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Red Thread: My Sexual History
Red Thread: My Sexual History
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"I know very well that my act of writing about my experiences without reservation is an act of resistance."
I write so that I no longer have to concede, and I hope that you, who encounter this book, will also refuse to yield to anyone.
Regarding untold stories of female "sexuality"
The bodily narratives experienced by every "I" who has had to lock themselves in a solitary cell
I write so that I no longer have to concede, and I hope that you, who encounter this book, will also refuse to yield to anyone.
Regarding untold stories of female "sexuality"
The bodily narratives experienced by every "I" who has had to lock themselves in a solitary cell
"Dirty woman. Whore. Slut. After losing my virginity at 15, no, even before that, the stigma of 'a dirty existence' has followed me like a shadow. Silence was my rule for survival. Yet, the moment I opened my mouth, I struck fear into them. Sunlight streamed into the damp single room that imprisoned me. All I spoke about was myself and this room I had been in. Those who threatened me were the ones who always talked about human rights and democracy, which made me both indignant and helpless. But even so, I must brazenly display this body, which has been branded and considered taboo. Yes, I am dirty. So what?"
"Red Line: My Sexual Record" chronicles almost all of a certain Korean woman's "sexual" experiences. Beginning with testimonies about abortion experiences, it delves into first sexual encounters, first masturbation, first orgasm, sex work, polyamory, and experiences of dating violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other stories that have been buried due to their highly private nature. The author reveals these intimate experiences to the public to make people aware of the "red lines" that confine them and to give them the courage to break free from these bonds.
The "red line" is a chain placed on women by society and by ourselves, as well as the two blood-red lines on a pregnancy test stick. It encompasses purity culture, which treats women's bodies as treasures that wear out with sex; sexual narratives that ignore women's desires and orgasms, emphasizing dominance and conquest; gender role-playing that demands men be masculine and violent, and women be delicate, pure, and sexy; a patriarchal society that views women as sexual commodities that significantly depreciate with age; patriarchal admonitions that question women's feelings and demand they not be indignant over minor matters; a culture of rape and shame that expects victims to self-blame; and the patriarchal family myth that enshrines heterosexual monogamy and the institution of marriage as gospel. The red lines that shackle women are utterly exhausting.
Merely possessing this body destines a woman to be regarded as a dirty being. The author herself once put on a corset, imprisoned herself in a solitary cell, and, as society expected, blamed herself in the abyss, trembling with shame. However, she is no longer plagued by shame nor confined by red lines. She embraces her desires, crosses the red line into forbidden territory, and begins to write about the "bodily" secrets that have long been silenced. With tear-stained words, she speaks out for women who are similarly trembling in shame and fear, hoping to reach them. Because her solitary cell was once their solitary cell; her pain is also the pain that thousands upon thousands of "thems" have experienced and are still experiencing; and her story is also their story.
