Amazons International # 19 ************************** Topics: Thomas: Sex vs. gender Icehawk: Review of Double Impact Lobo: Overtime -- erotic story ******************************************************************** From: Thomas Gramstad Subject: Sex vs. gender (on masculinity and femininity) The following article is based on a discussion that I participated in on the mail-men mailing list (for discussion of "men's issues") in October 1990. I've edited, extracted, merged, updated and synthesized the material. I use "sex" to refer to biology (male/female) and "gender" to refer to psychology (masculine/feminine). Starting with the very real biological dichotomy of male and female, does it exist, or do we need, a corresponding psychological dichotomy of masculine and feminine? The terms "masculine" and "feminine" presuppose that there is a similar psychological dichotomy, on the same level of reality as the biological one -- that is, as something given and determined by nature. The implicit claim is that men normally are (or should be) and that women normally are (or should be) -- and consequently, that the not-masculine man and the not-feminine woman is abnormal (or immoral). These implications seem to be inherent in the terminology. Is there some reality to this view? The work of Sandra Bem, resulting in her Bem Sex Role Inventory (available from me on request; or see Amazons International # 13), demonstrates the existence of two wide-spread and fairly specific stereotypes in our culture, assigned to men and women respectively. The bipolar view on gender assumes that "masculinity" and "femininity" are opposite ends of a scale. This view is false. "M" and "F" are two independent variables. An individual may have much of one and little of the other ("M") or little of the one and much of the other ("F") or much of both (which is called "androgynous") or little of both (which is called "undifferentiated"). In our culture, the good part of "masculine" characteristics center around an emphasis on "instrumentality", i.e. being strong, enduring, independent, verbally accurate, competent in making and using tools, to persevere and excel in one's activities, and in the ability to organize and lead. In contrast, here is the bad part of "masculine" characteristics: being cold, emotionally repressed, focused on beating others rather than on self-improvement (aggressive competitiveness), incapability of admitting and dealing with doubt or failure, a compulsion to dominate and control others. The good part of "feminine" characteristics is: emotional openness, the ability to listen and nurture, being cooperative, easygoing, warmness, loyalty, playfulness, non-verbal communication skills, ability to identify and express emotions. The bad part of "feminine" characteristics is: passivity, helplessness, submissive personality, repression of "aggressive" feelings, incapability of self-assertion and independent action, inability of systematic pursuit of goals, lack of structure. There is no automatical link between maleness and "masculinity", nor between femaleness and "femininity". "M" and "F" are defined widely different in different cultures, a characteristic that is considered "M" in one culture is considered "F" in another. The grouping of characteristics into grab-bags labeled "M" or "F" is arbitrary. The constituent characteristics of these stereotypes are *arbitrarily* *joined*and*assigned* -- they are not given by nature, not biologically determined. One's psychological characteristics are not determined by one's reproductive system. Biology is not destiny. What is needed is to encourage males in acquiring the characteristics (or rather the positive part of them) that our culture calls "feminine" -- not instead of, but in addition to the masculine characteristics. And females should be encouraged to acquire "masculine" characteristics in addition to "feminine" characteristics (that is, the best of two worlds). With due respect for any individual who would rather be "extreme" in one or the other direction. One effect of encouraging teaching the best of the "masculine" and "feminine" characteristics to everybody, i.e. androgynous values, is that androgyny counteracts the bad parts of both "femininity" and "masculinity". That is, the good parts of "femininity" drive out the bad parts of "masculinity", and the good parts of "masculinity" drive out the bad parts of "femininity". This applies both on the individual level (i.e. in an androgynous individual) and also on the environment level. I once worked in a feminine-women dominated environment, where passive aggression and lots of talking-behind-the-back was the rule, and I've worked in a masculine-men dominated environments, where aggressive-competitive behavior patterns dominated the social interaction. In a gender-balanced (not necessarily sex-balanced) environment each of these tendencies are reduced or eliminated. Being androgynous means that one has more options