Plastic fantastic? Problematising post-feminism in erotic retailing in England

Blue is for boys: postfeminist continuations of gender, body and hue in UK magazines, 2009–2018

“…Arguing postfeminism in the media as a 'sensibility', Gill argues, the 'sexy' female body is celebrated as empowered in a more sexualised culture where images of the undressed female body are widely available for consumption. The male gaze of the sexualised culture is internalised; women become the consumers or owners and responsible for their own sexually liberated bodies (Gill 2007(Gill , 2012Martin 2016;Windels et al 2020). Postfeminism in this reading is a co-location of traditionally feminist and anti-feminist discourse, and Jackson, Vares, and Gill (2013, 145) draw scepticism to this notion, arguing that:…”

“…The sexualisation or degree of nudity of women in the media is thus reinterpreted as a movement within feminism of re-claiming and expression of the self, rather than presented for male visual consumption. Yet the presentation of 'postfeminist' consumables and the models often deployed to sell them, for the most part conform to a narrow set of bodily ideals that are thin, white, young and heterosexual without the messiness of real bodies and neglect intersectional or structural challenges by framing feminism as neoliberal, individualist journey of transformation rather than of societal change (Baer 2016;Martin 2016;Windels et al 2020).…”

Immoral geographies and Soho’s sex shops: exploring spaces of sexual diversity in London

“…While many sex shops in Soho were at one point comprised almost exclusively of the dingy, highly masculinized spaces associated with the 'sex shop' (Royle 1984, Smith 2007), the emergence of 'new-style' sex shops over the past three decades has shifted the market considerably, with many stores now trying to cater to a more diverse clientele, including women. By attempting to engage the (heterosexual) female consumer, the material landscape of sexuality has also shifted (Hubbard et al 2009, Hubbard and Coulmont 2010, Crewe and Martin 2016, Martin 2016. Kent (2005) suggests that in Soho, these new female-friendly design concepts have 'turned an area previously perceived as sleazy into one that is both acceptable and desirable ' (2005, 437).…”

(Wo)men on top? Postfeminist contradictions in young women’s sexual narratives

“…In recent decades, the female-oriented erotic industry has flourished in Western contexts (Evans and Riley, 2015). Fashion-conscious "erotic boutiques" have emerged (Martin, 2016), along with a market for designer sex toys (Harris, 2017), and a fixation on the risqué and taboo in popular culture and media texts (Click, 2015). This reflects what some scholars consider a "pornification" of culture (Attwood, 2009;McNair 2013;Paul, 2005) whereby sex is increasingly normalized and culturally visible.…”