Ariel Levy Quote

I had occasion to talk to Erica Jong, one of the most famous sex-positive feminists—one of the most interviewed people in the world, as she’s put it—on the thirtieth anniversary of her novel Fear of Flying. I was standing in the shower the other day, picking up my shampoo, she said. It’s called ‘Dumb Blonde.’ I thought, thirty years ago you could not have sold this. I think we have lost consciousness of the way our culture demeans women. She was quick to tell me that she wouldn’t pass a law against the product or call the PC police. But, she said, let’s not kid ourselves that this is liberation. The women who buy the idea that flaunting your breasts in sequins is power—I mean, I’m for all that stuff—but let’s not get so into the tits and ass that we don’t notice how far we haven’t come. Let’s not confuse that with real power. I don’t like to see women fooled.