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SOC 535- Contemporary Feminist Theory

Instructor: Prof. Dr. Yıldız Ecevit

Term Paper

IS PORNOGRAPHY DEGRADING OR

LIBERATING? : AN ANALYSIS OF THE

SHIFTING FEMINIST APPROACHES ON

PORNOGRAPHY

Birce Pakkan

1840917

E-mail: bircepakkan@yahoo.com

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Introduction

Pornography has been much of a concern in feminist studies for years, and
specifically for me. My interest in studying pornography comes from the time when I
read “Striptease Culture: Sex, Media and Democratization of Desire” and my previous
views on pornography just shattered. As I thought over and over; I came to believe
that pornography and the sexualized culture in general, plays a huge part in our
everyday lives. Especially media and the developing technologies usually use the
motto “Sex sells.”. Sex sells in fact; the magazines, commercials, TV shows, movies,
and pornography; they all sell sex, and their consumers buy sex.

It is amazing how we came to this point from an era; the Victorian age, where sex and
sexuality were hidden, carrying a burden of shame; and where sex was an activity
that was reduced to the heterosexual, married couple. Freed from its biological
reproductive role; sex is now a psychological activity that expresses love, passion and
desire. Pornography is one of the visual expressions of sex and sexuality, but
becoming widespread as globalization and new technologies appear. Pornography
has also been a very crucial, debated issue amongst feminists since it brings up
questions about body, sexuality, power, inferiority and oppression.

The aim of this paper is to answer the question of whether pornography is degrading
or liberating. To be able to do that, I will define pornography and its relationship with
sexuality at first. Then, I will present the different feminist perspectives on the issue
of pornography; especially with making the distinction of the perspectives influenced
by modernism and by postmodernism. Because I believe postmodernism redefined
every previous issue in its own way; and it led to a new view of pornography as well.
Finally, I will try to come to a conclusion about whether pornography is degrading or
liberating, as the various feminist approaches suggested.

Sexuality and pornography: the sexualized culture

Sex matters. Sex matters a lot. And now is an era where sex is not just defined as a
biological tool for gene transmission, but it evolved into “the psychological capacity
to feel sexual desire and experience orgasm as an especially intense form of physical

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and emotional pleasure.” (McNair, 2002: 2). Sex has therefore became sexuality, or
sexualities. As sexuality came to be understood as a social construction; the body or
our biology wasn’t enough to explain how our instincts, drives, sexual behaviors,
desires are formed. It was the society, and for feminists, the patriarchal order that
constructed the meanings of sexuality. Richardson talks about the work of Gagnon
and Simon (1973) that claims “not only do we learn what ‘sex’ means, and who or
what is sexually arousing to us, but we also learn to want sex.” (Richardson, 1997:
157). In other words; society gives certain meanings to certain bodily activities,
through which we learn to want to practice certain bodily activities, our ‘sexual
desires’.

Sexuality and its representations were also seen as a source of power; in which
sexuality have been subject to state and church control; through prohibitions of
sexual practices, sexual consent age and so on. This was first brought up by Foucault,
who believed that sex was produced through definition, categorization and also by
regulation and control. Feminists revised this Foucauldian idea by claiming the
regulation and controlling of sexuality leads to the maintenance of the patriarchal
order. This dimension of sexuality is what matters for feminists the most. Sexuality
was seen as the key site of patriarchy and women’s oppression by radical feminists.
As a well-known radical feminist MacKinnon describes sex “as practices, includes
abuse, of women and children principally. They are abused in sex, in the course of the
practice of sex, in order for (primarily) men to get the pleasure that defines sex.”
(MacKinnon, 2005: 272).

Pornography’s importance in feminist debates occurs at this point. Since it is believed


that sexuality is a social construction; attributing specific meanings to certain bodily
activities, therefore constructing a sexual drive; and that socially constructed
sexuality is the key site of women’s oppression, pornography comes to be a tool for
teaching the appropriate sexual urges and to internalize the patriarchal order.
Pornography is said to be invented in mid-nineteenth century; the Victorian era that
tried to suppress sex and sexuality. But the era was also significant for the invention
of “pornography” since technology was developing, being able for the images to be
disseminated rapidly (Weeks, 2011: 136).

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Pornography usually connotes negative, dirty words. But the boundaries of it were
never certain; was it just an adult entertainment or did it include erotica, what should
have been counted as non-pornography, what were the distinctions between hard
core and soft core pornography. The rise of pornography and the talk about sex and
sexualities in general, led to a sexualization of culture (McNair, 2002: 7). This
sexualized culture created a moral panic and censorship regulations from time to
time. But we can sure, talk about a jump from sexual suppression to sexual
emancipation, mainly through media. Hickman says that media has been ‘the main
engines of sexual revolution’ (Hickman, 1999: 245). It was responsible for the cultural
capitalism; which seeks profit in cultural commodities, mainly through advertisings,
magazines, and in my concern, pornography.

