Cajole Me

Cajole Me

To cajole: to persuade by flattery, to inveigle, to wheedle or coax.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/may/08/miss-cagole-2010-contest-paris

A cagole: a girl from the south of France, around Marseilles who is confident, dresses with elegance but not necessarily sophistication, can take care of herself and is never lost for words. So says Pascal Petiot, sponsor of the 2010 Miss Cagole competition in Paris; an article of which featured in the Guardian this week.

Essentially these girls are from the south with all its colour, glory and sunshine. They dress somewhat provocatively with short skirts and bling. Some might even call their costume tarty but they do not feel so. They just see their dress as one way of expressing their confidence in life. The English equivalent might be a ladette, but sexier and less manly. They are sexually precocious but not necessarily promiscuous but you could probably guarantee that these girls carry a condom around just in case.

The cagoles, according to the article, are a new breed of feminism in France and they have taken their particular brand right to the sacred streets of the Champs Elysee. The extremes of haute couture sophistication is not for them and does not represent the type of liberty that these young women epitomise. They find such Parisienne women aloof and snooty. There is a coldness in them that the Cagoles find unbecoming.

These cagoles are vibrant; embracing life, embracing sexuality, winning back a positive interpretation of the word by equating it with empowerment and freedom for women to express themselves how they want and not according to the diktat of society or men.

There is another interpretation of these women; that they are hussies, tarts, slags, slappers, prostitutes even. Their overt sexuality means that they are game for anything and that their confidence is flawed with a lack of finesse. Furthermore, they are the epitome of anti-feminism, in so far that they are dressed to please men rather than for themselves. Even worse, they cannot even see that this is the case.
According to the article, one commentator said a woman can only become a cagole through the eyes of men. Ergo, it is men that makes them the women that they are.

So what does Zenpuss think about all of this? What does Zenpuss think about these women?

I’ve seen them. I’ve looked at them as the ooze horniness from every pore of their self-assured bodies. I love their sexuality and their vibrancy. I love the fact that they don’t give a damn. I’d love to emulate such confidence. I’d love to sit amongst them, chatting, laughing, knowing that I amongst like-minded folk who can celebrate their sexuality without inhibition, without condemnation. I’d love to see how keen they are to explore their sexuality with me, with my lover, with other men that I may introduce them to. I’d love them to embrace me into their pack though I suspect I have probably passed the age of Cagolism and would be in grave danger of looking like mutton!

I delight in the fact that they are rescuing the word “cagole” from those who choose to use it as a form of abuse. This is an extremely empowering act and is akin to what I have suggested before about certain other words. Perhaps I should start a real campaign once and for all to rescue the word “cunt” for instance. If there were women around the country who refused to use this word as a term of abuse but simultaneously used it without pejorative undertones to describe their beautiful pussies, then this would be a marvellous step in the right sexual direction.

Here’s how it could go.

Woman goes for a smear test and the nurse sits her down. She does the pre discussion and then says, “Okay dear, it’s time to pop the speculum into your cunt.”

A female friend talks to another female friend and says “My partner says I have the most perfect cunt. I wonder what it is that he particularly likes about it. I’ve had a little feel around inside and I think he likes my cunt because there are so many layers of bulging skin that wrap around his cock when he enters me”. (Actually with or without the word cunt, I would suggest even talking about our pussies wouldn’t be a bad thing to do. It might remind women that there is actually something between their legs that is worth further exploration).

Woman picks up the phone to a poor saddo who is breathing heavily at the other end of the phone.
Man: I’d love to see you big hairy cunt
Woman: Yes, I bet you would love to see my cunt. It is rather spectacular.

Man and woman in a fight.
Man: You’re a fucking disgrace. You are a total cunt.
Woman: That is the highest compliment you have ever given me, darling.
Or
Woman: You’re a fucking cunt
Man: I’m glad you think so highly of me

No, the cagoles are doing a good job making the rest of the world realise that feminism is not one congealed blob of sameness. Feminism can have many different types amongst their movement. It is NOT a feminist act to turn your back on your sexuality. It IS a feminist act to realise once and for all that you are a sexual being and women have the most fantastic and prized possessions in the world; juicy cunts and voluptuous tits. It is a feminist act to realise that by embracing your own sexuality, you are satisfying yourself and are not just there for the joy of manhood when you have penetrative sex.
Sex is a domain for all genders and all sexual persuasions. It is not for the gratification of heterosexual men only.
Feminism is about the right to wear what you want, say what you want, do what you want without fear of provoking unwanted attention from men, both positive and negative. Feminism is about the right to wear what you want, say what you want, do what you want with the aim of provoking or cajoling attention from someone who you quite fancy being a sexual partner; for the night or for a longer period of time. Feminism is liberty and equality. It may not be fraternity but it is certainly sorority, and surely by now the French have embraced that word within their statement of intent about what they want from their society.

