THE POWER OF A WOMAN'S BODY

Is the power of a woman’s body the power of her sex? If this is true then what happens when a culture or society sexualizes and industrializes sex, and women as sex objects? You will find exactly what we have today in America and the world.

Since the beginning of male domination, some say patriarchy, when women were delegated to second-class citizens, the property of men, and all human rights for the most part eliminated, women were forced into using their sex as a means to survive. This may have been because of their economic conditions because they were given/sold into marriage as breeders for heirs, or because they were made slaves by a conquering nation. Whatever the cause the condition remained the same. Women often felt that the only worth they had, the only weapon of power they held against their captors, was their sex, their body. Thus comes the dismantling of the true power of a woman’s body, and the prostitution of her sex.

Everywhere in our world today we see women’s bodies used as sexual objects to sell cars, beer, underwear, and countless other items. Is this because we deem women to be beautiful and symbolic of what men consider beautiful. No this is because men in the business of selling things deem that women represent sex and sex sells. If women’s bodies and women were not still identified as a means to gratifying men’s desires, wants or needs then could women begin to see themselves and their bodies as something that was wholly theirs, something private and sacred for them to choose when and with whom they could share it.

Over 5,000 years ago in many egalitarian societies, where the feminine was honored and the images of the Goddess were revered, women’s bodies were sacred. Sex was a sacred act of love between two individuals and was blessed by the Goddess. Women and men for the most part shared equally the responsibilities of creating a sustainable community and lifestyle. Women were seen as partners and shared in the governing and education of the people. A woman’s body was seen as part of the great mystery of life connected with the creation of life and thus held in high regard by all.

In these societies, women had an innate innocence that came from the fact that they were seen as whole beings who contributed to the daily life of the community and that their body was their own to give to whomever they chose to. Their body was still pure and sex was just another aspect of life shared when one found a partner. The power of a woman’s body was then found in the power of her smile, her eyes, her touch, and her very presence. Her sensuality and her love were a gift to man, her form was respected.

For women today to reclaim this innocence of body and spirit and to once again understand where their true power lies, will require that all women and men everywhere no longer accept the normalization of the exploitation of women’s bodies. This is not a question of sexual freedom but rather a question of sexual health, sexual innocence, and of creating a new world where our children can be children and sex is no longer a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder.
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