As a woman (not a first amendment issue but your personal opinion) where do you fall on the issue of pornography? Is it all evil smut that should be burned in the town square or is it hot and sex positive? What about the violent stuff like snuff films, kiddie porn, and rape fantasy stuff? How do you differentiate "good porn" versus "bad porn"?
Here's my 2 cents (that is why I brought this up after all), after reading Take Back The Night and also raising my consciousness in the sex positive community as well as previously being a sex worker myself I have come to the following truce with pornography.
In my opinion I do not like to see images of people in degrading postures and attitudes that depict violence against others as entertainment. This opinion is also directed at all forms of media including music, visual, and literary and not limited to my porn. I do like to see consentual sexual interactions between people old enough to know what they want and understand their personal responsibilities (especially if I think they are hot). I vote with my wallet and with my opinion and work to support positive porn and undermine negative porn.
Do I think that porn advocates violence towards women? Yes but not all of it. You don't even have to go as far as looking at pornographic images to see women being degraded and suffering violence just go to a movie, buy a mystery novel, or even a fashion magazine that promotes unattainable beauty ideals. We are continually portrayed by the media as being weaker, more prone to attack by a "bad guy", or just put into a degrading position than men are as a rule. What kind of message are we sending to the next generation of women when we allow, hell even support, this kind of image of what it is to be a woman?
Do I want to see porn banned? No, but I would like to see some changes in the appetite of our nation. Get rid of this beauty ideal that sexualizes children, it's gross. Promote positive, consensual sexuality for all genders and sexual orientations. For Goddess's sake can we just kill the beauty myth and enjoy naturally attractive people? Fake boobs just look painful and humans are supposed to have some hair between their legs. Get rid of this purtanical notion that all sex work is bad and sex workers should be punished, this attitude only feeds itself with lies and supports bad people who will take advantage of the weak. "Pimpen" is being a man that supports himself off the bodies of women working in prostitution, it is not a compliment or an ideal lifestyle.
It's an uneasy truce at best.
Here's my 2 cents (that is why I brought this up after all), after reading Take Back The Night and also raising my consciousness in the sex positive community as well as previously being a sex worker myself I have come to the following truce with pornography.
In my opinion I do not like to see images of people in degrading postures and attitudes that depict violence against others as entertainment. This opinion is also directed at all forms of media including music, visual, and literary and not limited to my porn. I do like to see consentual sexual interactions between people old enough to know what they want and understand their personal responsibilities (especially if I think they are hot). I vote with my wallet and with my opinion and work to support positive porn and undermine negative porn.
Do I think that porn advocates violence towards women? Yes but not all of it. You don't even have to go as far as looking at pornographic images to see women being degraded and suffering violence just go to a movie, buy a mystery novel, or even a fashion magazine that promotes unattainable beauty ideals. We are continually portrayed by the media as being weaker, more prone to attack by a "bad guy", or just put into a degrading position than men are as a rule. What kind of message are we sending to the next generation of women when we allow, hell even support, this kind of image of what it is to be a woman?
Do I want to see porn banned? No, but I would like to see some changes in the appetite of our nation. Get rid of this beauty ideal that sexualizes children, it's gross. Promote positive, consensual sexuality for all genders and sexual orientations. For Goddess's sake can we just kill the beauty myth and enjoy naturally attractive people? Fake boobs just look painful and humans are supposed to have some hair between their legs. Get rid of this purtanical notion that all sex work is bad and sex workers should be punished, this attitude only feeds itself with lies and supports bad people who will take advantage of the weak. "Pimpen" is being a man that supports himself off the bodies of women working in prostitution, it is not a compliment or an ideal lifestyle.
It's an uneasy truce at best.
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Seattle
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Re: the "Pornography Issue"
Sat, July 23, 2005 - 5:44 AMJezebel--
Excellent topic! And hello to everyone here.
I respect that porn is an issue that divides women, and know that we have to be careful in how we, as feminists, approach it.
I think that anything that dehumanizes a woman, or children, or men (or is cruel to animals, for that matter), is bad. Snuff films. Rape. Violence.
