This post from the Boston.com forums might be the best summary of the current U.S. porn “problem” I’ve seen yet:
The “Pornification of America” eh…
This argument is sounding erily familiar to the anti-porn arguments from the Regan era.
Sex sells…everything. So unless you think you can stop advertising agencies from using sexuality to sell thier products, which is not likely, get over it.
There are many different types of pornography for many different types of people regardless of gender or sexual orientation. We’ve been fighting over this same issue for 30 years and were no closer to resolving it.
The United States is a young country by comparison to the European nations, we are at best pre-pubecent, and like a young person on the cusp of adulthood we’re painfully uncomfortable with our own sexuality. On the one hand we flaunt ourselves sexually and on the other we bury our heads in the sand with shame and try to place the blame on the media or the press or our parents. It’s pathetic.
Posted by hex on 11:57 AM
The thread was commentary for the recent Boston Globe feature, “The Pornification of America.” (Registration required; go see BugMeNot for a workaround.)
One thing I noticed, both in the article and in the thread, was that a woman’s worth is still being defined by whether she “does” or “doesn’t;” whether she’s a lady or a whore. As we all know, any female who (by society’s standards) goes too far sexually is supposed to regret and repent. Willingly crossing sexual boundaries is about consequences and punishment.
The article was very heavy on the idea that if a woman acts brazenly sexual, it’s not because she wants to but because she feels obligated to please and entertain men. (The idea that some of us get off on pleasing and entertaining men would, obviously, not exist in Pamela Paul’s world.) As fantasy objects, women have no right to fantasies of our own; if you want to get into pretentious subject-object theory, we’re always the viewed and never the viewer.
(My blogs are going to put a different spin on that, as does the growing niche of CFNM porn.)
Human lemmings are incapable of doing anything because they want to, or not doing something because they don’t; if they think they’re supposed to behave a certain way, they will. If the current look is big-breasted, tan, and lean, then it’s not okay to be okay with milky skin and a little belly, or to like whatever it is that you like anyway. If you don’t look like everyone else thinks everyone else thinks you should look, then you’re supposed to at least be worried about it…
This especially goes for behavior. I’m a big fan of exploring to find out where your boundaries are, rather than relying on a map someone else gave you, and this goes whether yours are farther out or farther in. Mine are pretty far out there in some areas (okay, a lot) and in some ways I’m as innocent as a schoolgirl.
A Catholic schoolgirl whose socks have wear-marks on the knees, but still.
It seems like there are a lot of femmes out there eagerly claiming their place at or under the pervert’s table (it’s about damn time), and a lot of girls (that aren’t exhibitionists doing it for their own thrills) who think if they look, act, speak, and think sex, they’ll get attention - as if it was the only way.
The way I see it, if you’re doing it to put on a show anyway, and you’re not doing it for yourself, you might as well get paid for it. Scabs!
