Fading Scorn Over Porn
I read an interesting little column sourced from AAP and published in the SMH recently, about a study that assessed video pornography and found that the majority of it represents women in active sexual roles. I’ve typed out the whole column here, as I couldn’t find it on the SMH site:
Women’s porn roles examined
A study has challenged the commonly held view that pornography shows women as nothing more than sex objects. The study analysed 50 of the best-selling pornographic videos in Australia, and suggested “that mainstream pornography in Australia doesn’t represent women as sex objects, it shows them as active sexual agents”, said Professer Alan McKee, of Queensland University. “We were surprised at just how active and in control the women were in these videos.”
(Sydney Morning Herald 25/11/05)
I was interested that the study had been conducted and I was satisfied with the fairly unexpected findings of the study…. It’s not that I have a great interest in porn myself, but I don’t have anything against it and I’m very interested in people’s views about porn, particularly the general disparities between men’s and women’s perceptions of, and attitudes towards porn.
It’s assumed that men generally have a greater passion for porn than women do, but I don’t think the reasons for this are obvious or natural.
I’m not saying that all women hate porn, but a lot of women I know denounce porn, for some of these reasons:
- because they believe porn portrays women in derogatory ways, usually as sex objects
- because they believe porn represents only a specific type of woman as sexy (eg. young, busty, blonde bimbos) and that it perpetuates an attitude of this type of woman as the unrivalled sex symbol
- because porn just doesn’t turn them on
- because they’re pissed off and jealous because they’ve found the porn their boyfriend hides under his bed
But I think most of these views arise from misconceptions, basically because women don’t expose themselves to porn. I know from discussions with many males, that they’re all interested in different types of porn, just as they’re all interested in different types of women. I know that some porn presents big-busted women (which not every guy likes) and others with flat-chested women (that really turns some men on). Some displays stick-thin models and others present very large women. Some men like pornographic stories without pictures, others are only interested in the photos.
My view is that porn has actually benefited women over the centuries, as it has presented female genitalia to men in a fashion deemed as attractive. Due to an apparent disinterest in porn by females, male genitalia has never really had so much exposure as being beautiful and desirable.
I was interested in the way the article stated “mainstream pornography in Australia”. We all know sex sells, and much of our society’s popular culture has become so sexual that many mainstream advertisements, video clips, films etc, that appeal to both men and women, have become as explicitly salacious as a lot of the pornography on offer in magazines, videos and on the internet. For instance, see an SMH article about sexpot popstar Shakira and her products.
Look in any women’s fashion or lifestyle magazine and you’re bound to find more scantily-clad girls, staring at the lens seductively, than you would in many men’s magazines.
I was disappointed that the article was so short and wasn’t looked into any further by an SMH journalist but I guess that just goes to show that porn isn’t generally an issue considered appropriate for mainstream discussion.
Anyway, I guess this has become a bit of a rant….but I’d be interested to hear all your views on this matter, and I’ll try to monitor other stories about gender, sexuality and pornography in the media.
Wow, that’s a great issue surrounding gender and sexuality. Who would’ve thought that women as active sexual agents were more popular than women as bimbo’ed sexpots?
I don’t think it’s entirely true that women don’t expose themselves to porn. I’m willing to bet that most of them are closet voyeurs, but just don’t want to admit it for fear of social reprimands. Open the latest Cleo magazine, which has only recently brought back the ‘centrefold’, and you’ll find that women are more and more becoming comfortable with the idea of pornography and no longer feel threatened by it. Sure, women are a long way from being totally sexually open in regards to pornography, but it is a start.
Is it possible that Cleo is somewhat pioneering male (female?) pornography as being socially acceptable? And why is ‘Playgirl’ nowhere near as successful as ‘Playboy’, disregarding the fact that one came before the other (no pun intended).
Comment by Margaret — December 8, 2005 @ 5:08 am
Wow, what an interesting issue surrounding gender and sexuality? Who would’ve thought that females as sexual agents were more popular than women as sexpots?
Its not entirely true that women denounce porn, I think women are coming to accept it, yet still to some degree, fear it because of social reprimand. But I think these days more and more women are becoming open to it. Look at the later issues of Cleo – did they not reintroduce the centrefold, thus featuring a totally naked male specimen every month (and funnily enough, they all seem to look the same in terms of build)? Is this the way in which male genitalia is becoming more and more exposed?
Do you remember those Voodoo pantyhose billboard ads where it showed the woman in her kick-ass stockings pulling three naked men on leashes? Does anyone remember how much of an outcry these ads caused, many on from men? And to think that women have been objectified for years without any real complaints (apart from those Windsor Smith ads where the woman is apparently giving the guy a blowjob). What do you reckon this says? A classic case of ‘sex sells’, I believe.
Comment by Margaret — December 8, 2005 @ 5:19 am
Interesting results on the study! Just to enter into the spirit of the rant a little, I think the main problem regarding women and porn is the disproportion in how men and women are viewed. If you have X number of porn films showing women is subservient roles I’m sure you’d find fewer films with men subvervient roles. However - that’s just for “mainstream”, there are a whole world of ’specialist’ films out there!
Comment by Liz — December 30, 2005 @ 3:07 am