However, I do have some slight reservations too.
I am fed up with the fact that some people equate sexual confidence to tartiness. I am fed up with the fact that it sometimes appears that the only way you can express sexual confidence is by being loud and obnoxious. I am fed up with people associating sexual confidence with a crudeness and coarseness. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a lack of assumptions, that I myself am guilty of too, about a woman’s sexuality and the way that they dress?

I am a woman who does sometimes lack confidence. I would not, for instance, have the confidence to dress like a cagole even if I was young enough to do so. I have similar thoughts and feelings regarding feminism, according to what I have read about cagoles but I would hate people to make assumptions about me just because I looked like a cagole. Furthermore, I do not like the idea that this is potentially the only way that I can express my sexuality.

Of course this is not really true. Of course there are plenty of ways to express your sexuality that do not require bling, bright red lipstick and tight fitting garment but I think the cagoles have to be careful that they do not fall into the trap of this being the only way to express their confidence and sexuality.
What I am trying to say is that I am frightened that the cagoles could become a parody of themselves; a cliché that reverses and reverses back so that instead of reclaiming the word cagole, they merely reinforce it with the notion that sexual gratification is left firmly with the men, with the idea that cagoles are only cagoles for the sake of the French men who wonder at their charm.
I am worried that despite their attempts at liberating the word, cagoles are still seen as tarty women who have no prowess, are not cultured or refined and are simply coarse.
I hasten to add I don’t think they are – I love their energy and determination.

So today, I maintain positivism. I embrace this wonderful new and exciting wave of French feminism. In some ways, as a hopelessly bland Brit, I am rather envious of this wave of their triumphant naughtiness and less intimidated by it than the beauty, elegance and sophistication of the Parisienne beauty.

Feminism, as I said, can come in many forms and the Parisienne lady with her perfect body and her fuck me shoes is as self-assured as can be. They have sexual confidence and are not afraid to use it but there is still a place for a more down-to-earth French feminism that does not rely on the old cliché of the French woman dressed in tight pin striped pencil skirt, with stockings suspenders, low cut blouse and gloriously colourful bras peeping out.

Zenpuss essentially delights at any woman or group of women who get up there and almost announce their sexuality to the world. Zenpuss essentially wants every woman to be free to celebrate and announce their sexuality in whatever way they want but simultaneously Zenpuss doesn’t want such overt sexuality to be restricted to the very groomed or the delightfully flaunty.
The ability to express one’s sexuality should be the domain of all women, and within that all French women, be it well-tailored capital dwellers or the less culturally refined from the urban capital of the south.

Just as a footnote, despite everything that I might have said about the concern I may have for these women falling into a cliché, I’d love to be young enough to catch their eye. I really do fancy a bit of a threesome with some of these women. I love their unrefined state, even the cagoles who dress up in a slightly more established French way to flaunt their beautifully tanned bodies.
I’d quite like to get an eyeful of their cunts, if they were indeed on offer. I’d love to see certain men enjoying these women’s delight at their own sexuality. I’d like to watch these women enjoying sex. I think I could happily get off on that, if indeed that is what they want and I am not falling into the cliché already of assuming that they are sexually overt young beings.

I mean, in all honesty, is there anything that is hornier than a person who has sexual confidence and is uninhibited in demonstrating it?
I love horny people and I simply wish that everyone could get to know their sexual being in order to break down sexual barriers once and for all.
http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.20minutes.fr/article/402903/France-Sur-la-trace-des-cagoles-le-long-des-Champs-Elysees.php&ei=7RLnS5WFFIOKnQO5p62CBg&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCMQ7gEwATgK&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcagoles%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26prmd%3Dvi

As for me, I'd be a Cagole any day. I don't know whether the word is entirely synonymous with our word "cajole" but given half the chance I'd like to use my sexuality to coax someone to fuck me. Now that has to be a positive skill to have in life.

And as the winner of Miss Cagole 2010 said "I am proud of who I am and all my friends". Good on her.