Some Thoughts

A nice read. Illustrates how both males and females are harmed by society's dominant archetypes.

This may seem tangential to us personally (though many of us don't adhere to the standards of masculinity), I feel that it is related to sexuality. Much like masculinity is upheld through the shaming of those who deviate, so too are children caught expressing sexuality taught to be ashamed of themselves.

Is it any wonder that children in sexual relationships with adults can develop mental issues later on? They are awakened (or awaken themselves) to something beautiful only to have it drummed into their heads that the a person who they loved is actually evil, and that an act they enjoyed was wrong.

And what of parents? Parents and children, and especially teenagers, may have trouble communicating on various issues, but what's the one issue on which communication is nearly non-existent? Sexuality. Body shame feeds directly into the walls between the generations. These communication barriers hinder the building of a trustful parent-child relationship. The child learns early to hide things from their parents; as interest in the sexual increases, so does this hiding. I suppose you could argue that learning deception builds individuality, but I think there are better ways to gain individuality than trying to make sure your parents don't know you touch yourself.

Sorry for rambling, but that's what this article made me think about. Patriarchy is bad for everyone, but so is the suppression of sexuality that it often accompanies.