to choose from. Thus one's ability to deal with different situations is better. This has survival value as well as life quality value. It also means that one is in touch with a bigger part of one's humanity than somebody who is not androgynous. Communication is better, and relationships are richer, between two whole persons than between two half persons. In the words of Larry Carroll: "People who are high on one score [in the Bem Inventory] and low on the other aren't masculine or feminine. They are incomplete." Therefore, on the cultural and educational level, androgyny (if anything) is what should be encouraged. The degree and mix of "M" and "F" in an individual, as well as the degree and mix in an SO is a matter of personal preference, and should remain at that level -- not being made into a universal prescription. The two stereotypes are arbitrary culture-specific grab-bags. As a cultural pattern they have a statistical prevalence (which is the basis for the Bem Sex Role Inventory). After Bem, they are usually referred to as "instrumentality" (masculinity) and "expressivity" (femininity). These two terms incorporate some immediate and obvious improvements: -- they are gender-independent and therefore they neither make invalid claims about individuals, nor implicitly label some individuals as abnormal -- they are somewhat descriptive characterizations of the two sets of characteristics -- there is no assumption of conflict between the two terms or sets of characteristics (being both male and female is in conflict; this conflict is carried over to the terms "masculine" and "feminine") For many people "femininity" and "masculinity" appear to be two vague and yet strangely limiting separate entities or modes of being whose reconciliation is impossible, and consequently that women and men are so fundamentally different that it is as if men and women came from different planets and communication and understanding between them is impossible. Replacing these two terms with more descriptive and objective ones like 'expressivity' and 'instrumentality' may be a step toward resolving such conflicts within and between individuals. Sandra Bem's work is helpful in identifying and sorting out some of the conceptual issues involved. ******************************************************************** Date: Thu, 06 Aug 92 08:54:56 EDT From: Icehawk Subject: Film Review: Double Impact This movie stars Jean-Claude van Damme as twins, seperated at birth, who reunite in Hong Kong to avenge the death of their father. This all started just as their father had finished up a tunnel from Hong Kong to the mainland. He had taken on an unscrupulous businessman with ties to the Chinese mafia(the Zhang triad), who orders the deaths of this man, his wife and their infant twins, Alex and Chad. During the assasination, the twins' nurse escapes with Alex, while Frank(a bodyguard) rescues Chad. Twenty-five years pass. Chad has been raised in France and Los Angeles, while Alex grew up in a Hong Kong orphanage, and later on the streets. Frank takes Chad to Hong Kong, where they find Alex, and then go after the men who ordered their father's death. Complicating this is Chad's attraction to Alex's girlfriend Danielle, the dislike the two brothers have for each other, and the soldiers of Zhang and Griffith. This is an incredible action movie, much better than the average martial-arts, revenge movie. All of the supporting cast is excellent, featuring Bolo Yeung(from Bloodsport) and Cory Everson making her film debut(more on her later). The plotline is very tight, no loopholes, and the film is very well directed. The various fight sequences are incredible, taking place in a flashy casino, an abandoned resort hotel, and a huge cargo ship. Van Damme displays his usual great ability to choreograph exciting martial arts fight scenes. Van Damme also displays surprising acting skills. The twins are two disparate characters that he plays very well. Chad is a happy-go- lucky valley boy, still just a big kid. Alex is a street tough, vicious man, who is a smuggler. Van Damme never mixes the motivations of either brother, maintaining each as a separate individual. The special effects, split-screens with Van Damme as both brothers in the same shot, are also high quality, some of the best I've ever seen. Cory Everson makes an impressive film debut as Kara, a female bodyguard and assassin. Her acting is excellent, and her athleticism is equally impressive. Her role is unfortunately small, but she makes a powerful impression upon the movie. One bad thing: the director uses implied lesbianism as a way of making Kara a villian. But, Kara is also portrayed as strong, sexy and intelligent in the film as well. Some of her more impressive scenes are a chase through an outdoor market where Cory hurdles a stack of crates, the final fight sequences with van Damme, and a scene where she kills a businessman while wearing an outfit that displays her muscular assets