Femininity and The Felon: Polanski Laments How Pill Is “Masculinising” Women

As many on this blog know, I am not a big fan of Roman Polanski and his successful evasion of arrest for the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Many folks in France continue to rally behind Polanski who has successfully fought extradition for decades. Now, during the unveiling of his movie “Venus in Fur,” a satire on sexism starring his wife Emmanuelle Seigner, Polanski decried the loss of real women and how birth control pills are “masculinising” women. Of course, it is some small degree of progress that Polanski is actually focusing on fully grown women at this point. Yet, most women would find him a rather unwelcomed expert on anything dealing with females given his continued fugitive status as a child rapist.

Polanski was 43 years old when he was arrested in Los Angeles for the sexual assault of 13-year-old Samantha Geimer during a photo shoot for French Vogue magazine. He was indicted on six counts of criminal behavior, including rape, but reached a plea bargain to plead guilty to the charge of “Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a minor.” He was ordered to undergo 90 days of psychiatric evaluation at Chino State Prison and was then released pending sentencing. However, Polanski was fearful that the judge would not follow the recommendation of no jail and only probation. Accordingly, he fled to France on February 1, 1978 hours before the scheduled sentencing.

Polanski reportedly lamented that the pill had blurred the distinctions between the sexes, though I fail to see how pregnancy dangers is so essential to Polanski’s view of the sexes. He added “I think that now offering flowers to a lady becomes indecent, that’s how I feel about it . . . I think to level the genders — it’s purely idiotic. I think it’s a result… of progress in medicine. I think that the Pill has changed greatly the woman of our times, ‘masculinising’ her — how would you say it? . . . I think that it chases away the romance from our lives and that’s a great pity.” The danger of pregnancy is an essential part of the romance? Of course, given his criminal history, lawful consent is not so essential.

Source: France