The 'gender and sexuality' by John Storey, explores the significance of emergence of feminism in Western society.

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The ‘gender and sexuality’ by John Storey, explores the significance of emergence of feminism in Western society. The advent of feminism, its belief system and philosophy have perpetually altered the gender roles in our society for the better. Over the centuries, women have struggled with their defined domestic roles in the society and have suffered an oppressed life. Storey delves into the struggles of feminism as a movement to claim women’s natural and legal rights in society. Deliberate and conscious exclusion of women from cultural and societal norms has changed the ideologies of the modern world and its notions regarding history. Women have spent their lives challenging the interpretation and sexual hierarchy that prevails in the society. Feminism has diversified into a number of theory groups with their individual approach towards female subjugation. Some of these feminist perspectives include radical, Marxist, liberal, socialist, psychoanalytic, existentialist and anti-racist. Storey analyses mass produced fantasies for women such as Romance novels, gothic books, book operas and women’s magazines that have further domesticated women’s role in the society. The four major mediums critically explored include popular film and cinema, romance novels, soap operas, women magazines. My perspective revolves around one particular medium, romance novels as well as the conflicts that I personally experience from the social practice of feminism.

Storey presents Tania Modleski’s perspective on mass produced fantasies indulged by women such as Harlequin Romances, gothic novels and Soap operas. She points out that women’s obsession with these particular mediums stems out from their general dissatisfaction with life. The roles that have been assigned to them and living by these roles have led them to an unhappy or frustrated reality and these mediums provide the escape route for these women. As Modleski states:

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‘The contradictions in women’s lives are more responsible for the existence of harlequin than Harlequin are for the contradictions’. (120)

I concur with Modleski’s perspective on these mass produced pleasures for women as a much desired and seeked escape from reality. I myself inadvertently came across Harlequin romances during high school.  At 16, sneaking into my older sister’s room to read a romance novel was an exhilarating because it was like consuming the forbidden fruit. These novels not only presented sweet happy-ending fairy tales but also played a pivotal role in my education on the physical feature of love. Sex ...

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