How can performance prevent rape?

On-stage performance can help us reimagine what we take for granted. This blog looks at how performance can explore different ways to be a woman or a man, and negotiate relationships that are flexible, fun, and freeing.


I suggest that performance can be used as a tool in rape prevention. I look at how performative methods of rape prevention may build upon and develop other forms of social education that work to end rape, creating possibilites for different ways to engage in intimate relationships.


This blog is a personal, theoretical, and performative exploration of how performance can be used in rape prevention.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Vote YES to sex?

As the federal election is announced, all the parties rush to get the unenrolled to vote. Including the Australian Sex Party. Here's their ad:


Here's why I like it:

1. It's sexy
2. It's funny
3. It's provocative, over the top and in-yer-face
4. It will get noticed
5. The woman-subject of the image is speaking, rather than being spoken about

Here's some questions I have about it:
1. Does it reinforce the notion that it is sexier (cos it's dangerous) to be barely-legal? Ari Reid, the model, social worker, and South Australian who is running for the Australian Sex Party looks barely legal
2. Or is it provocative cos it questions societal fear about the sexualisation of young people and women, asserting them as able to sexualise themselves.
3. Is it wow-serism (like the sex party is against), or does it subvert by making obvious, wowserism?
4. Would this ad still work if Ari was: black (or non-white), fat, ugly, not-blonde?
5. Is it more subversive becasue Ari IS white, skinny, pretty and blonde?


Should we have a go at making our own?? Subvert the subversive message??
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1 comment:

  1. UnknownSunday, July 18, 2010

    hi aurora,
    im one of the South Australian candidates for the Australian Sex Party, along with Jason Virgo. This is one of a couple of posters we made to encourage people to enrol to vote. I am not the model used in this poster, but your questions are still worthwhile. I will attempt to answer them.
    The message is to enrol to vote, and the Sex Party uses its special brand of cheeky humour to reinforce this message. We are a very sex positive party, our policies are based around sexual rights, sexual freedom, sexual expression control over our own bodies and gender eqyality.
    While we do intend to get noticed and the point of all our campaign work is to get noticed, we dont see it as wowerism but infact accuratly representing our party and particular brand of politics.
    Sex Party are running candidates of diverse age, genders, cultral backgrounds, queer identifying, adult industry workers in most states and terratories. But you are right, this model is slim, young, white and steriotypically attractive. I'd like to think it would definitly work with a diversity of sex positive models, and perhaps i will represent that idea to the party for our next campaign.

    I really encourage those who havent seen our website to check us out. we are calling for an end to religion in politics and an end to the moral miority dictating the adult consensual lives of the majority.

    Big thanks for your blog and great questions.

    ReplyDelete

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