well. Watch her shoulder flex when she punches that knife home! Double Impact is a fantastic movie, with lots of action, and Cory Everson battling Jean-Claude van Damme. Incredible! Check this one out from your video store now! Icehawk Destiny is not chance; It is choice ********************************************************************* Date: Tue, 4 Aug 92 From: LoBo Subject: Overtime -- erotic story [NOTE: SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL COMING UP. The following erotic story is sexually explicit and if you do not like to read such material, you should stop reading now. LoBo says that the story is co-written with an Amazon. -- Ed.] She had been working there for about a month and it seemed like I would never get an opportunity to talk to her. In fact I had several opportunities but she was rather intimidating and I was rather shy. I watched her quite a bit though and I knew all her habits, how. I had memorized the shape of her legs and the curve of her cheek. I went home at night and thought about her, about her legs, her hair, her cheeks and especially her full lower lip. I thought a lot about her lips in fact and I thought a lot about what I would like to do to them. When I thought about these things I imagined us both staying late in the lab, after the others had left. I thought about talking to her, finding out what she did when she wasn't at work. I thought about getting to know her. But she never worked late and I doubted that she would talk to me if she did. She seemed very aloof. She didn't talk to many people and she never even looked at me. But I still thought about it and I planned what I would do if the opportunity presented itself. So when the day came that she did work late and we were alone in the lab the importance of the moment overwhelmed me and my plans were forgotten. I sat at my desk and watched her as she worked. I watched her wrap her hair around her finger, I watched her stretch and I watched her run her finger along her lips, I also watched her run her hand along the length of her leg and beyond the hem of her skirt. I saw her lean back in her chair and move her hands slowly across her breasts and I saw her look at me. Her look was clearly a challenge of some kind but I couldn't quite decide what it meant. I started to get off my chair and move toward her but her look changed and I realized I had made a mistake. I understood that I was to remain in my chair. Slowly she spun her chair around so her back was to me. I could see her head, shoulders and legs but the rest of her was obscured by the chair. I considered moving my chair a bit so I could see more of her and see what she was doing but I was sure she would stop. I remained where I was. I stayed there as I watched her blouse slide off her shoulders, her skirt fall to the floor. In fact I watched while she removed all her clothes. I imagined what she would look like and I imagined what she was doing to herself but that was all I could do. I couldn't see a damn thing. Finally the chair slowly turned and she was facing me. Her body was more beautiful than I imagined it would be. I rose from my chair without thinking. She stood up suddenly and walked toward me. Without a word she made it clear that I was to return to my chair. As I did she followed me; sitting on my desk while I sat in my chair. Her body was inches from me and it was all I could do to resist reaching out for her. I knew now that that would be out of the question. I had no choice but to wait for her to let me know what I should do next. So I remained seated and unmoving as she cupped her breasts in her hands and brought one beautiful nipple toward my mouth. I sat there frustrated and helpless as she moved it back away from me. I sat there waiting for her to let me close to her until finally she reached out and held my head between her hands. Her hold was stronger than I had expected and it was clear that she had something specific in mind as she pushed my head down until my mouth was on.... ......the smooth inner side of her ankle. My reaction surprised me as I gently kissed her ankle, then again, rubbing my lips over the smooth skin. Her touch indicated to me that I was to continue and I worked my way ever so slowly and tentatively down towards her toes. My insecurity mixed with my passion for this wondrous creature as I savored every taste of her. She ran her hands through my short dark hair, which was so much in contrast to her long blonde curls. She slowly moved her foot so that her toes were near my mouth and I ran my tongue over the tips of them. Her foot arched and fearing that I did something wrong I stopped. But she brought her toes back to my mouth and I soon found my mouth sucking and licking them. I could sense her calf muscles tighten and dared to open my eyes to gaze at the splendid curve of her calves. She placed her hands on my shoulders and seemed to will my arms to rise, my hands slowly moving up from her ankles to