Phallocentric from Phallocentric by Petrol Girls

Phallocentric came out of a conversation I had with a female friend about how uninspiring most of our experiences of sex with men were and how much our sex lives had improved the more we rejected heteronormative approaches. I really don't think thats a reflection on those men as individuals, but more to do with our whole society's attitude to sex. Everything from sex education in school to representations of sex in mainstream culture seems to focus on male pleasure in heterosexual sex. The definition of phallocentric is, “focussed on or concerned with the phallus or penis as a symbol of male dominance,” and this can be seen in art, architecture, advertising – all over the place. Culture doesn't just reflect our values, it also produces and maintains them, so this song, as part of the counter culture, is literally saying “fuck what they taught us,” ridiculing conservative attitudes and celebrating the full rainbow of sex. “I can't get no” is also a deliberate play on the Rolling Stones song 'Satisfaction.' Mick Jagger definitely used his sexuality as part of his performance, and this song is also partly claiming my right to do the same. Whilst the song is mostly celebratory and irreverent, it also points out that “I take the shame take the blame take the pain and its not right” which comes from my experiences as a woman in a society that still judges women for their sexual behaviour in a much more negative way than men, but I think can also be claimed by most people who aren't typical straight men.

Raging Feminist Post Hardcore from the UK and Austria.

petrolgirls.com