Catherine MacKinnon, a rather famous feminist, got famous by claiming most basically, that men fucking women (and even women fucking women) is eroticizing the oppression of women. Women are being oppressed through their desires. While, MacKinnon may not have actually said “all sex is rape” there is a reason that quote is attributed to her.

Apparently the “all sex is rape” concept is mirrored in halacha, in the “moredet.” The moredet is a wife who refuses to have sex with her husband: this is a serious transgression. The presumption behind punishing a woman who does not want to have sex with her husband is a  belief that she has to do it, and is derelict in her duties if she does not (the wife owes the husband vaginal penetration).  Thus whenever she has sex with her husband, she is not free to do otherwise – according to this particular bit of halachic wisdom all sex-is-rape

Then why is it radical for MacKinnon to say so, but the “moredet” is an the oppression of women?

Because – it is not radical to claim that women’s pleasure – is somehow tainted, somehow unauthentic – be it because its enacting the patriarchy, or because women ought to be modest.Regardless of reasoning – women’s capacity to produce authentic pleasure in their lives through their bodies, their souls and their minds is beyond the capacity of common imagination. Women fuck to get a man, commit crimes because they are victims, become suicide bombers because they are depressed, become religious because they want to have a  tradition family…..the list goes on and on (details to come in forthcoming posts).

One of the most radical and feminist things a woman can do is to simple be – to do solely for  the pleasure of doing.