Pornography is “sexually explicit material consisting in graphic pictorial depictions


and verbal descriptions of sexual organs and various modes of coitus” (Tong, 1989:
112) and was always an issue for debate in feminist movement. I will now, clarify
some of the feminist approaches and debates on the issue of pornography and reveal
the transformation from the second wave feminism to the current times.

Attitudes of Different Feminist Perspectives on Pornography

Before the emergence of the feminist attack on pornography in 1970s, due to its
absence in mainstream and lack of availability; the only debate on pornography went
on between religious conservatives and civil libertarians. The conservatives viewed
pornography as “a threat to the moral development of children, traditional family
values and the moral fabric of society.” (Fineman, Jackson, Romaro, 2009: 369). Civil
libertarians on the other hand, emphasized the aesthetical and social value of
sexually explicit material and suggested a liberation on the ground of maximum
sexual pleasure and satisfaction (Tong, 189:112). This debate that went on about the
disagreement of individual liberty, was followed by feminist anti-pornographers’
voices. It wasn’t about public morality or the individual liberty as before, but it was
about women’s equality (Tong, 189 :112).

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- Antipornography debate

The feminist antipornographers’ movement saw pornography as sexual


discrimination; having an exploitative and degrading nature. In this point a distinction
between erotica and thanatica was made; the former representing sexually explicit
material that doesn’t harm anyone while the latter was associated with BDSM
performances that involves a lot of harm and mainly, the harm of women. Anti-
pornographers claimed through this distinction that thanatica promotes “sexual
harassment, rape, and women battering, and generally by degrading them.” (Tong,
189:113). These feminists assumed a direct link between male violence and
pornography, for example in her study of pornography and rape, Diane Russell claims
there is a causal link between the two by saying that “pornography can induce a
desire to rape women in males who had no such desire previously, and it can
increase or intensify the desire to rape in males who have already felt this desire.”
(Russell, 2000: 65).

Antipornography movement is mostly associated with radical feminists. Since they


view sexuality as a key site of women’s oppression, pornography was seen a crucial
tool to maintain this. One of the radical feminists in this movement, Angela Dworkin
says sex and sexuality are the mediums of oppression, which make women so distant
in the subordinating process than say, groups based on race and religion. She says
that “pornography is the material means of sexualizing inequality; and that is why
pornography is a central practice in the subordination of women.” (Dworkin, 2000:
30). These feminists saw pornography as a defamation and a civil rights violation
(Tong, 189: 115), and suggested censorship on pornography (But of course, what is
pornographic and what is not were highly debated). MacKinnon supports this view by
saying that through pornography, “women are dehumanized through the
conditioning of male sexuality to their use an abuse, which sexualizes, hence lowers,
women across the culture, not only in express sexual interactions. Pornography
makes women a public sexual spectacle and common sexual property.” (MacKinnon,
2005: 316).

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On the other hand, liberal feminists opposed to the censorship of pornography and
sexually explicit materials. Despite their negative view on pornography; they saw
censorship and sexual repression more negative. These feminists thought that the
harmful effects of pornography can be subverted through equal relationships
between men and women. Also, pornography was part of free speech, which was
protected very strictly in the First Amendment. Liberal feminists rather define
pornography as a tool for sexual liberation. Sex was for them, beneficial and pleasure
giving and sexual expression was necessary for a human being’s self fulfillment and
progress; an idea which they borrowed from Enlightenment.

Independent of liberal feminists, some feminists argued that antipornography


movement showed pornography as the cause of gender violence; but instead they
should see it as a symptom of misogyny and institutionalized sexism. The
antipornographers ignored the larger political and economic conditions that cause
gender violence. It is important to note here that some profeminist men also joined
the antipornography movement since it was also harmful for men. Stoltenberg, one
of those profeminists, revealed that pornography was in favor of white men, causing
an inequality towards other masculinities. (Stoltenberg: 1989, 454).

- Postmodernism and the rise of multiculturalism: an analysis of pornography in


relation with race and postcolonialism:

The modernist accounts of universality, truth and essentialism were challenged by a


new born approach: postmodernism. Postmodernism basically rejects all universal
and generalized accounts; and instead claims that meanings and subjectivities are
social constructions. Emphasising on the multiplicity of power and discourses,
postmodern feminists reject the essentialist category of women and patriarchy;
saying that different factors play a role in the oppression of a woman; and these
factors affect the oppression to be varied from one woman to another. There is not
“woman” but “different women”; there is no “oppression” but “oppressions”. The
postmodern examples given below are from multicultural and global feminists, who
thinks that gender, race and postcolonial location in the world effects the type of

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oppression that women encounters; and from queer theory, which assumes that
sexual identities are fluid and no category is necessary.

