Sex as Power

"She handled it as though it were an instrument, a rattle, something apart from herself that she could shake... the erotic gaze of a nation moved downward: she had uncovered a new region for desire." - Phyllis Rose, "Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker In Her Time"

While protruding butts used to be "an ugly sign of inferiority" (63), representing the savage and animal qualities of the black woman, Josephine Baker challenged and changed how the butt was viewed. Instead, it was read as "an indication of heightened sexuality" (63).
As we have witnessed from Beyonce's provocative choreography in "Crazy In Love" where she draws attention to her assets with pride, what used to be shamed by black women is now seen as a sense of empowerment. Counterhegemony takes place, in that the woman now uses the butt in the new awareness of her seductive powers. The butt is the vehicle (no pun intended) to arouse the male gaze, and the man voluntarily surrenders to the woman revealing his vulnerability.
We have discussed sexuality more often as weakness in the part of the woman, in the process of objectification. The woman is seen as a mere sexual object that man uses to unleash and impose his masculine vigor. But I would like to shift our paradigms a bit, and view sex as POWER for the woman.
What comes into my mind, arbitrary yet relevant nonetheless, is the way sexuality is portrayed in cartoons. I remember watching Looney Tunes episodes where Bugs Bunny dresses up as an attractive, busty woman to "weaken" Elmer Fudd, in a way "disarming" him. At such a young age, it came across to me that women make men soft, just by being women. The body is such a significant component. This video, which features Jessica Rabbit, illustrates just that.
Fetishism then, can be seen in two ways: sex as weakness, and sex as power. The widely held feminist view argues that objectification relegates woman to inferior status, but I'd like to point out the alternate view that women can use their sex to their advantage. I'm not saying all girls should start dressing in skimpy outfits. To draw the male attention to one's feminine qualities is enough: the softening of the voice, the gracefulness of movement. How many times have you seen women manipulate situations by merely flirting with the male? Rachel, in the TV show Friends, once sweet-talked her way out of a speeding ticket, and she did not have to show any skin.
Given, I do recognize there are things I have not considered. For one thing, we do not all look like Jennifer Aniston. Just because I am pointing this out does not mean I completely advocate it, but it's worth noting that performers like Beyonce take something that used to be associated with inferiority, and manipulates it to her benefit.
Another thing that was brought to me attention during our discussion was a scene from Charlie's Angels. Cameron Diaz jumps onstage during a filming of "Soul Train," and shakes her booty to the beat of "I Like Big Butts" in a sea of black Americans, all of which are chanting "go white girl!" Despite the reassuring chants, I can't help but think that butts have long been established as "a black person thing." If anything, I think the audience is poking fun AT Cameron Diaz's wanting to be black by the act of drawing attention to her ass (which is embarrassingly small). It's definitely something to think about.