“Risky Pleasures: Club Cultures and Feminine Identities” identifies the lack of literature available on women and their experiences of clubbing. The author’s aim is to explore women’s stories, as well as to challenge stereotypes of femininity, and explore new discourses of and changing ways in which women express their femininity. A key focus in the book is that (sub)cultures are formed and developed in very different ways in a society that is fragmenting and changing. This has implications for how issues such as drug use, sexuality and risk taking are explored and analyzed. Overall, the main arguments presented in the book are discussed further to present new questions about the nature of femininities, sexualities, risk and pleasure for drug-using …show more content…
The different conceptions of pornography are mainly associated with the meaning to give to “obscene,” “erotic,” “pure,” and “decent,” in relation to the representations or descriptions of sexually-explicit materials. (Sanchez, 234). This leads to mentioning how the feminist debate on pornography implies a challenge to the different assumptions on what is or what is not ethically permissible regarding sexually-explicit materials. Radical feminists argue that sexual intercourse by itself is dangerous, because it implies perceiving and treating a woman merely as a sexual object, and not as a person or as a subject with dignity that deserves respect. In addition, they claim pornography is an example of how in a patriarchal culture, a woman is not free to reject heterosexual intercourse, resulting in a public spectacle of exploitative and violent pornography through sex, denying a woman’s autonomy and subjectivity and forcing her to remain silent (Sanchez, 235). In contrast, liberal feminists are shown as the traditional defenders of the rights to produce and consume pornography and in general agree with J. Stuart Mill’s harm principle for ethical guideline. Moderate-liberals claim that some forms like violent or degrading pornography should be …show more content…
Primarily, Rortian irony backs the author’s claims that the possibilities of porn are a worthwhile area for continuing discussions between anitporn and sex-radical feminists. This article stresses the importance of how pornography must be a part of a larger dialogue about sex, sexual health, and the construction of identity. Furthermore, everyone must discern whether porn can be, or should be, a part of her belief structures and her identity. For feminists, this must include persistent examinations of all facets of social discourse that impact female sexual and gender formations. “Moreover, Pornography can neither be ousted from nor adopted wholly into all feminist discourse (Fallas, 104).” These actions would ensure that these feminist conversations remain stagnant and thereby future activisms and advocates become nullified before they begin. Fallas mentions that to make progress and ensure stability for all women in society, it’s necessary for feminists on all sides of this argument to come to an acceptance of each other’s terms. For women to be perceived as full and equal partners in society, they must be “privy” to the same rights (including erotic, sexual, pleasurable) as men. Through an ironist point of view, these individual truths can be incorporated into feminist dialects and the definitions for
Margaret Atwood begins her essay by explaining the distinction between mild pornorgraphy, which portrays the nude form and sexual activities, and violent pornography, which depicts extremely violent activities in a sexual manner. When discussing pornography, people often assume Atwood is referring to mild pornography; however, even though this pornography is considered “mild” by Atwood, the reactions and perspectives from people are rarely mild. The passionate accusations declaring opposing sides “prudish” or “perverted” lead to the question of what is the meaning of pornography, if there is any? Whether it
Professor’s Comment: This powerful essay contrasts the views of two feminist, Catherine MacKinnon and Sallie Tisdale, each of which perceives pornography in widely divergent ways. While MacKinnon's 'Not A Moral Issue' explains the adverse impacts of pornography to women and society as a whole, Tisdale's 'Talk Dirty to Me: An Intimate Philosophy of Sex' is receptive to pornography despite these adverse impacts, suggesting in fact that the solution to the problems associated with pornography is a greater role of women in production of that pornography.
Susan Brownmiller's essay voices her feminist view towards pornographic material. Her claim is that without restriction, the first amendment has allowed women to be publicly perceived as objects.
It today’s society, pornography is a fast-growing epidemic that is evident in families, marriages, and teenage lifestyles. Supporters of pornography claim that it can be used as a tool to teach students about sex education. However, critics claim that pornography is unjust, influential, and dehumanizing. Pornography is unjust because it has the potential to break down intimate relationships and marriages. It can also have negative effects on children in particular young boys. More and more young boy’s minds are being influenced by pornography which is leading to misinterpretations about how to have a healthy sexual relationship. Most importantly, pornography dehumanizes women and it exploits children. Women and children are being victimized for the sheer pleasure of someone viewing pornography.
Whilst many disagreements have arisen in feminist discourse over the years, none has been quite as prevalent or divisive as the issue of the commodification of sexuality. There are two central groups in feminist ideology that are divided on this issue, liberal feminism and radical feminism. Liberal feminism is influenced by the ideas and values of liberalism. Thus, these feminists share a contractarian view which places an emphasis on a woman’s ability to make choices for herself and that the selling of one’s sexuality is merely an expression of that choice. Paradoxically, radical feminists believe that because women live in a patriarchal society, the commodification of sexuality can never be a choice or a form of expression. Rather, forms of sexual commodification such as pornography and prostitution just enforce male oppression. This essay will explore these two ideological positions in regard to their divergent definitions of human nature and freedom which has created a division within feminism about the commodification of sexuality.
