Raunch Culture:

1. Raunch Culture: The Pussycat Dolls Discover Your Inner Slut Presentation by: Natali Fry & Annie Duggan

2. Raunch Culture “Raunch culture” is a term coined by feminist Ariel Levy in her book, Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture (2006).

3. Levy refers to raunch culture as an: “over-sexualised culture… which not only objectifies women but also encourages women to objectify themselves in the (false) belief that this is a form of female empowerment.” (2006, pg4)

4. She targets the following as manifestations of raunch culture Levy traces the history of raunch culture back to conflicts between the women's movement and the sexual revolution. 1. The branding of Playboy 2. TV shows 3. Other popular culture media These encourage girls and women to strive to be the 'hottest' or 'sexiest' rather than the most intelligent or accomplished. 

5. Manifestations of Raunch Culture 1. The Branding of Playboy A company and brand associated with gentleman’s publications (R18+ pornography) has now developed items of clothing amongst other marketing devices, which are being fashioned by both women and girls.

6. Manifestations of Raunch Culture 2. TV Shows The portrayal of characters are often founded on their sexual habits rather than their moral, ethical or intellectual stance. Today's average 14 to 16 year old girl watches (on average) 15 hours of television a week, following programs such as Desperate Housewives and Sex in the City.

7. Manifestations of Raunch Culture 3. Popular Culture Hit music single “I Kissed A Girl” by Katy Perry “Bratz” dolls/toys marketed to younger girls Previously restricted (R18+) online content is advertised in mainstream media

8. Levy argues that : It isn’t “liberated” or “feministic” to learn to pole dance, wear a T-shirt saying “porn star” or have lots of no-strings sex “like a guy”, but rather its a trick created by men twisting the idea of “liberation” for their own ends. (2009,pg100).

9. Raunch culture has emerged within a broader context of post-industrial transformations of culture and sexuality, further framed through new forms of sexual experiences, changing rules and emerging sexual discourse.  Raunch culture is essentially; a reflection of the changing in the social and cultural acceptance of: Increased sexual liberties Values Practices and identities within society. “This increasing sexualisation of female representations in popular culture has been criticised by a number of commentators.” (Genz & Brabon, 2009:91)

10. Raunch culture specifically targets women, both young and not so young. The underlying commercialism associated with selling a particular message seems to have driven the rise of raunch culture. ‘Who’ Does Raunch Culture Exploit/Target? McNair suggests that the accelerating flows of sexual information – aided by new communication technologies - have led to a: “less regulated more commercialized and more pluralistic sexual culture”(2002, pg11). The rise of raunch culture focuses on the increased openness and accessibility of the industry as both a liberating form of expression and for others, an immensely profitable industry (Genz & Brabon, 2009).

11. Today’s average 14 to 16 year old girl is familiar with sexual innuendo and with a woman's body being used to promote an image. “ The Big SEX Issue” “Cue Fireworks! Kissing Special” She knows what oral sex and STDs are. Her celebrities—Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsey Lohan—flash flesh and cash, and have sex with little or no consequences. “The Ultimate Hook-Up Guide. Pash Guaranteed”

12. Women and girls are encouraged to ‘adopt a sexualised stance as an expression of positive female autonomy, whereby the possession of a ‘sexy body’ is presented as women’s key source of identity (Gill,2003 pg101).

13. Even if you're a woman over 35, you're not immune. You're a target, a number in the coveted adult demographic age group, where television shows like Grey's Anatomy reign. Each week "McDreamy" gets steamy with Meredith, the intern who slept her way through several one-night stands while waiting for her love to leave his wife. Even though 20 million viewers in the coveted adult demographic tune in each week, do we stop to question the message behind the entertainment?

14. A Raunch Culture Case Study :Paris Hilton Paris Hilton came into the limelight after the release of a home sex video on to the internet in 2003, just weeks before her reality television debut in “The Simple Life”.

15. Paris Hilton: A Raunch Culture Case Study She became an instant celebrity. Complete with journalistic coverage and magazine photo shoots. Becoming one of the most recognizable and marketable female celebrities in the western world warranting a range of endorsement deals including jewellery, perfumes, jeans, books, cds etc. Hilton’s case exemplifies the repurposing of pornography and the proliferation of porno-chic across contemporary media.

