Woodman writes, “Rape suggests being seized and carried off by a masculine enemy through brutal sexual assault; ravishment suggests being seized and carried off by a masculine lover through ecstasy and rapture. Rape has to do with power; ravishment has to do with love.” The ideas are close. When someone cannot restrain themselves from your body, when your presence encourages them to cede control, that’s a form of power—nested in the safety of mutual desire. Their loss of control is a bid to liberate you to exult in your pleasure too. Rape has everything to do with power too—it’s just one-sided
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