The third wave of feminism coincided with the end of the second-wave. It occurred from the 1990s and is still present in contemporary society. This wave focuses on a post-modern understanding of gender boundaries and sexual identity. Most notably, the emergence of anti-pornographic movements during the third wave created a divide between radical and sex-positive views on sexuality. In MacKinnon’s article “Feminism, Marxism, Method, and the State: An Agenda for Theory,” she draws on the parallel between sexuality and marxism. The exploitation of work in marxism is comparable to the exploitation of female sexuality for men (MacKinnon 16). The exploitation of women as a sexual object for male gratification is apparent in pornography. MacKinnon
Pornography is a controversial subject all around the world. Part of its appeal is its taboo nature. It has been argued that pornography is harmful. Porn is an underground market that is more or less legal but is it harmful? An article written by Diana E.H. Russell in “Dangerous Relationships: Pornography, Misogyny, and Rape” argues that it is. Diana E.H. Russell is a sociology professor. She has researched the issue and argues that pornography is profoundly harmful. Professor Russell believes that it inclines men to want to rape women and that it encourages them to act out rape fantasies. However, Michael C. Seto disputes Professor Russell's theory that pornography is harmful. Michael Seto's article, written with
Starting off by addressing the noticeable prevalence of “[b]lack men...surrounded by dozens of black and Latina women dressed in bathing suits...in strip clubs, some at the pool, at the beach, or in hotel rooms” (Perry 1), Perry attempts to parallel such imagery with pornography and female objectification. By painting such an explicit, arousing picture in the minds of the audience, she immediately explains the effects of “pornography [being] increasingly mainstreamed” (1). She relates this phenomenon almost as a causation, and underlies her implicit position that pop culture is
Paasonen, S., Nikunen, K., & Saarenmaa, L. (2007). Pornification: Sex and sexuality in media culture. Oxford: Berg
Anne McClintock’s “Gonad the Barbarian and the Venus Flytrap”, focuses a lot of attention on how from the beginning of history, women have been denied some of the basic rights and freedoms that have been essential to the way that men live. Starting back from the times where they couldn’t vote and when women were basically seen as property when wedded. Women today and even in the earlier days could not express their sexuality and could not show that they were sexual beings. Anne McClintock gives the idea that women should be able to have the things that men have and they should be able to express it in the same way as men. In this essay, I will analyze how Anne McClintock views pornography as a form of pleasure that is mostly consumed by men and how women are incorporated into the employment of the industry and even in the home setting.
Ethics Pornography is a social problem and is a commodity brought into existence by certain characteristics of a highly developed civilization. The problem with pornography is that any form of censorship or downplay cannot solve it. It is difficult to draw the line between ones right to express their ideas and or opinions or sexuality
The idea that pornography gives feminists of differing opinions this middle ground that they can meet on and see how to articulate the different desires of feminism and what they want to turn it into is one of the main reasons Catherine Lumby argues that feminists need pornography (par 60). As Lumby writes in “Why Feminists Need Porn,” chapter five of her book Bad Girls, “the notion that you can draw a cause and effect line between fantasy and social practice is disturbing and distasteful to some feminists,” (par 60).
MacKinnon believes that pornography maintains male-dominated views of sex and is an extension of the patriarchy and thus, from a feminist standpoint, it should be eliminated. First, it should be established that MacKinnon believes that “male dominance is sexual” (315). From that, it can be established that practices such as rape, sexual assault, prostitution, and pornography “express and actualize the
Thesis – Multiple outlooks have been taken on the ethics of pornography, and the means by which it may either negatively influence power in sexuality, or actually provide some sort of social value and worth. These different ethical perspectives display the flaws in the industry and what it represents; yet they also end up proving the fact that it can be modified with positive influence and that pornography is not something to be deemed utterly unethical.
MacKinnon argues that pornography defines male treatment of women, and is the clearest demonstration of male dominance. Her perspective is radical, but valuable because it forces one to reexamine his or her view of pornography. She says that, “male power makes authoritative a way of seeing and treating women that when a man looks at a pornographic picture... the viewing is an act of male supremacy” (130). This form of expression dictates the way in which men view women as a class. The uneven distribution of power in this system makes pornography a form of discrimination. “Pornography causes attitudes and behaviors of violence and discrimination that define the treatment and status of half the population” (147). Not only women are subject to this form of oppression. “Pornography is the