The XX Factor: What women really think.

Just Call Us "Women Used by the Blogosphere"

The always-interesting Melissa Gira Grant here introduces us to new terminology recently encountered at a panel discussion among self-described “male feminists." A panelist told her his organization doesn't like the term “sex worker.” They much prefer “women used by prostitution". Because you know what really empowers women? Exclusive use of the passive voice ... (Read more in DoubleX.)

Swedes Target Evasive Camgirls

The Swedish government would like to inform "young girls" who strip in front of webcams that...their income is taxable. "We think that perhaps they are not well informed about the rules," says Dag Hardyson of Sweden's tax authority. Hardyson and his office appear to be targeting hundreds of stay-at-home strippers who don't bother to file returns. Meanwhile, in other important tax day news: Nevada's brothel owners say they want to be taxed at $5 per customer, presumably because industries that create tax revenue are less likely to suffer from political backlash. The state Senate is refusing to cooperate.

Feeling Negative About Being "Sex Positive"

Salon's Broadsheet has picked up on a sublimely cranky post by Washington City Paper blogger Amanda Hess on a strain of feminism known as "sex positivity":

If I have to endure another essay on the mysteries of the female orgasm in the name of feminism, I may never have an orgasm again. ... Of course, there are a lot of feminist issues involved in the porn industry, sex work, and in human sexuality; I just don’t think “sex positivity” is one of them. So you’re a feminist, and you like sex—well, that’s normal. So do a lot of people, including a lot of non- and anti-feminists. So what does that have to do with feminist identity?

I have to admit that while I appreciate the efforts of the consciousness-raising groups in the '60s and '70s to make women more comfortable with their bodies and selves, I find "sex positivity" to be a tiresome dead end. Yes, it's important, but it seems to get the lion's share of media and cultural attention for the obvious reasons.

Hess makes another good point about sex-positive feminism at the end of her rant. She wonders how sex positivity became such an entrenched part of the feminist movement and then posits: "If people who like sex see sex-positivity as a part of the feminist movement, maybe they’ll see feminism as less prude and scary and icky and straight-laced and serious and anti-man. And I think it’s condescending to the feminist movement that we have to bring orgasms in to be taken seriously."