Virgin vs. Whore

In Women's Center two weeks ago we talked about the whore/virgin dichotomy and there was some very interesting discussion that came out of it. This is what I've summarized.

In today's society, women are not supposed to be sexual or comfortable with sexuality in general. Society views a woman who is open about her sexuality as a whore and a woman that is not open about sexuality is labeled a virgin. And a virgin is a woman who has no or completely ignores any of her sexual urges. There seems to be no middle ground. Also, it seems like guys like to hook up with girls who they see as "whores" but when looking for a relationship, they tend to look for a "virgin." Why is the "whore," the girl who is open about sexuality, not seen to be fit as girlfriend material? And when push comes to shove in a screaming match with women, what are the first insults to be shouted? Slut or whore. It is easy to attack another woman's sexuality even though you may not know her because you know it's something that will deeply wound her.
There are TV shows that are trying to break the dichotomy's barriers and show that women can be sexual and still worthy of a committed relationship. Shows like Sex and the City show that women can be powerful, intelligent, and sexy, all at the same time. However, the dichotomy still exists and women today are still held to these standards of conduct and expression of sexuality as a part of their existence in society. Will there be a day in the future when the expression of sexuality of a woman no longer matters?

Brenda