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Download (.pdf) "Oh, Daddy That's My G-Spot": Women and Sexual Pleasure in Jamaican Dancehall Music
by Anna Perkins
In Handbook on Sexuality: Perspectives, Issues and Role in Society. Eds, Nicholas E. Peterson and Whitney Campbell. NOVA Publishers, 2012.
Music is an important influence on the formative years of Caribbean people and has an important impact on the... more
Music is an important influence on the formative years of Caribbean people and has an important impact on the formation of their sexuality. Popular music is a cultural vehicle for both forming and reforming cultural attitudes and practices. It is important therefore to engage the Dancehall, as it has an important role in forming notions of sexuality which presents women as both commodity and chattel. This is often reflected in the lyrics of male DJs, who mark out their aggressive masculinity through displays of possessions of gyals (women, sex), guns, ganja and money/bling. However, there has been a rise in female DJs who have forthrightly asserted female sexual desire and fulfilment in a fashion that challenges the cultural norms as captured in the extant literature. Sex is not all about the money (although it is about that too). “Oh, daddy, that’s my G-spot”, a line from DJ Lady Saw’s song “He’s at my house”, attests to the importance of sexual pleasure and fulfilment for women (not just men) in sexual interchange.
This chapter will explore the discourse around female sexuality that is displayed in Dancehall Music through an engagement with select lyrics of artistes, both male and female. In so doing, it will highlight Dancehall as a contradictory and complex space within which traditional notions of female sexuality are both reinforced and challenged. Many female Dancehall artistes challenge the notion that women are not interested in sexual intercourse that is not associated with procreation or economic gain. It will explore the complex dynamics between sex, pleasure, and economics. It will also explore the absence/silence of Dancehall on the question of same-sex relationships and what may account for this.
Keywords: dancehall, Caribbean women, sex, sexuality, oral sex, same-sex relations, sexual pleasure, Ce’Cile, Lady Saw
African American Female Adolescent Sexuality: Creating Change Using an Ecological-Womanist Lens
Few, A. L., & Stephens, D. P. (2009). African American adolescent female sexuality: Creating change using a womanist- ecological lens (pp. 75- 94). In K. Roberto & J. Mancini (Eds.) Pathways of Development: Explorations of Change. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
Young women speak: Why we seek health care and what we need from our providers.
Thomas, T. L., & Stephens, D. P. (2009). Young women speak: Why we seek health care and what we need from our providers. Journal of the Florida Medical Association, 108, 18- 26.
Despite widespread condom distribution and health education, sexually transmitted infections (STI s) in young adult... more
Despite widespread condom distribution and health education, sexually transmitted infections (STI s) in young adult women are on the increase. In an attempt to address these increasing rates of STIs, improve patient-provider interactions, increase access to
sexual and reproductive health information and quality health services for young adult women, investigators from nursing and psychology collaborated on a joint research project. The purpose of this study was to describe sexual risk taking, access to sexual and reproductive health information and quality health services, and interactions with health care providers in a culturally diverse group of young adult women. This study also examined the impact of socio-cultural beliefs and values that surround sexual risk taking through the use of sexual scripting and the influence of these results on subsequent health seeking behavior. The result of this work provides valuable information for health care providers, as it allows them to understand how racial/ethnic minority women view themselves as sexual beings, and how the sexual behaviors they exhibit are manifestations of culturally unique values and beliefs
about female sexuality.
Hispanic women’s expectations of campus- based health clinics addressing sexual health concerns.
Stephens, D. P., & Thomas, T. L. (2011). Hispanic women’s expectations of campus- based health clinics addressing sexual health concerns. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 6, 260- 280.
Although the number of Hispanic women attending post secondary institutions has significantly increased in the past... more Although the number of Hispanic women attending post secondary institutions has significantly increased in the past decade, knowledge about their use of campus health services to address sexuality-related issues remains low. Increased information about this population is crucial given that sexual health indicators have shown Hispanic women in college to be at a greater risk for negative sexual health outcomes when compared to their white counterparts. In this study, we conducted individual interviews with Hispanic women to explore their sexual health concerns and identify the roles they see campus-based health clinics playing in addressing these issues. Study findings suggest a need for health providers to provide sexual health skills that empower Hispanic women, the importance of creating a sense of comfort and trust with the health provider, and illustrating respect for cultural values. Campus health centers can play an important role in providing culturally appropriate sexual health information to Hispanic and other ethnic/ racial minority students.
