Image: snapboot Are you tired of arguing about pictures of 'sexy' women yet? What about pornography? I'm not sure why so many feminist organisations think that these are the big battles we should be fighting right now, in the midst of an economic downturn and cuts that are devastating people's lives.
Maybe it's because I just can't get my head around the idea that sexual acts on film or in images are, in and of themselves, immoral or degrading. If that is that case, then surely sex and masturbation are in and of themselves wrong? Or is it only the act of watching that causes degradation? Are sex clubs always dens of iniquity? Dogging? Simulated sex in arthouse movies? Topless photographs?
Maybe it's because I just can't get my head around the idea that sexual acts on film or in images are, in and of themselves, immoral or degrading. If that is that case, then surely sex and masturbation are in and of themselves wrong? Or is it only the act of watching that causes degradation? Are sex clubs always dens of iniquity? Dogging? Simulated sex in arthouse movies? Topless photographs?
The more I hear some feminists discuss pornography and sex, the more I feel as if that is exactly what they think. And their response is simple: ban porn, ban page 3, ban all sex work... Ban any situation where a woman is valued for looking sexy.
Because as far as I can see according to these arguments it is objectification that is the problem. Patriarchy dehumanises and objectifies women, and mainstream pornography replicates that. So it's impossible to watch porn, to buy magazines featuring topless women, without upholding the patriarchy. And god forbid you should pose or act naked - that's just reinforcing and supporting patriarchy.
Because as far as I can see according to these arguments it is objectification that is the problem. Patriarchy dehumanises and objectifies women, and mainstream pornography replicates that. So it's impossible to watch porn, to buy magazines featuring topless women, without upholding the patriarchy. And god forbid you should pose or act naked - that's just reinforcing and supporting patriarchy.
| Such arguments deny the agency of women who choose to work in porn, topless modelling or sex work. And they overlook the fact that we all live in a sexist, patriarchal society within which we make (hopefully) the best decisions we can, and we can change things in more ways than one. | Let's stop the kneejerk hysteria and build something better. |
Whenever I think about the debate around sex work, I often end up thinking of stay at home mothers. My feminism has evolved over time, something I'll readily admit , so please know that what I am about to say is something I absolutely do not think any more. But when I was younger, I thought of sex workers and SAHMs in the same way - as women who were complicit in their own oppression and in the patriarchy. As women who might think they were making free choices, but didn't really understand that they were merely acting out parts scripted for them.
Why thank you, yes, I could be a condescending shit. Luckily my life has meant I've met wonderful people and learned that things are a little bit more complicated.
So instead of banning page 3 and porn, what would I like to see?
Some more intelligent activism and journalism for starters. So you want to ban page 3 and 'lads's mags' but you haven't even talked about the fact that 99% of women featured in them are white, and what that says about how our society frames sexual desirability? And you haven't talked to the women who work in shops with these magazines?
Or you want to write or reference an article that talks about the damage porn can do to people's sexuality but without backing it up with any studies, and without challenging the idea that rapists are always a 'stranger in an alley'. Then maybe you need to start again.
Following on from that, how about more and better sex education? Sex education that teaches children about variety in bodies, about consent, about sexual assault and rape. That sex isn't dirty, and you don't have to do it. About agency and choice.
And finally, how about making more pornography, in the styles we'd like to see? Anna Arrowsmith, who makes pornography under the name Anna Span and has also stood as a Lib Dem MP, speaks eloquently about the ways in which she makes porn to appeal to women. These include more foreplay and eye contact, but the main thing is showing what is happening from the woman's point of view: "I think a lot of what is seen as misogynistic [in porn] actually isn't. It's just a male point of view. The camera angles are all from the men."
That's just for starters. Let's stop the kneejerk hysteria and build something better.
Squeamish Louise
Why thank you, yes, I could be a condescending shit. Luckily my life has meant I've met wonderful people and learned that things are a little bit more complicated.
So instead of banning page 3 and porn, what would I like to see?
Some more intelligent activism and journalism for starters. So you want to ban page 3 and 'lads's mags' but you haven't even talked about the fact that 99% of women featured in them are white, and what that says about how our society frames sexual desirability? And you haven't talked to the women who work in shops with these magazines?
Or you want to write or reference an article that talks about the damage porn can do to people's sexuality but without backing it up with any studies, and without challenging the idea that rapists are always a 'stranger in an alley'. Then maybe you need to start again.
Following on from that, how about more and better sex education? Sex education that teaches children about variety in bodies, about consent, about sexual assault and rape. That sex isn't dirty, and you don't have to do it. About agency and choice.
And finally, how about making more pornography, in the styles we'd like to see? Anna Arrowsmith, who makes pornography under the name Anna Span and has also stood as a Lib Dem MP, speaks eloquently about the ways in which she makes porn to appeal to women. These include more foreplay and eye contact, but the main thing is showing what is happening from the woman's point of view: "I think a lot of what is seen as misogynistic [in porn] actually isn't. It's just a male point of view. The camera angles are all from the men."
That's just for starters. Let's stop the kneejerk hysteria and build something better.
Squeamish Louise
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