Butch and femme roles of lesbians

Butch and femme roles of lesbians Butch and femme roles were extremely important to the community in the forties and fifties; it was the butch role that was the most visible, and therefore the most likely to cause public scorn (Weissman and Fernie). The two sources, The Reproduction of Butch – Femme Roles by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Forbidden Love by Aerlyn Weisman and Lynne Fernie focus particularly on the function of the butch role among working class lesbians in Buffalo. These sources draw on articles, oral histories and interviews of lesbians from the early twentieth century. Both the resources state that, although â€Å"gender-appropriate† styles and behaviors were rigidly enforced in order to maintain a clear distinction between the sexes, butch women’s choice to not only reject traditional femininity but to also actively adopt masculinity was perceived as a threat to the very order of society and a prelude to social chaos. Despite the fear, and likelihood of haras sment by police and other straight men, the courage of butches to claim their identities in many ways prepared the way for later generations of lesbians to break free from the narrow conventions of socially constructed womanhood and claim access to a kind of power traditionally held only by men (Weisman and Fernie). As a result, male representations of lesbian sexuality have had the most influence in shaping attitudes towards butch and femme identities throughout the twentieth century. Such representations have almost always assumed the lesbian role -playing is an imitation of heterosexuality. The main theory underlying the feminist disregard of role – playing is that roles depend on sexual difference, which is naturally hierarchical, polarizing, and oppressive. Sexual difference is the grounds on which heterosexual roles are built, and thus contains within it an inherently unequal distribution of power. In the relationship of a butch and femme, since the identities of both a re built on popular cultural stereotypes of male and female behavior, they tend to reinforce the inequality in power inherent in this dichotomy. In addition, in most cases one of the partners is active, strong, dominant, and initiating whereas the other partner is passive, weak, submissive, and enduring. The partner who is dominant in this equation mimics the role of a male in a heterosexual relationship, whereas the passive, weak and submissive characteristics belong to that of the female. Thus, because the butch- femme roles have the potential for being just as sexist as heterosexual roles, they imitate the latter, especially when talking about power relations between two partners. (Weisman and Fernie) According to Judith Roof’s article, â€Å"The Match in the Crocus: Representations of Lesbian Sexuality,† the representations of lesbian sexuality in the dominant discourse often evoke the phallus by calling attention to its absence or substitution in sexual relations between women, so that it appears and seems necessary, at least symbolically, because of the inconceivability of sexuality without a phallus present. Therefore, lesbians are often depicted as having appropriated the penis, masquerading as though they really had it, and thereby assuming male privilege and acting upon it. This evokes the stereotypical image of the lesbians by phallocentric discourse and is seemingly embraced by the lesbian community in the form of butch roles. What Roof’s analysis makes possible is an understanding of the ways in which the dominant ideology has a vested interest in making the butch – femme role playing appear to be a mere replica of heterosexuality, as a way of calming male anxiety over the threat of female appropriation of male dominance. Thus, because the absence of the phallus requires them to achieve the balance through role playing, they merely are merely imitating the heterosexual norms.

American Gov3 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Gov3 - Research Paper Example These duties and responsibilities extend to all fifty states and other lands under U.S. supervision, such as Puerto Rico2. In addition to this, the FDA is responsible for various regulatory functions, such as monitoring and controlling electronic product radiation and tobacco products. This agency promotes public health by maintaining and releasing current information, based on scientific study and testing, on the various products and substances under its domain, so that citizen consumers have accurate information with which to improve their health. In addition, the FDA promotes the advancement of public health by safely and effectively speeding innovations within affected industries3. As the FDA is required to maintain certain safety standards in each are under its supervision, it can often come under pressure by government officials, corporations, and private businesses. The speed and efficiency of testing, the amount of regulation required in term so proper labeling, and other aspects of product regulation may be viewed as too harsh or too lenient by various standards. As a result, the agency is under constant pressure from producers and consumers

Assistant Accountant at Mefic Capital company Assignment

Assistant Accountant at Mefic Capital company - Assignment Example nd Corporate Governance Mechanisms in Saudi Arabia I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background In this study the capital structure and the mechanism of corporate governance in Saudi Arabia would be discussed. The motive behind choosing Saudi Arabia is that I did my internship from MEFIC Capital Saudi Arabia, so it would be an added advantage for me in investigating the financial environment of the country. Moreover, my major is in Finance, which is why I have chosen to focus and explore the capital structure and governance mechanism. Discussion on corporate governance and capital structure has always been a challenge for the academic researchers in finance and accounting. 1.2 Research Objective The objective of this research study has been developed keeping in mind the issues to be considered for the study, learning outcomes and stream of study. 1. To identify diverse capital structure in Saudi Arabia and their implications 2. To identify the relationship between diverse capital structure and cor porate governance in the firms in Saudi Arabia. 1.3 Research Question What is the relationship between the capital structure of firms in Saudi Arabia with the external and internal corporate governance? II: LITERATURE REVIEW In this research paper, the discussion would be related to the capital structure decisions of the firms in Saudi Arabia and its association to the external and internal corporate governance system, which is generally considered to be one of the primary drivers in decisions related to capital structures. Various researches prior to this suggest that the capital structure is based on corporate governance decisions. Theories suggest that the size of the firm and profitability is negatively related to the debt equity ratio of the firm. These findings are in line with the... Various researches prior to this suggest that the capital structure is based on corporate governance decisions. Theories suggest that the size of the firm and profitability is negatively related to the debt equity ratio of the firm. These findings are in line with the agency theory, transaction cost theory or pecking order theory. It was found that the there is a negative relationship between debt equity ratio and market to book ration in case of assets, which also reveals that it is conflicting with the agency theory. On the other hand, in European countries tangibility has a positive relationship with the choice of capital structure and it is consistent with the agency theory. This study aims at discussing and analysing the capital structure with regards to corporate governance in Saudi Arabia. A quantitative analysis would be done to identify the relationship between capital structure and corporate governance, so as to identify an accurate association between these two major aspec ts in financial environment of Saudi Arabia. For this purpose a multiple regression analysis would be done for this study. A sample of 5-8 firms in Saudi Arabia in the securities market would be considered to conduct the study.