I had many personal emotional reactions to what was written in this article, and if you're patient with my explanation, you'll see why it relates to the circumcision issue.
I am a woman. I happen to love the penis. And yes, I happen to love the way they look. I think they're wonderful and quirky and fun. I am obviously a minority in this emotionally damaged society. Why would nature set us up to not enjoy the way our partner looked naked? That would be counter-productive.
Instead, I propose to you that the attitudes presented in this article of women who do not like penises, or do not like looking at penises, is a direct result of our brainwashing to hold men down (figuratively and literally) and mutilate their penises. Men are being taught from birth to not love their own bodies. I am in a unique position, having this blog, because I have heard from many men as a result of publishing this work. The letters that especially touch me are the ones from young men who report having been ashamed of their bodies, of their penises, because either they were circumcised, or they weren't! They can't win in this American society, because no matter what is or is not done to your penis, you get the message no one is going to like it anyway. I am thrilled when I get a letter from a man who simply says to me, "Thank you for saying the penis is attractive. You've made me feel so much better about myself."
Does anyone else see the insanity here? It is being drilled into men's heads their *entire* lives that no matter what they do, their bodies are unattractive, their penises are ugly, they will never be beautiful, and there's nothing they can do about it! How damaging is this message!
To tie all this together, this is a huge reason of why I am an intactivist. We need to give men their power back, the power to love themselves. We have to stop cutting them up in childhood and making them feel that they are not beautiful. We have to learn to rethink this whole issue and realize the penis IS BEAUTIFUL. Look at all this phallic symbol represents: fertility and masculinity and strength. It is not something to be cut forcibly and violently in childhood. We need to stop damaging our men, both physically and emotionally. We need to teach them, and teach ourselves as a society as a whole, that they are beautiful and accept them for how they are and love them.
There are attacks on female sexuality constantly as well, especially in the modeling industry and what comes out of Hollywood, but at least there are many who want to defend female sexuality and help women feel healthy and positive about their bodies. There were campaigns started to help raise awareness of what these attitudes are doing to women. Where are the campaigns to build up men? I propose that intactivism is the largest campaign to help men learn to love themselves.
I believe this is such a basic concept that has far reaching consequences. I believe we need to adjust our thinking and learn acceptance of ourselves in our natural states. Our uptight Victorian attitudes are outdated. It is time to stop allowing the psychological damage these attitudes create. We need to love ourselves and each other.
One of the consequences of the rise of feminism over the past 50 years, is a dramatic rise in women's sophistication about their bodies, health, and parturition. Now the typical adult woman knows more about sexual health and pleasure than the typical man. This rising feminine sexual sophistication was initially focused on women's issues, but intactivism proves that it has spilled over to men's bodies as well. I am not surprised that most intactivists are women, because I have been following the rise of sex positive feminism for 40 years. Note also that prim feminism died a while ago. But if a woman stops feeling ashamed of her breasts and genitalia, and sees that when attitudes and the body clash, we need to reexamine our attitudes, it is not a big stretch for her to become foreskin accepting. Routine infant circumcision is a product of the same male interventionist model as a high rate of c sections, routine episiotomies, preparturition enemas and pubic shaving, nursing on schedule, etc.
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