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Is “feminist porn” possible? Beppie Keane questions whether the pornographic medium and feminism can intersect in a "feminist porn" genre. Anyone who has dared to approach the topic of pornography in a feminist forum is likely to know that the immediate result can easily be an intense polarisation of the community, between those who believe that pornography and/or erotica can be produced within a feminist context (sometimes referred to as “sex-positive” feminists), and those who adopt a stance usually associated with radical feminism, who believe that any pornography is intrinsically misogynist, exploits women and promotes rape 1. There are passionate women on both sides: many believe pornography or erotica can help them explore their sexuality, while others voice very real concerns about the production of pornography and the ideologies that it promotes. Some women believe that the production of non-misogynist, feminist pornography is essential to reclaiming female sexuality back from the grips of patriarchal culture, while those in disagreement claim that these attitudes are intrinsically anti-feminist. A common definition for the term “pornography” is essential to an effective discussion about feminism and pornography. Susan Dwyer summarises the issue: Some prominent feminists, such as Gloria Steinem and Diana Russell, have suggested that we make a distinction between pornography and erotica, positing pornography as sexually explicit material that is degrading to women, or any other participants, homophobic or racist, while erotica can be defined as “sexually suggestive or arousing material that is free of sexism, racism, and homophobia, and respectful of all human beings… portrayed”. From a feminist perspective, Russell’s definition of pornography is more useful than a broader definition because it allows us to assess sexually explicit and arousing material in terms of its misogynistic, racist and homophobic content, rather than on the basis of patriarchally designated standards of sexual modesty. Presumably, “sex-positive” women who use a broader definition of pornography perceive explicitly feminist pornography as broadly consistent with Russell’s definition of erotica. In practice, however, much material that is designated as either erotica and/or feminist pornography seems to bear a strong resemblance to mainstream pornography, leading many feminists to ask, “Is erotica (or feminist porn) a viable possibility, or is distinguishing between mainstream pornography and erotica simply creating a false dichotomy?” Before addressing this question, we must have some idea of what erotica or feminist pornography should look like. We can use feminist critiques of the ways in which the pornography industry degrades women in order to identify the essential characteristics of non-degrading woman-friendly erotica. We may then assess texts that posit themselves as erotica or feminist porn in terms of how they conform to these characteristics. Feminist critiques of pornography tend to focus on three, often interrelated, factors:
Empirical data on all three of these points can be difficult to obtain, but there is strong evidence to suggest that all three are of serious concern. On the first point, rape and violence against women tend to be highly underreported regardless of whether pornography was produced during the course of such abuses, making accurate statistics difficult to obtain. Furthermore, narrow legal definitions of rape and other forms of sexual assault (which vary according to location) may discount coercion based on economic factors and/or emotional abuse. We do, however, have the personal testimonies of women who have been forced and/or coerced into participating in the pornography industry, some of which are contained within Making Violence Sexy: Feminist Views on Pornography, edited by Diana Russell; many more can be found by perusing online testimonials of survivors of this industry. Regardless of whether these women make up a small or large percentage of pornography actresses, the mere possibility that viewers of pornography—which may not necessarily seem violent or abusive—are in fact viewing actual instances of sexual assault should be of utmost concern to any feminist seeking to produce a critique of pornography. If feminist porn, or woman-friendly erotica, containing photography and/or film of actual people is to be even considered as a possibility, it is essential that it should contain safeguards against the abuse and coercion of all people involved, allowing viewers to know with absolute certainty that all participants in making such material did so with full and freely given consent. In a similar vein, feminists must also be concerned about the tendency of the pornography industry, on the whole, to coerce its participants to forego safer sex practices, exposing actresses to STIs, including HIV. Any feminist porn or erotica must therefore be created transparently, in such a way as to ensure that these risks are either non-existent or minimised to the greatest extent possible, through the use of condoms and other protective barriers where necessary. Russell also presents evidence, that viewing pornography that depicts real or simulated rape and/or other sexual violence lowers the inhibitions against rape in males. Although this research is not extensive enough to show that there is a direct link between these lowered inhibitions and actual rapes committed, it does demonstrate that young men exposed to violent pornography are less sympathetic to rape victims and more sympathetic towards rapists. Furthermore, males exposed to this pornography were more likely, when compared with a control group, to subscribe to rape myths, such as those that suggest that women enjoy rape, and those that suggest it is acceptable to rape a woman when she is perceived to have played a role in the sexual arousal of a male. This research demonstrates that violent pornography acts as an advertisement for violence against women, and that the idea of a solid mental barrier between “fantasy” and “reality” is, in these instances, fallacious. It seems almost too obvious, that erotica or any pornography that is posited as “feminist” must not portray abuse in a positive light. Additionally, Russell also highlights research that suggests even non-violent pornography, which nonetheless depicts women as objects for male sexual pleasure, reduces men’s likelihood to see women as human beings, trivialising and sexualising their actions. More broadly, feminist criticism of the portrayal of women in mainstream, non-violent pornography tends to focus on the objectification of women in this material. While the term “objectification” can be hugely subjective, there are several features of mainstream non-violent pornography that typify objectification. Pornography tends to portray unrealistic female body types, while body-types and sexualities that deviate from this unrealistic “norm” are fetishised. Pornography portraying lesbian encounters, in particular, suggests that all female sexuality only gains credence from its subjection to the heterosexual male gaze. Female orgasm, when it is relevant at all, is seen as a function only of male sexual pleasure. Women’s body parts, particularly our genitals and/or breasts are often used metonymically, as a stand in for the whole person (“hot wet pussy,”), and women are often referred to in terms that are widely considered to be derogatory, frequently associating women with animals (“sexy bitches,” “eager housewife sluts”). Other elements are also of concern, such as the way in which women are frequently portrayed in submissive positions in relation to the camera (and therefore the viewer) and the high ratio of unclothed females, to men, who are often portrayed clothed (and therefore in a position of power and less vulnerable) or who are otherwise less exposed than, and positioned in a dominant relation to their female counterparts. As ideas of objectification are still subjective, however, this is the most difficult area in which to draw a distinction between pornography and erotica. While we can say that feminist porn or erotica must be free from degrading and/or reductionist terminology, other factors, such as the portrayal of women in submissive positions are more difficult to assess in the context of individual texts. In a broader context, it is perhaps more apt to say that erotica must demonstrate that women are capable of taking an active role in defining and expressing their own sexualities. Clearly, this final statement requires further elaboration and analysis. Indeed, all the criteria for erotica, or feminist porn here outlined must be analysed in terms of their practical application. It is insufficient simply to say that feminist porn is possible because these criteria have been outlined; theory must be aligned with the actual practice of creating and promoting pornographic and/or erotic texts that claim a feminist label. This analysis will continue in Is “Feminist Porn” Possible? Part 2: “Feminist Porn” and Erotica in Practice. This section will assess texts that claim the title of “feminist porn” and woman-friendly erotica in terms of feminist definitions and critiques of pornography. References Online Resources 1 The term “radical feminist” is often used to denote feminists who are opposed to pornography, but, although an anti-porn stance is part of radical feminism, it is overly simplistic to reduce radical feminism to this single issue. It is also fallacious to assume that a woman who does not identify as radical feminist will adopt a pro-pornography stance. Furthermore, the label “sex-positive” is problematic in that it implies that women opposed to pornography are also opposed to all sexual expression, particularly between heterosexual couples. Largely, however, feminist women opposed to pornography do not have a negative attitude towards sex between freely consenting adults; rather these feminists simply believe that pornography promotes attitudes about sex that have negative ramifications for women’s sexual expression. |
