Publisher's Synopsis
Chances are that you are getting it all wrong.
In this eye-opening new work, slut-shaming expert Leora Tanenbaum explains that when we criticize young women for wearing body-revealing outfits and sharing sexy selfies, we are losing the plot. The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to. Tanenbaum created a safe space for young women and nonbinary people to speak with brutal candor about their decisions. She shares how they cope with the theft of their bodily autonomy in person and online. Young people are fed up with being held responsible for others' inability to keep their eyes off their bodies. They explain that most of the time, they aren't even trying to sexualize themselves--and, when they do, they are taking control over their bodily autonomy and standing up for themselves. Beginning in childhood, women of all racial and ethnic identities are relentlessly sexualized against their will. This sexualization occurs with:
- Gendered dress codes, which allow teachers and administrators to scrutinize and comment on girls' bodies;
- Nonconsensual sharing of intimate images ("revenge porn" and "deepfakes"), which portray girls and women as sexual objects deserving of public humiliation;
- The aftermath of sexual harassment and assault, when victims are told--still today, even after #MeToo--that they were "asking for it."
Tanenbaum demonstrates that "sexy" does not mean "inviting sex," and that when young women and nonbinary people embrace a sexualized aesthetic or post sexy pictures, they do so on their own terms. There's nothing wrong with taking and sharing intimate pictures. There's nothing wrong with feeling good about one's body. Everyone should be able to shape and share their image on their own terms. If you like cultural criticism that supports women of all identities, then you'll love Sexy Selfie Nation.
