Quote:
Originally Posted by Blake Isaac Gordon
First here's a definition:
sex⋅ism
/ˈsɛksɪzəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [sek-siz-uhm] Show IPA
?noun
1. attitudes or behavior based on traditional stereotypes of sexual roles.
2. discrimination or devaluation based on a person's sex, as in restricted job opportunities; esp., such discrimination directed against women.
Fetish-ism is directly related to some form of sexual context, thus the moment a fetish is applied to a female her 'new' emphasis is sexual. (aka--- her new role is sexual)
To be fair (or unfair - however you want to perceive it) the whole concept of sexism favors females, based upon how human sexuality works.
Question how many male-brothels exist for the sole purpose of servicing females?
I've always argued that if a woman wants sex she only needs spend minimal effort and some guy will oblige (especially if she reduced all standards down to: does he breathe and have a working penis).
Thus BE is sexist because BE is about a sexual role.
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I do not agree. The definition of sexist you used is one can agree to, however the jump to link the fetish aspect of BE to the sex role devaluation is weak. Why? Well, lets look at a good definition of fetish.
FETISH
From Merriam-Webster:
a: an object (as a small stone carving of an animal) believed to have magical power to protect or aid its owner ; broadly : a material object regarded with superstitious or extravagant trust or reverence b: an object of irrational reverence or obsessive devotion : prepossession
c: an object or bodily part whose real or fantasied presence is psychologically necessary for sexual gratification and that is an object of fixation to the extent that it may interfere with complete sexual expression.
Definition C is how I have understood a fetish to apply. That is why I have always found the nearly ubiquitous label that BE is a fetish a bit inaccurate. A fetish is a "psychological necessity" for sexual gratification. Remove that aspect and with a true fetish there is no sexual gratification. It would have to be that way to qualify as a "fetish". As soon as one says, well yes but... that opens the up the labeling options to sexual preferences, trends, interests, etc.
I would argue that a fetish is better applied to things rather than body parts, because if one prefers a nice butt on someone (both men and women) that does not immediately make it a fetish and I would not say it is patently sexist. Finding something sensual or sexy does not automatically make it a fetish.
As I do not see BE as a true fetish except for a few people, I can not agree with your link without exceptions between BE and the sexist definition as it would only apply in the most sweeping and generalized manner. That is using the exceptions to set the rule. I do not agree that a fetish is about a sexual role but rather a disproportionate fixation on an aspect that is necessary for ones sexual gratification.
And seeing how this is about
breast expansion which occurs naturally (if not to the extent in some BE) to women, and is one of the primary signals of sexual maturity for women, the argument that it is all that dissimilar to simply idealizing the female form does not hold up much in my mind.
This is a good question.