Striptease Culture: Sex, Media and the Democratisation of Desire
A British academic and a journalist, McNair is optimistic about  the increasing sexualization of culture and the media. Going  forward from his Mediated Sex, he reports that the presentation  of diverse kinds of sex in the media is a "barometer and a  catalyst" for democracy in capitalist cultures because it makes  the society open to many realities. McNair uses (but does not  limit himself to) the usual examples of gender-bending in  society, films, television, magazines, art, and the  "pornosphere," both British and American. Among his subjects are  Stonewall, Monica Lewinsky, Robert Mapplethorpe, Deep Throat,  Sex in the City, The Full Monty, Sade, and Brett Easton Ellis.  Some examples are given thought-provoking historical analysis,  while others are just mentioned. Part of his analysis shows how  advanced capitalist countries arrived at this point. Another  strand looks at "striptease culture," where ordinary people bare  themselves physically or emotionally on the Internet or on  confessional or reality television. All of these things make  capitalism and the social order more inclusive and thus more  stable, argues McNair. This is a provocative thesis,  intelligently argued. Suitable for media studies, gender  studies, popular culture, academic, and large public library  collections. J. Dunham, John Jay Coll., CUNYCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.