Monday, August 16, 2010

"The Sexual Politics of Meat" --- Sexy or sexist?






Pamela Anderson's recent PETA ad has been deemed too racy for Montreal -- but it's really just a new take on an old idea.

I made this connection while ordering my text books for my gender and international relations class.

The cover of Carol J. Adams' book "The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory" features the "Cattle Queen," a nude woman with her body marked for various cuts of "meat."

So what's the big deal? Pam's wearing a bikini.

Here's the big pictures the critics are missing --

Is there a connection between the objectification of animals and the objectification of women? YES.

And this ad makes that point clear.

Women are sometimes referred to as a "piece of meat" or their treatment is referred to as "like a piece of meat."

Perhaps this ad is unknowingly feminist by refocusing on the sexual politics of meat consumption.

But only those of us looking through a very sharp feminist lens would know it.

Read Adams' book -- I am.

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