Multicultural and global feminists, specifically black feminists saw pornography from
another dimension. Collins claims that black women’s representations in
pornography were different than of white women; they were represented as
“breeders, raped for pleasure and profit of their owners.” (Collins, 1997: 389). This
master- slave relationship shows how race and postcolonial situation may have an
effect on pornographic representations and therefore women’s oppression. Collins
talks about the colonial women slavery; and shows how it relates to the current
representations of Black women in interracial pornography. First is that Black women
being the sex objects for white men goes parallel with the pornographic
representations of those women being sexually available for men. Secondly, the act
of rape of Black slave women in the past is similar to the rape and violence scenes in
pornography. Third, the passivity and powerlessness of the Black slave women
against the white rapist; shows resemblance with the female passivity common in
pornography.

If we look closely to the treatment of Black women’s bodies in 19th century; we will
face a domination and control. These can be counted as the roots for constructing
Black women’s sexualities. Maybe, the treatment to those women is what
pornography rests upon. “The more ancient roots of modern pornography are to be
found in the almost always pornographic treatment of black women who, from the
moment they entered slavery . . . were subjected to rape as the ‘logical’ convergence
of sex and violence. Conquest, in short” (Walker: 1981, 42).

Gilman gives the example of Sarah Bartmann, who was a Black women in 19 th century
Europe. She revealed herself in short dresses to the white, high society in various
parties. Those times were when the European people draw lines between white and
black sexualities; Blacks were seen as having extreme sexual activities and bodily
differences. Sarah Bartmann was also reduced to her sexual parts, receiving attention
from the white audience (Gilman, 1985). This representation of Bartmann was
nothing but a pornographic image. This shows how gender, race and sexuality were

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related to the subordination and domination of women. And this trend goes on with
the representations of Black women in pornography. “Black women were not added
into a preexisting pornography, but rather that pornography itself must be
reconceptualized as an example of the interlocking nature of race, gender, and class
oppression.” (Collins, 1997: 391). For these women, pornography existed in a social-
class relationship. Pornography is not universal and fixed but it obviously relates to
the colonial experiences of Black community.

Black women were also oppressed by Black men. “What he has refused to see—
because to see it would reveal yet another area in which he is unable to protect or
defend black women— is that where white women are depicted in pornography as
‘objects,’ black women are depicted as animals. Where white women are depicted as
human bodies if not beings, black women are depicted as shit” (Walker,1981: 52).
Here, being white represents the modern, civilized “objects” where as black is no
human, but an animal. Therefore, race becomes a determinant in the kind of
objectification women would face. Black women’s animalistic portrayal shows the
subordinate status of Afro-American women and the stratification amongst the
women in general. Black feminists’ view of pornography related the body, sexuality
and race; therefore, opening another dimension on the issue on pornography. Also,
this inquiry helps us understand the new dynamics of power as a source of
domination. For Black feminists then, pornography is a gender/race system that
entraps everyone (Collins, 1997: 393).

- The rise of sexual identities: the case of gay/ lesbian community and Queer theory

With the technology and digitalization, pornography has become widespread and
available to access. Therefore, new genres occurred in pornography; including that of
homosexual intercourse and queer performances. Also new tastes, new fantasies came
into visibility.

Lara Karaian, an influential Canadian theorist and academician looks at the issue n
pornography amongst gay/lesbian communities and queer people. She gives an
example of a court case, Butler; which represents the Canadian law and censorship on

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sexually explicit materials. As an extension of the 70s anti-pornography movement;
this law lost its validity in 2000; when the Little Sisters Book and Art Emporium that is a
Vancouver based gay and lesbian bookstore came under scrutiny due to their sexually
explicit materials. However, the Court decided on behalf of the bookstore; that
homosexual pornography was in fact healthy and necessary for that community;
“access to gay and lesbian pornography, unlike its heterosexual counterpart, is
important because it contributes to a sense of community and identity.” (Karaian:
2005, 120). It was decied that pornography doesn’t harm all women but rather, the
homosexual pornography is liberating for sexual minorities.

However promising this case may seem, it still shows the essentialist views of lesbians
that are very similar to the previous approaches on women and heterosexual
pornography. Making a distinction between them; reduces them into categories and
maintains a binary opposition between heterosexual/ homosexual; while attributing
positive traits to former and negative ones to the latter. This case can be seen as a
perfect example of how the rise of homosexuality didn’t make a significant change by
preserving an earlier modernist view.

Queer theory, on the other hand, rejected the categorization of these sexual identities;
with a more postmodernist approach in their mind than before. It refers t the
deconstruction of every labeling, every category and every identity; since they believe
that those categories are all produced within patriarchal order. We must get out of the
dominant discourse, and accept the fluidity of identities. There are not just lesbians,
gays and heterosexuals but also bisexuals, transgenders, non conforming bodies and
desires. There are as many sexual identities as there are human beings.

