About twenty years ago, the women’s movement almost tore itself apart in it’s debates on pornography. What is porn, what isn’t? How best to respond — education? criminalization? creating feminist erotic alternatives? Who is to decide what is pornography and what is art? How to stop degrading images of women (and men) without giving free reign to fundamentalists who’d like to see all erotic images censored? Does porn by definition lead to violence against women? Is it, by definition, violence against women? Is sexism with clothes off worse than sexism with clothes on?
Our latest “Excerpt of the Week” doesn’t attempt to answer these many questions. Nor does it focus on what appears to be the increasingly brutal nature of mainstream porn since those debates. But, the widespread availability of degrading images of women certainly does concern us. So, let’s take you inside the office of a Hollywood producer to see what he, his favorite (male) director, and his female Executive Assistant have to say. Fade in….. “P is for…Porn”
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Great article! I hate to be “that person” that comments to correct grammar, but the title of this post should read “Porn Keeps Raising Its Ugly Head,” not “Porn Keeps Raising It’s Ugly Head.”
A double thanks to you, Caitlin! For the positive comment and for catching that nasty typo. I do appreciate it! I should say that my co-author, Michael Kimmel, would never miss a typo like that. From, the other Michael.