Yes, it is very thrilling to read about Eva Longoria in a steamy
sex scene with another girl. Even if it is mostly in tabloids that
are going wild treating it as titillating entertainment for
men.
The film, Without Men, promises to be dreadfully offensive,
despite its saucy scene. It portrays lesbian affairs as something
that only happens when there are literally no men around, as
Longoria's character inevitably becomes romantically involved with
the first man that does eventually show up.
But let's forget this glaring insult for a moment and rather,
consider director Gabriela Tagliavini's idiotic comments about the
sex scene:
"It was a little difficult, as the two girls are both straight, so
they were very nervous and laughed a lot […] But I think that just
made it even lovelier. [Female audiences] don't want to watch porn,
so it was all very sensual."
Excuse me while I go look for a brick wall in the DIVA offices to
dash my brains out against.
Okay. Calm.
Problem one. They are actors. ACTORS. Their profession is to
pretend. Is it that hard to pretend to be gay? Are you that
immature that it makes you nervous and giggle like asinine
teenagers? And if it is true, Eva, that you were nervous playing
gay because you are in actual fact straight, does that mean you are
equally nervous playing a neurotic, philandering, spendthrift,
desperate housewife? Or is that considerably easier because you are
in actual fact a neurotic etc etc…? Or, are you actually just a bit
uncomfortable with your sexuality?
Problem two. Who on earth said women don't watch porn? What utter
rubbish. It's inane, unfounded and simply untrue assumptions like
this that fuel such the so-called 'battle of the sexes'. It creates
a culture where people think porn is a 'male thing,' and something
to be vilified. It creates a culture where women feel ashamed about
watching porn, because it's not 'what women do'. It fosters shame
around female sexuality and active female sexual desire.
I like porn. It turns me on. As does raunchy dirty sex on screen.
As lovely as 'sensual' sex is, the kind of sex where people get
slammed up against a wall and have their clothes ripped off, is
pretty hot too. Were I to believe Tagliavini's obtuse remarks, I
would probably feel ashamed and embarrassed about what turns me on.
I'd hide it, convince myself I didn't like it, and never fully
explore my sexuality.
Luckily, I know for a fact I'm not alone in my desires. So please,
Tagliavini, for the sake of good sex, stop spouting lies about
female sexuality - the damage it does to women is immense.