16. Levy views Hilton as the “breathing embodiment of our current, prurient, collective fixations promoting blondness, hotness, richness and anti-intellectualism”(2006, pg30).

17. Impacts of Raunch Culture Raunch culture and the societal fixation with celebrities, image and style must be critically evaluated in the context of Christian values and morality.

18. Raunch culture has been criticised by feminists and social commentators for its promotion of a narrow if not unrealistic definition of beauty to young women. Rates of eating disorders, cosmetic surgery and boy image issues are on the rise among young women as raunch culture promotes this unhealthy female typeset. Liz Funk has criticised raunch culture for encouraging the rise of the 'stupid girl’. Pretending to be stupid has become 'cool' for young girls looking for social acceptance. As she argues, the only way to counter raunch culture is for individuals to examine their attitudes towards gender, gender equality, and self-respect.

19. "Ending raunch culture will require citizens to scrutinise the way they regard gender. Objectification is rooted in disrespect, condescending views of the opposite gender, and power struggles. When men realise that they have the capability to fundamentally respect women, and women realise that they have the power to present themselves as empowered, fully capable people, raunch culture may moan its last and final faked orgasm.“ Liz Funk (2006)

20. The Christian response to raunch can’t be one of fear. As Eller states “isolating ourselves or our children from raunch and any culture isn’t a reasonable answer”. (2007:4). Rather, she recommends parents and teachers: • Model healthy, respectful relationships, appropriate clothing, style as being both beautiful and modest and positive self esteem / self worth. • Write to television networks and fashion executives expressing a rational and succinct point of view. • Vote with your dollars and support quality programs, clothing suppliers, magazine publishers etc. • Engage young women and men in challenging a culture that offends traditional Christian morality and family values.

21. Religious Education has an important role to play in assisting students to navigate the prevailing culture. Developing a critical, evaluative approach to interpretingraunch culture and its influence on personal development is essential. Issues must be explored in a safe and informalenvironment where young people are assisted to engage in thinking about issues and to make informed judgments. Students must be encouraged to question the authenticity of raunch culture in and how it impacts their value and belief systems.

22. Bibliography & Additional References Eller, T.S. (2007). The Rise of Raunch Culture: What's a Christian woman to do in today's hypersexed culture? Downloaded from http://www.kyria.com/topics/hottopics/womensissues/3.28.html Freeman-Greene, S. Nov 20 2009 Sydney Morning Herald. Raunch culture and the growth of the ‘designer vagina’. Downloaded on 29/07/10 from http://smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/raunch-culture-and-the-growth-of-the ... Funk, L. Sex and the Stupid Girl. New Humanist Vol 121 Issue 4 July/August 2006. Downloaded from http://newhumanist.org.uk/994/sex-and-the-stupid-girl Genz, S & Brabon A. (2009). Postfeminism. Edinburgh University Press. Edinburgh. Gill, R. (2003). ‘From Sexual Objectification to Sexual Subjectification: The Resexualistaion of Women’s Bodies in the Media’. Feminist Media Studies Vol 3(1) pg100-106. Giroux, H. A. Teenage sexuality, body politics and the pedagogy of display. Electronic article downloaded via http://library.newcastle.edu.au/record=b2049690*eng. Alternatively available from http://gseis.ucla.edu/courses/ed253a/Giroux/Giroux3.html Hamad, A. 17 June 2010. The Drum Unleashed. Raunch culture and the virgin-whore dichotomy. Downloaded on 29/09/10 from http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2929589.htm Jeffries, K. 21 April 2010. Sex, oppression and “raunch culture”. Downloaded on 17/07/10 from http://sa.org.au/women-a-lgbti-liberation/2689-sex-oppression ... Levy, A. Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture. 2006 McNair, B. (2002) Striptease Culture: Sex, Media and the Democraticisation of Desire. Abingdon: Routledge. Neill, R. March 13, 2010 Feminists in anti-raunch-culture revolt. Downloaded on 14/07/10 from http:///www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/feminists-in-anti-raunch ... Powell (2010). Sex, Power and Consent. Youth Culture and the Unwritten Rules. Cambridge Press, Melbourne.