Sexed up How society sexualizes us, and how we can fight back

Julia Serano

Book - 2022

"When the mainstream transgender rights movement was still a glimmer on the horizon, Julia Serano's smash-hit manifesto Whipping Girl revolutionized the way we think about gender. With the movement for trans rights now at the center of our cultural debates, Julia Serano returns with a groundbreaking exploration of what it means to be sexualized. We tend to think of sexualization-that is, when people are reduced to their sexual bodies-as an issue that only affects women. But, as Serano deftly reveals, society sexualizes everyone along dehumanizing double standards, to disastrous effects. She shows how a predator-and-prey dynamic leads straight men to both admire and deride their partners, how bisexuals are stereotyped as "gree...dy," and how trans people are maligned as "entrappers" of cisgender people. Along the way, she unpacks why queerness is thought of as contagious, how people of color are sexualized to justify violence against them, and more broadly, how sexualization harms us all. Julia Serano confronts these arbitrary social rules, showing us that they're not natural or innate but instead are constructed. She then reveals powerful new ways to resist, by affirming consent and redefining courtship, so that we can forge life-affirming values for future generations. Written with an activist's passion, a scientist's meticulous research, and a bisexual trans woman's wealth of lived experiences, Sexed Up provides a breath of fresh air for seasoned activists and newcomers alike. Engaging, lively, and provocative, written with a persuasive blend of personal anecdotes and scientific evidence, Sexed Up shows us why Julia Serano remains an unmatched voice leading us toward necessary change"--

Saved in:

2nd Floor Show me where

306.7/Serano
1 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
2nd Floor 306.7/Serano Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Informational works
Published
New York, NY : Seal Press, Hachette Book Group 2022.
Language
English
Main Author
Julia Serano (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
vii, 309 pages ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-309).
ISBN
9781541674806
  • Introduction
  • 1. The Two Filing Cabinets in Our Minds
  • 2. Opposites
  • 3. Unwanted Attention
  • 4. The Predator/Prey Mindset
  • 5. Confused Sluts
  • 6. Sexualization, Objectification, and Stigma
  • 7. Intersectionality and Hypersexualizatfon
  • 8. Queeras a Three Dollar Bill
  • 9. You Make Me Sick
  • 10. Fantasies and Hierarchies
  • 11. Rethinking Sex and Challenging Sexualization
  • Notes
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Biologist and transgender activist Serano (99 Erics) explores in this lucid account the dangers of nonconsensual sexualization, or "when an individual is reduced to their sexual body or behaviors rather than viewed as a whole person." Attitudes that feed sexualization, according to Serano, include the "two filing cabinet" mindset, in which people categorize others as male or female and ignore cues that challenge that categorization, and the "unmarked/marked" mindset, in which variations from the "default status" attract unwanted attention and foster assumptions that the person has an agenda. Serano also addresses the intersections between sexualization and racism; reflects on her experiences of society's gendered expectations as a bisexual trans woman; and discusses the "potential pitfalls" of destigmatizing trans people, including "ostensibly sex-positive portrayals of sexual diversity sensationalize our supposedly taboo or transgressive nature." Her advice for combatting sexualization includes treating others "as distinct individuals with desires of their own" and "moving away from judging sex and sexuality in terms of good versus bad." Serano succeeds in explicating a wide range of complex ideas about gender, sexuality, and identity, and offers incisive new frameworks for reckoning with some of the most discussed issues in contemporary feminism and queer culture. The result is a nuanced and approachable guide to "making sex more equitable." (May)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved