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There is More to Schwarzenegger’s Affair Than Sex



There is More to Schwarzenegger’s Affair Than Sex

From Womanist Musings:

When her picture was revealed on The View this morning, the audience positively groaned.  The ladies made it clear, that they didn’t find her attractive, while making sure to say that she may have been more attractive years ago, when the affair first began.  This response has been mirrored on blog after blog that I have seen discussing her thus far. Her appearance is only deemed relevant to this conversation, because we live in a sexist culture, that is absolutely determined to reduce women to their physical bodies at all times.

Much sympathy has been offered to Maria Shriver publicly; however, the unacknowledged victim in this situation is without doubt Baena. Schwarzenegger was her employer and therefore their relationship was not one based in equality.  When Clinton engaged in his extra martial affair with Monica Lewinsky, she was demonized by the press, in much the same manner that Baena is now; however, feminists at the time attempted interject an understanding of power into the public consciousness. Thus far, no such effort has been made on behalf of Baena.  I suppose that for mainstream White feminists, what happened too closely matches their unacknowledged fears.  Yes, while they are busy exploiting women of colour so that they can be all they can be, they fear that the nanny or the housekeeper is at home seducing their husbands. This position of course ignores the many factors that go into incidents like this.

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