When You Look at Women, What Do You See?
Social media, Twitter specifically, caught my attention in two ways recently on issues related to #MeToo: sexual assault and men’s treatment of women.
Let’s start with this Tweet by Teen Vogue reporter Vera Papisova.
Much of what encompasses #MeToo and reaction to it is complex, deeply interweaving personal behavior and societal trends and norms. And certain things, like our sexuality, contain more nuance than most of us are used to dealing with and talking about, and at times can seem contradictory.
Aggression, or perhaps rather, being dominant, is a good example. It can be a turn-on sexually, and even necessary within the context of a long-term romantic relationship.
Ideally, over time, partners can share or rotate who takes a dominant, leading role (not just in the bedroom, but in the relationship as a whole) so that one person can follow or be submissive when they want to.
But without balancing and sharing these roles, patterns can become too ingrained, leading to power dynamics that become exhausting…
