Feminism and Porn Essay - 1766 Words

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 â€Å"Why Feminists Need Porn,† chapter five of her book Bad Girls, â€Å"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). Feminists, by questioning that line, can find the need reevaluate their political position and how they relate the issues of feminism to other ideas and movements. The realization that feminists should constantly†¦show more content†¦Certain parts of her article can be seen as support for either side of the issue, but in the overall effect of the work Purcell is just trying to show the faults of both arguments and how they could each be come stronger, and how we could â€Å"engage in this research [and argument] in more sensitive and responsive ways.† (par 5) One issue that feminists should bring to the open and question is the definition of pornography. Often times anti-porn feminists argue that we can tell what is and isn’t porn easily. Yet the definition these feminists use to decide what counts as porn and whether it should be censored from the public applies to many things as Lumby points out in paragraphs nine and twelve. She draws up the movie Siren as an example of how Elle Macpherson’s nudity in the movie was widely accepted and went uncontested, but then Lumby points out how Macpherson’s shoot for Playboy was more modest than some of the shots in the film yet the photo shoot receives more flack because it’s categorized as porn (par 9). Lumby uses the shoot and film to frame the way anti-porn feminists believe that porn should be easy to spot. She brings up the point for her audience to show them the logic of anti-porn feminists and how that logic doesn’t make the strongest argument when the audience questions it. The fact that Lumby can make her audience suspicious of the strength of anti-porn arguments makes theShow MoreRelatedFeminism Is Not A Feminist805 Words   |  4 PagesAt first I thought I was not a feminist. However, after careful consideration and research into feminist ideology, I have realized that I am a feminist. Individual feminism or Libertarian feminism represents my beliefs very closely. I do believe that women have been subjugated to men and remain so in many parts of the world. We have not achieved parity with men in all areas. Government continues to regulate the choices of women in terms of reproductive issues. There are ongoing struggles at the stateRead MoreFeminism and Pornography: Differing Views1221 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"a woman’s body, a woman’s right† and as long as she is not being coerced then she has the right to do what she would like with her own body. This is where the opinions and views of sex workers themselves come in to play. Self identified feminist porn star Nina Hartley has called herself an exhibitionist and has been a positive story for pornography because it is something that she enjoys and she is confident in herself and her body. Another argument against censorship is the question of who willRead MoreThe Social World1413 Words   |  6 Pagessociological explanations to understand and draw conclusions on why the sexualisation of culture has and continues to occur today. I will explore feminism and how it has influenced sexualisation of culture today and how pornography has influenced todays pornification pro blems. One sociological explanation for this is that of a multitude of factors related to that of feminism. In the mid-1970s child abuse was brought to public eye by a group of second wave feminists also known as radical feminist if you willRead MoreFourth Wave Feminism1572 Words   |  7 PagesIs It Post Feminism Or The Fourth Wave The word feminism is defined as referring to political, cultural, and economic movements seeking greater rights and participation in society for women and girls. This word goes hand in hand with the feminist movement, which is aimed at equal rights for women. 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She presents life in the industry as marked by violence and violation: She tells us she was beaten unconscious with a rock, gang-raped, and left for dead onRead MoreThe Industry Can Cause A Lot Of Trouble For People1681 Words   |  7 Pages3.8 GPA† (218) Despite the episteme surrounding the sex industry, working in the sex industry is a viable career choice. In her book, Roach identifies three categories of reasoning for working as a stripper: sex-positive capitalism, sex-positive feminism, and sex-positive spirituality (105). Sex-positive capitalism, the reasoning that these jobs are for financial support is the first and biggest. In all of my research money has been the biggest driving factor in why people choose a job in the sexRead MorePornography and Women Empowerment Essay2178 Words   |  9 Pagescrusader for family values, he has also detailed in his writing that In far too many families with young children, both parents are working†¦ Here, we can thank the influence of radical feminism (Santorum). Santorum in his platform targets a split in the female political interest, where pornography and feminism currently brush heads. It is time for the anti-pornography feminists to realize that what Santorum calls â€Å"obscenity† is a major front in the culture war for women’s empowerment. PornographyRead MoreThe Sexuality Of Women s Sexuality817 Words   |  4 Pagesis dirty† (Dworkin, 298). All of this ties together with her belief that pornography has not changed since its origin in Ancient Greece, with the small exception of how the pornography is produced with changing technology. This includes how women in porn are treated and valued, both in the pornography itself as well as in the culture that the media is made from. One of the major downfalls of Dworkin’s stance, from the opinion of this author, is that she cannot imagine women as actively partaking in