I think that whatever comes from joy or playfulness is, generally, fine. A woman knows if she is invited to have fun in the making or viewing of porn, or if it is aimed to exclude her needs or even take advantage of her.
Like the definition of "sexual harrassment", I think the determination of porn's intent towards women can be made on how particular women feel in relation to that piece of porn. It's on a case by case basis. If women are comfortable in the making and viewing of a particular piece of porn, than that porn is fine by me. If a woman feels "had" by it, then I object to it.
Ilana -
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Re: the "Pornography Issue"
Sat, July 30, 2005 - 12:20 AMBut what if one woman hates a certain piece of porn, and another woman loves it? -
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Re: the "Pornography Issue"
Sat, July 30, 2005 - 1:37 PMI think this is exactly part of he problem. I would try to find out why these women have the attitudes they do.
Personally as a sexual abuse survivor who was raised by nudist hippies; I am very comfortable with my body and nudity, but I find most porn to be just plain boring. -
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Re: the "Pornography Issue"
Sat, July 30, 2005 - 8:26 PMThat's why I think that each woman needs to make up her own mind in relation to a piece of porn. One woman may feel okay with it, while another woman does not. That's fine. Both women's wishes should be respected. The first can view it, the second can avoid it.
Ilana
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Re: the "Pornography Issue"
Tue, December 27, 2005 - 1:52 PMporn can be yummy, sexy, hot, and a turn-on.
porn can be icky, and make your insides feel all crawly & spiny.
When I worked for an adult company, I felt really okay about porn. I was surrounded by it. I signed a waiver that I would be okay being surrounded by it. It helped that the company I worked for shared my porn aesthetic- consensual adults only- degradation and harm only when it's asked for by the person being degraded and harmed (consent is sexy). But-
CONTEXT IS KEY.
Each person has their own context, so there's no one rule or truce. Things that some people find hot will undoubtedly push other people's squick buttons. Just like some people like mushrooms and peas in their food- and others choke at the thought of them. Taste is everything. I think current laws protect people enough- almost. They mostly protect children, and people unable to otherwise protect themselves.
I also vote with my wallet, and like art, I wish that was enough. If noone bought the "bad stuff" noone would make it. But our society is so uptight and neurotic about sex that we create our own taboos, which feeds those who are turned on by taboo. cycle to cycle to cycle.
tough topic
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Re: the "Pornography Issue"
Tue, December 5, 2006 - 10:56 AM
Porn is a really big category.
As a sex worker myself, I feel good with in-person sex work. Stripping and escorting. Those situations give me a lot of ability to create the experience, and also give the sex worker and client a chance to select each other (not that I love every guy I get naked for, but I can at least click with them a little). But then there are clubs that are awful to work in and there are girls who feel like they have to do everything for every customer.
I haven't felt as good about produced sex work - phone sex, web cam, movies. In those cases sexuality is seperated from itself and fed back to the consumer as a representation that is essentially un-whole and un-realistic. But then there is great stuff happening in all these categories - sex educators doing phone sex, safer-sex porn, etc.
I think artistic nudes are great. But then I pick up Penthouse and the women are often posed in ways that make them look small, fragile, broken (because that's what's sexy?!) and there are articles like "5 Things Women Love In Bed But Don't Know Yet" advising guys that if their partner doesn't like something, just keep doing it anyways until she does.
I guess, basically, I think sex industry is good, but I think this sex industry in this culture of misogyny is twisted.
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Re: the "Pornography Issue"
Tue, December 5, 2006 - 1:38 PMIt's like there is this fine line between sacred and profain, then there'sjsut down rightexploitative.
My SO is on this site called Adult Friend Finder, it's not a site for people really out to find Love it's more about finding people fro fun or adult friendship. Most of the pictures on people's profiles are of their sexondary sexual charectoristics (tits, cock, pussies, etc), and while I respect the desire for anonimity the ads rarely talk about the soul of their sexuality and most are about the simple willingness to fuck for fucks sake. It really feels to me like the internet porn industry has made a profane mockery of what is sexy.
While casual sex can be fun I really want to know more about a person than how long their cock is and how well they can pound me or that they are a nasty slut. But this is what mainstream hears and parrots back as 'sex talk'. Somehow it just feels empty to me.
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