ty of discussion among mostly urban, middle-class, white lesbians than the dildo. What interests me about this discourse is that a number of subcultural products (advertisements, erotic fiction, the sex toys themselves) have consistently drawn from a set of familiar conventions, thus constituting a kind of shared fantasy about lesbian dildo use (Findlay 328).
The lesbian style wars demonstrate a dynamic that other communities have also shown in the past as they have battled internally over what sort of image would be projected. This battle is indeed one that continues all the time in the youth culture as each new generation tries to assert its difference from others. The fact that this is taking place in the lesbian community as well is not surprising, but the degree to which the struggle has been adopted by and depicted in advertising images is somewhat surprising. There as well, though, these images are selected by and controlled by the male power structure that decides what sells and what does not. The lesbian style wars have thus extended outside the lesbian community.
2. Sexuality and race have long been linked in American culture, and the links and relationships are complex. Sexuality and race in the heterosexual community reflect power relationships extending back to the era of slavery and a variety of fears raised by the white community regarding miscegenation and rape fantasies. The racial component is also seen in attitudes and relations between the black community and the homosexual community, though the nature of this relationship is in some dispute.
For instance, it is perceived that black communities are more homophobic than other communities. Bell Hooks addresses this issue and finds some doubt that it is true. She notes how some blacks from the South report that gay people were able to express themselves openly, while others dispute this. Homophobia directed at lesbians was bound with deep religious ...