|
|
|
|
Status, Domination, and Power.
Masculinity manifested itself in carriage, speech, actions, and conduct, but above all in the sexual act, its most basic demonstration of control. The dominance belonged to the one who penetrated another with his penis whether he did so vaginally, anally, or orally (respectively, futuere, pedicare, irrumare) and the one penetrated, whether female or male, was considered submissive and lesser in power and status. The essential point was not the sex of the person with whom a man pered a sexual act, but whether or not he was the penetrator. The ability to penetrate another was a demonstration of masculinity and power. Submitting to penetration (or being forced to submit) was an act of softness (mollitia), and an acknowledgement of inferiority. For a male slave it was just another aspect of his servitude, for an adult male citizen it was humiliating and shameful.
Women did not play an important role in this social calculus of dominance and submission. Of course they participated in sexual activity, whether willingly or unwillingly, and whether as wives, mistresses, prostitutes, or slaves but since it was a given that they were the ones penetrated, they occupied the negative pole of the virility continuum. The penetrated male was said to suffer the womans role (muliebria pati). The contest of masculinity was for men.
Dominance could be demonstrated by actual sexual acts but also by verbal or physical aggression, threats of homosexual rape, and accusations of mollitia or of having endured oral or anal penetration.
Catullus By Julia Gaisser
RT ONLY bitches, and be creative in crafting your petition....Dont waste My time with pathetic, *Hi Sir*, *Friends* requests, or half-assed weather reports like *Good Morning Sir*...
|
|
|
|
