ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the tensions of the post-feminist view of individualized sexualized agency against a radical feminist view that offers an entirely different logic. It begins by positioning the city as a media city where new and old media occupy an increasingly privileged position. The chapter then outlines how ethnographic research reveals that commercial representation of women in the city is dominated by sexualized images. It introduces the context of hypersexuality, before discussing several case studies where public porno chic' cultural practices expose the tensions around women's agency and identity. The chapter shows that the media are not homogeneous, monolithic and all-powerful', and that, in the case of sexualization, there are many different kinds of representation of girls and women with varied kinds of interpretations. It argues that in strip club culture, various kinds of sexual identities are being rehearsed and reiterated.
