Heteropessimism consists of performative disaffiliations with heterosexuality, usually expressed in the form of regret, embarrassment, or hopelessness about straight experience. Heteropessimism generally has a heavy focus on men as the root of the problem. That these disaffiliations are “performative” does not mean that they are insincere but rather that they are rarely accompanied by the actual abandonment of heterosexuality.
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A certain strain of heteropessimism assigns 100 percent of the blame for heterosexuality’s malfunction to men, and has thus become one of the myriad ways in which young women—especially white women—have learned to disclaim our own cruelty and power. Like most lesbians, I have found myself on the receiving end of approximately 100,000 drunk straight women bemoaning their orientation and insisting that it would be “so much easier” to be gay. Sure, it probably would be! That “men are trash” is not something I am personally invested in disputing. Yet in announcing her wish to be gay, the speaker carelessly glosses over the fact that she has chosen to stay attached to heterosexuality.
Bryan was of little help. He grew frustrated that they couldn’t “bang” like they used to, and accused her of faking her infections to avoid having sex with him.
I get confused by the lack of quasi-assault, and interpret it as a lack of interest. I’m starting to realize I experience desirability via a violation of my boundaries, and it’s a weird, murky place to navigate.
The purity movement isn’t all witty underpants and daughters dancing on their fathers’ shoes. The same tenets that underpin purity culture—namely, rigid beliefs about gender and sexuality—are also the features that sustain rape culture. And the negative outcomes are as multifaceted as my purity ring: sexual shame, self-loathing, fear-based morality, and marked ignorance about sexual concepts.
Dans nos sociétés contemporaines, le couple est célébré, sanctifié, convoité. Il représente une sorte de Graal à atteindre, tout en s’imposant comme la configuration de vie « par défaut », comme si tous les êtres humains allaient forcément par paires. C’est aussi une valeur refuge. L’injonction « au couple » est donc particulièrement forte, même si l’on observe des variations selon les milieux sociaux. Mais les hommes et les femmes ne sont pas égaux face à cette injonction. En effet, les femmes sont beaucoup plus incitées, et ce depuis leur plus jeune âge, à faire des relations amoureuses un but premier – quitte pour cela à sacrifier leur épanouissement personnel, et à mettre leurs aspirations en sourdine. L’ombre du Prince charmant plane au-dessus des têtes féminines comme le but ultime à atteindre, comme s’il était impossible d’être complète, « valable », sans un partenaire à ses côtés.