 1964) is an American radio personality, comedian, actor and podcaster. He hosts '' The Adam Carolla Show'', a talk show distributed as a podcast which set the record as the "most downloaded podcast" as judged by ''Guin ...

and was one of the top shows on cable in 2000.Levy 2005, p. 112. In the same year, thirty-eight percent of the viewers were female, and it was executive co-produced by two women. The show presents women as sexual objects, is self-described as "chauvinistic fun," and concludes each episode with a scene of women bouncing on trampolines. Levy reports that although women involved with ''The Man Show'' are sexualized because of their gender, they are also told that they have temporary "

honorary man An honorary male or honorary man is a woman who is accorded the status of a man without disrupting the patriarchal status quo. Ancient Egypt Queen Hatshepsut was the first female ruler of ancient Egypt after Sobekneferu to act as a full phara ...

" status.Levy 2005, p. 113. According to executive co-producer Jennifer Heftler, this status as "one of the guys" is an advantage of her job, in that it meant that she would no longer have to prove herself as a woman who is not excessively feminine or easily offended, and is thus relatable to men. Heftler posits that this advantage is also the female viewers' incentive for watching ''The Man Show''.

''Girls Gone Wild''

The '' Girls Gone Wild'' (GGW) team tours locations where numerous young people are likely to be drinking large quantities of alcohol – spring break destinations, sports bars,

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

, and "hard-partying colleges" – filming young women who are willing to expose their bodies on camera. Levy found that many women who appeared on GGW were eager to display their bodies for a GGW hat or T-shirt, while others did not immediately comply with the cajoling of peers or the crew, but eventually relented.

Stripping

Levy, along with many feminists, perceives stripping as a perpetuation of the objectification of women, valuable only for its potential to serve as necessary income. The author discusses the contrasting view, prevalent in raunch culture, in which stripping is idealized and conceptualized as liberating and empowering by numerous women, including feminists. As examples of this, Levy mentions "Cardio Striptease" classes (workouts in lingerie), as well as ''G-String Divas'', a television show about strippers which was executive produced by

Sheila Nevins Sheila Nevins (born April 6, 1939) is an American television producer and head of MTV Documentary Films division of MTV Studios. Previously, Nevins was the President of HBO Documentary Films. She has produced over 1,000 documentary films for HB ...

, feminist and well-known veteran of HBO.

CAKE

CAKE is a feminist group concerned with women's sexuality in terms of liberation and self-expression. While the organization encourages women to explore their sexuality, the parties themselves have the appearance of an average strip club. According to Levy, pornography and objectification of women are prevalent at CAKE parties and events.Levy 2005, p. 81.

References

Notes

:1.Levy quotes the origin of the term "loophole women" as -

External links

Jess Moore, 'Raunch culture, sex and sexuality'
2005 non-fiction books Feminist books Sexualization Chauvinism