Phallus envy.
To be a lesbian in academe is to occupy the ghostly world of the Abject. We cannot be and therefore we can only manifest in easily recognized forms: androgyne, mannish lesbian, nice gay girl, ball-busting bitches, and asexual whatisits. Our only hope is to obtain the ever-enviable Phallus, but even this strategy is limited by the Phallus's tendency to detach as the slightest sign of femaleness.
Essig
Laurie
L
Sociology Department, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA. Lessig@uvm.edu
D001828:Body Image; D005260:Female; D005619:Freudian Theory; D005783:Gender Identity; D018452:Homosexuality, Female; D006801:Humans; D007578:Jealousy; D007989:Libido; D019365:Metaphor