i’ve been feeling so frustrated and disgusted by the treatment of women across the globe. i always used to think that women in the west are better off than those in the east as they have more freedom, but nowadays i can’t help but think that it’s not true freedom as women are being controlled by media, which presents a hyper sexualized and objectified image of all women. everything’s feels so forced and superficial, like it’s being created to cater to the male gaze. this is not just limited to the western world, even in the east, women are sexualized just the same, the only difference is that the west pretends that it’s women are free whereas the east does not. it oppresses women just the same, just in a more straightforward way.
what i’m really concerned about though is that we do find literature from the east about women that rebel, those who protest against the oppressions against them. i do not see the same in any literature i’ve read that caters to the present day (contemporary) west. i want to read a book where a woman from the west, with all privileges and freedoms, recognizes the faults in the system and does her bit to rebel. for example, one recent event that is similar to what i want is in the 2021 tokyo olympics, germany’s women’s gymnastics team rebelled against the sexualization of women gymnasts by wearing unitards instead of leotards.
TLDR: i want contemporary books based in the west, where women rebel against being sexualized in media/ society.
by anonymousphoenix123
1 Comment
i really am trying to think! i mostly prefer eastern contemporary to western contemporary as i think it contains more depth—at least the books i’ve read. This is what I could come up with for western lit:
They Never Learn by Layne Fargo is a about a female serial killer who targets rapists and predatory men.
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is a short story collection about Black women deconstructing traditional values and forging sisterhood through their choices