Arlene Stein makes use of the term "lesbian style wars," noting a beginning in the choice of clothing by lesbians seeking to challenge the consumerism of a capitalist society and to create style distinctions identifying their community. Stein finds that since this beginning in 1978, there has been an escalation as the community has sought to create a recognizable identity:
Lesbian communities, in San Francisco and elsewhere, have undergone tremendous shifts in tone and emphasis during the past decade (Stein 476).
This is partly a generational battleground as younger lesbians structure sexual identities based on elements of seventies lesbian-feminism, punk, and other influences. The battle is to redefine lesbianism for a new generation. One element has been the fact that lesbianism is becoming more visible as part of the American cultural landscape, appearing in advertising and other cultural expressions (Stein 476).
At the same time, Becker, Citron, Lesage, and Rich find that while lesbian imagery is seen in film, it is suppressed as far as creating any positive images is concerned. Lesbianism as an explicit vision is left to pornography, and depictions of women in any context in film are determined by male fantasy and male power:
As long as lesbianism remains a component of pornography made by and for men, lesbian sexuality will be received by most sectors of the dominant society as pornography (Becker, Citron, Lesage, and Rich 27).
The battle in the lesbian style wars is thus waged on several fronts, internally between generations, and externally between lesbians and society, between lesbians and the male power structure that arbitrates style. The battle extends beyond issues of external style to aspects of sexuality as well, as noted by Findlay with reference to the Dildo Wars, which has also become part of the style battle in advertising and pop culture:
No other sex toy has generated the quantity or quali...