trace the outlines of her diamond shaped calves with my finger tips. Touching her was like touching steel covered with silk, her skin warm to my touch. Her body gave off a radiation that I could feel entering me through my fingertips and my mouth as I ran my tongue slowly over the underside of her toes and circled the ball of her foot. Her one hand was gently yet firmly on my shoulder, directing my actions as if hypnotic suggestion flowed through it. She extended her other hand to me and I ran my lips and tongue over her fingertips, soon taking her fingers into my mouth and sucking on them. She removed her wet fingers from my mouth and as I watched she ran them in cirles around one of her magnificent nipples, leaving a wet trace on her breast. All of my fantasies about her and what I would do to her swarmed in my head, clear yet unclear, as if I was under a spell, and her will was my will. I was aroused, my insides were on fire, my mouth longing for another taste of her skin, my lips swollen, aching to slide along her smoothness. But she was silently and firmly in command. Her touch indicated that I should move on and I slowly slid my fingertips further up her legs, my touch gentle, her grip on me strong. Her thighs were alive, I could feel the muscles in her legs flexing as if they were living things. The separation in her quads made them appear like two flexing boas. As long as she gripped me with her hand I responded to her unspoken desires. I ran my hands over the underside of her legs while my lips and tongue traced the deep separations of her quads. I was completely aroused, but my body was not my own. Once again she took my head in her strong grip and moved me to the apex of her now fully spread legs. Her scent made me more feverish with a desire to fullfill my fantasies about her, but I couldn't remember them. She placed my mouth fully on her wetness. My tongue burned with the taste of her juices, sending electrical pulses through my body with every swallow of her nectar. My lips felt as if they were touching warm ice, so smooth and wet was her totally hairless body. She willed my hands to slide up her firm flat abdomen as my mouth savored her wetness. She felt as though her stomach was molded out of jade, I could feel each individual muscle, hard and smooth, each one moving with a life of its own as she breathed. She had not yet let go of my head, and slowly she lifted me and held my face inches in front of hers and held me there. After a while she ran her teeth across her lower lip as I had observed her do many times with her fingers. Her lips were large and full and I ached to take them in my mouth. Her deltoids appeared to jump out of her shoulders as she continued to grasp my head. She brought my still wet mouth to hers and slowly she licked her nectar from my lips. The touch of her tongue on my now extemely sensitive lips sent tremors through my body. She took my lower lip gently between her teeth and began to tug at it over and over. She then brushed her gorgeous lips slowly over mine and I could feel her tongue in my mouth searching for mine, which responded to hers in a way it never has before. The pressure of her lips intensified, the movements of her tongue became wilder. The pressure of her hands which still held my head increased. I could sense every fantastic muscle of her body flexing, sending out a magnetism that enveloped me. She released my head but I did not move as we continued to kiss. I was in such a trance that I didn't realize she had removed my clothes and now one hand traced a line down my stomach to my wet glistening hair while her other one cupped one of my breasts and her thumb rubbing at the nipple. Her hand slid further down my front and unconsciously my legs opened to allow her access to my wetness. She inserted her finger into me and I did the same to her, my body so merged to hers that I was now a mirror of her actions. Suddenly the room seemed to erupt around me as wave after wave of orgasm hit me. She withdrew her saturated fingers from me, as I did her. She took my wet hand in hers and ran both of our fingers across those luscious lips until they glistened with our passion. Releasing my hand, she turned and walked over to her chair and slowly got dressed. I did the same as she returned to her desk and continued with her lab work. The sharp ring of the phone startled me from the trance she had put me in, the spell was finally broken. I looked up at her to see if she would be answering the phone and saw her wrap her hair around her fingers as she worked, and stretch out at her desk before she stood up and run her fingers along her lower lip as if she was thinking about something, as if she still hadn't noticed me .......... LoBo ********************************************************* * Amazons International: thomas@smaug.uio.no * * Thomas Gramstad, editor * ********************************************************* "A Hard Woman is Good to Find" -- The Valkyries