Women…reduced to sex objects?

Does pornography reinforce male privilege? According to Shira Tarrant, “the vast majority of pornography depicts sex acts being done to women, women being on display for the pleasure of others, women depicted as deriving pleasure primarily by pleasing others. This is not a moral issue; it’s a political one… in mainstream porn, the viewer is usually assumed to be male, cruelty or degradation of women plays a central role, and women’s bodies exist mostly for men’s pleasure” (p. 102). It is interesting because people of all genders and sexual orientations watch porn, and therefore, a great amount of people learn about pleasure and sexuality through it. Since it is usually based on the heterogeneous male and female, there is not much diversity provided to the public. This could promote close-mindedness in a broader context, especially when thinking in terms of the LGBTQ population of people. Some people may argue that porn doesn’t serve a purpose to teach any lesson. However, it does have a huge effect on conceptualizations of real sex and pleasure. Males who watch porn may think it’s okay to degrade women and make them feel inferior. Women shouldn’t need pleasure in return right? It’s all about satisfying the men. Women, on the other hand, may cringe when seeing the degradation in some of these media portrayals. It could also be true that men and/or women do not consciously think about these issues because they are just focusing on “getting off.” Unconsciously, however, it is also true that people may internalize the messages and remember and possibly apply what they see to their own, personal sex lives. These messages and visualizations become readily available in their minds, and is there really anything wrong with it? Everyone is doing it in pornography, and apparently getting ultimate pleasure out of it. Why not imitate what is seen?

Women should experience pleasure, and should not be portrayed as the sole “pleasers” in the sexual relationship. Sex-positive feminism derived from a movement that was developed in the early 1980’s. It advocates for sexual freedom that is a crucial part of women’s freedom in general. People who refer to themselves as “sex-positive feminists” argue that sexual liberation and consent for both sexes is equally important. “They argue that the patriarchy limits sexual expression and are in favor of giving people of all genders more sexual opportunities, rather than restricting pornography” (Queen, 1996). Moreover, advocates reject the idea that sexual orientations are solely biological and “natural forces”. They believe that gender and sexual orientation are social constructions that are formed through society over time. Relating back to the concept of pornography, an anti-pornography ordinance was passed in 1983 and pornography was framed as including sexual discrimination against women. Other ordinances were passed soon after, however, they were later considered unconstitutional by a Federal Court. Again, critics argue and say that people in pornography are only actors who are portraying fantasies to the public. Sex-positive feminists continue to fight back and confirm that these so-called fantasies lead to the encouragement and application of these acts in real life. Encouraging violence against women is completely uncalled for and unfair, to say the least. We don’t want to physically or psychologically coerce women into doing anything, or do we? I know for a fact that sex-positive feminists strongly oppose this idea. How can women truly be enjoying themselves? They appear to be enjoying it, however, feminists believe performers are “brutalized” during the process.

According to Wikipedia, “Anti-pornography feminists hold the view that pornography contributes to sexism, arguing that in pornographic performances, the actresses are reduced to mere receptacles—objects—for sexual use and abuse by men. They argue that the narrative is usually formed around men's pleasure as the only goal of sexual activity, and that the women are shown in a subordinate role. Some opponents believe pornographic films tend to show women as being extremely passive, or that the acts which are performed on the women are typically abusive and solely for the pleasure of their sex partner. On-face ejaculation and anal rape are increasingly popular among men, following trends in porn. MacKinnon and Dworkin defined pornography as ‘the graphic sexually explicit subordination of women through pictures or words.’”

Can pornography go so far as to crystallize and “eroticize” male domination and reinforce attitudes consistent with rape and sexual harassment? I certainly believe that this could be true. But what about women-centered pornography? Some feminists are supporting ideas of reformation regarding this production of pornography. It is also interesting to note that whether or not pornographic actresses see themselves as victims of sexism, they generally earn more money than males. Does this aftermath compensate for their subservient role? And going back to feminist pornography that has indeed been produced…is it successful in its feminist efforts? Most people say yes. In fact, more women contribute to the films and take on a producer, writer, or director role. In addition, GENUINE female pleasure is pronounced and exaggerated. More importantly, these films challenge mainstream porn and the stereotypes behind it.