So, we can define queer pornography as the images of non traditional sexual identities
performing sexual activities, for only provoking sexual pleasure in the audience.
(Karaian:2009,385). This is obviously a new approach on pornography, since queer
porn’s concern is on the representations of various sexualities and sexual pleasure. It
tells us that we have different sexual desires, attitudes or drives. It emphasizes the
liberating function of pornography, different than before.

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Conclusion: Is pornography degrading or liberating?

We sure witnessed a shift in feminist perspectives on pornography from viewing it as


oppressive and harmful, to see it as liberating, giving visibility to different sexual
identities.

I do believe pornography can be seen as liberating for several reasons. First is that
media doesn’t serve to some oppressive and subordinating heterosexist values
anymore. On the contrary, it is responsive to the transformations our society has
been going through. Therefore, a lot has changed in media’s representation of sexual
identities; especially with the contribution of Queer theory in the field. For example;
TV shows about gay people (Queer as Folk), and lesbian people (The L World) and
even transgender identities (the drag character on Glee) are released and have been
going on for more than five seasons; which shows that the ratings for these shows
are very satisfactory.

Second, pornography is liberating for bringing once-invisible sexual identities a public


visibility. Genres in pornography are varied right now; including lesbian, gay, drag,
transgender and many queer identities. This also means that there is a wide range of
sexual discourse available to public access. Marginal identities are now a part of
popular culture thanks to pornography. Technology is yet another contribution in
this; bringing many opportunities to get involved in this fragmented sexual culture,
and that censorship has the least possibility to be performed on this new media.

Related to this argument, my third reason to view pornography as liberating is


because it’s a ‘democratization of desire’ as McNair suggested. We witness that our
desires; maybe labeled by society as perversion, abnormality or extreme, are
liberated and celebrated. Pornography is and should be about desires; our sexual
drives, fantasies and actions; and once freed from repression and inferiority; we can
embrace ourselves, accept us for who we are. All desires, if respectful to the
sensitivities of others, are equal (of course some can be excluded like necrophilia or
pedophilia); there is no need to repress or hide them. Pornography reveals how
varied our desires are, and can be. Therefore, we may learn to live with our desires,
with no shame at all.

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Paradigms are in a constant change; while 1970s can be characterized as a
domination of radical feminism in the field, nowadays can’t be obviously. We
witnessed a growing number of theories on women’s oppression for years; radical
feminism is just one. That paradigm had to be replaced with others, because the
world is changing; our society and our culture is changing. We are now in domination
of postmodern thought; where identities are assumed to be fluid and fragmented,
where sexual identities are diverse and transcend the traditional boundaries. We are
in the age of a celebration of multiplicity, diversity and difference.

With the widespread of pornography, it is not just for male gaze anymore. The
variety of tastes, and the audiences; pornography is now for everyone. BDSM
performances are served for the ones who enjoy it, while just one click ahead you can
watch a compassionate intercourse between a gay couple. So, the harmful effect of
pornography on women as once claimed, is no longer valid; since for example, in gay
pornography we no longer can assume that women are harmed and objectified
because there are no women in the scene. Also, new categories emerged in which
women are in the dominating position while men are revealed as powerless. I guess
they are someone’s fantasies, too.

Finally, as optimistic as it may seem, I believe pornography gives us sexual pleasure


and arouse without any unexpected consequences; we can’t get a sexual disease or
pregnancy through pornography. It is the least unhealthy way for sexual satisfaction.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Collins, P.H.(1997) “Pornography and Black Women’s Bodies” in O’Toole, L., Schiffman,
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Dworkin, A. (200) Against the Male Flood: Censorship, Pornography and Equality in
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Fineman, M., Jackson, J., Romaro, A. (2009) (eds.) Feminist and Queer Legal Theories:
Intimate Encounters, Uncomfortable Conversation, Ashgate Publishing

Gilman, Sander L. (1985). "Black Bodies, White Bodies: Toward an Iconography of


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Hickmann, T. (1999) The Sexual Century: How Private Passion Became Public Obsession;
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Karaian, L. (2005) “Troubling the Definition of Pornography: Little Sisters, a New Defining
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McNair, B.(2002) Striptease culture : sex, media and the democratization of desire,
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Richardson, D. (1997) “Sexuality and Feminism” in Robinson, V. and D. Richardon (eds.)
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Russell, D. (2000) “Pornography and Rape: A Causal Model” in Cornell, D. (eds.)


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Stoltenberg, J. (1989) Refusing To Be a Man: Essays on Sex and Justice, Breitenbush


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Walker, A. (1981) You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Weeks, J. (2011) The Languages of Sexuality, New York, NY: Routledge

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