Jeffrey Kluger
September 15, 2010
http://healthland.time.com/2010/09/15/girls-kissing-girls-whats-up-with-that/
The article I chose from Time Magazine discusses the growing trend in sexual activity between girls. Jeffrey Kluger writes about how although girl-girl kissing has never been terribly uncommon, girls today are much more open about sexual experimentation with each other. This is not referring to an increase in homosexuality as much as it's pinpointing the increased need for sexual attention. A female student interviewed by a professor commented: "It's usually brought on by, I don't know, like shots or drinking or people kind of saying something to like cheer it on or whatever...And it's usually done in order to turn guys on or to seek male attention in some way." This student's reasoning seems to be the main instigator behind the experimentation, which is mainly to impress those of the opposite sex.
With this rationale, professor Verta Taylor (University of California) and her colleague, Leila J. Rupp, mention how this experimentation can further the imbalance in power between genders; because females are emphasizing their role as "the observed," they allow men to remain in the "socially dominant position." Girls tend to perform the action due to peer pressure and male request, often in the form of threesomes. Yet there are instances in which girls use this upward tend in same-sex physical activity as a method for revealing their sexual orientation: "For other girls -- those on their way to coming out as lesbians, or just discovering their orientation themselves -- girl-girl kissing... provides a safe and comfortable glide path in what can often by a rocky transition." Because girl-girl kissing is becoming more socially acceptable, homosexuality seems to be less of a taboo.
Many students and researchers are calling this "heteroflexibility" a social improvement; they belive toleration for homosexual activity makes it easier and more comforting for individuals to reveal their sexual orientation. But does this tolerance actually make it easier for those individuals? Because this experimentation is increasing, it can downplay the meaning because the intentions are askew. When many girls are participating in "girl-girl kissing" to attract attention from males, it can make it difficult for homosexuals to reveal their orientation when the other participant has a different objective. It can even portray homosexuality as a joke because many girls don't take the act seriously. Are we really facing an improvement in toleration for homosexual activity, or is society beginning to consider it an act of ridicule?
Sara Huser
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