Pornography is defined to be ‘sexually explicit material (verbal or pictorial) that is primarily designed to produce sexual arousal’.
Two women give their views on pornography.
Helen Longino, the American philosopher: “I define pornography as verbal or pictorial explicit representations of sexual behavior that … have as a distinguishing characteristic ‘the degrading and demeaning portrayal of the role and status of the human female … as a mere sexual object to be exploited and manipulated sexually’.”
Why is it assumed that men are always the exploiters and women always exploited in sex? Is it assumed that any sexual act must always be solely for men’s pleasure? Surely a heterosexual act can, at least sometimes, be as pleasurable for women as it is for men?
Susan Brownmiller, the American feminist and journalist: “hard core pornography is not a celebration of sexual freedom; it is a cynical exploitation of female sexual activity through the device of making all such activity, and consequently all females, ‘dirty’.”
Most men are not sex perverts and only enjoy positive images of women. So how do these pictures make the woman ‘dirty’? Let’s face it: people who have moral objections to sexual pleasure have never tried sexual activities other than intercourse. They simply cannot imagine that they would ever enjoy more adventurous sex and so they believe that no one else should.
“Photographs of female nudes and magazines exhibiting nude or near nude females are produced primarily for the consumption of males. There are, however, photographs and magazines portraying nude and near nude males — but these are also produced for the consumption of males. There are almost no male or female nudes which are produced for the consumption of females.
The failure of nearly all females to find erotic arousal in such portrayals is so well known to the distributors of nude photographs and nude magazines that they have considered that it would not be financially profitable to produce such material for a primarily female audience.” (p653 Sexual behavior in the human female 1953)
Perhaps women dislike seeing themselves portrayed as sexual beings — people with physical attributes that other people find sexually arousing? Or is it just that women don’t understand because they don’t become aroused by looking at pictures of naked men? Answers on a postcard…
This is the apparent contradiction in our society’s portrayal of female sexuality. We assume that women enjoy sex as much as men, including their own sexual arousal and orgasm during sex, and yet many women are disgusted by even a hint of the eroticism that is at the core of our enjoyment of sexual pleasure.
I am not offended by men’s enjoyment of pornography because, although I don’t use images for arousal, I do use stories. One might be tempted to call one: ‘visual pornography’ and the other: ‘verbal pornography’ but women prefer the term ‘erotica’.
Erotica is a genre of literature that includes sexually explicit material as a primary feature. Unlike pornography, erotica is not aimed exclusively at sexual arousal (but it’s not exactly art either!).
Gloria Steinem talks about erotica: “a mutually pleasurable, sexual expression between people who have enough power to be there by positive choice .… It doesn’t require us to identify with a conqueror or a victim”.
Ironically, many erotic stories for women include more sadism and domination than is ever implied in the average pornographic magazine (at least the ones that can be bought in an everyday store — as opposed to hardcore). So why is pornography always bad but erotica is more often OK?
Let’s be very clear about one thing though. Most reasonable people would consider any pornography MORALLY WRONG that is produced as a result of the real life exploitation of one being by another.
Thus any sexual act with animals, children (most usually persons under the age of 18) and anyone who has been coerced into sexual activity through emotional, physical or financial intimidation cannot be supported by a civilised society.
I suppose what may be needed for stimulation is a highly personal thing for the couple. Don’t think there is a single answer anyone could give; its a highly subjective issue, I think.
Erotic and naked to me mean one thing; porn is something altogether different. One is okay, again, depending on the couple, the other I think often is not because of the tendency to depict someone as a victim. That’s exploitation and I can’t see how that can ever be right.
Just my two cents worth…
From my personal experience Porn itself isn’t “bad” but rather the production, and in my opinion a disgusting display of pleasurable fornicates. Hmmm.
Yes there naked. Good. Raunchy scences degradation and absolute disregard for a beautiful thing.
Perhaps if porn wasnt guady or over produced it would be better. It just sucks it’s not bad.
thats all
Thanks, Vernon, for commenting.
I am simply curious about why to many women ANY pornography is deemed offensive. I don’t want to appear naive. I’m sure there are plenty of images out there that are difficult to justify as loving or mutually enjoyable sex. But surely some images are harmless enough?
I would like to understand why women think that all pornography makes the woman appear ‘dirty’ but not the man. This view appears to be an acknowledgement that men obtain something from sex that women don’t.
I think it is interesting to try and reconcile these different reactions that we have towards sex. To my mind eroticism lies at the heart of our enjoyment of sex. My theory is that many women approach sex through the relationship and not through genital stimulation.
Men and women are different and we have different ways of arousal. Pornography has been known to cause some people to act out sexually and violently…That can be said of a few other things as well one of which is alcohol. pornography is generally written by men therefore Women tend to be more criticizing than men when it comes to pornography. women in society are over weight.…its true and so they don’t want to see cute women getting what they are not. all of this is why women don’t like it. Erotica on the other hand is softer and more often written by women for women. The thing to remember is that everyone is different some men don’t like pornography.…I know amazing but true.
I beleive you do have a point on this issue. Though I must admit the over-production and glorification of pornography does not help the argument in any case, the use of pornography itself for stimulation or simply a form of entertainment between lovers shouldn’t be considered morally wrong. Just as much as many see it to be an outrage to have it on our store shelves, many must think of one fact: Is it truly an outrage when the actors and contributors of this particular brand of film making are all of the age to make their own decisions and choose to be there? It cannot be degrading if they enjoy what they do.
Well I was commenting on the idea of Porn. When I watch it It sometimes makes me feel bad for being a woman.
I really don’t care one way or the other what the actors think.
Obviously we are in complete opposite realms of perception art and stimulation.
My imagination is way better..
My aim is to bring out into the open some of the attitudes and expectations that determine how women interpret their sexual experiences.
I have never found any pornography I have seen (magazines or film)offensive. I focus on the men rather that the women but I never think that the women’s bodies are ‘dirty’ or that sex make the women ‘bad’.
My suggestion is that a woman who feels that sex potentially violates women or defiles their bodies must have very different reactions to a woman who is more at ease with eroticism. There is no judgement here simply a desire to differentiate.
I have explored my own sexual arousal both alone and with a partner because I have appreciated eroticism (through fantasy in masturbation and activities other than vaginal intercourse with a partner).
Vaginal intercourse is designed for making babies not for maximising sexual pleasure for anyone. Women may prefer vaginal intercourse because it allows them to offer sex without any explicit sexual engagement e.g. oral sex and mutual masturbation involve more work.
I think women receive hard core photography negatively because most of it emphasises the males pleasure and dominance. Erotica, however, seem to balance the pleasure and power between the sexes.
Another reason maybe the way we were raised. These old-fashioned adages, “women should be seen not heard” and “good girls don’t do those things,” have been ingrained into women of a certain generation, so we grow older and still have these negative attachments to sex.
So to step out of their comfort zone to explore may pose more of a challenge for many women than men.
The confident and character of female has too long been suppressed by societies, which dominate by men. Sexual desire expression is planted in our bone “it’s not good”
Looking into the human’s history, even in any holly books, men had long been dominators in all social aspects including sex and will continue to be; and women had always been followers and submissive and this trend will remains for decades.
Women largely still being raised as second class citizens in many societies and they are taught to suppress their psychological and physical needs since young age, using such philosophy “be obedient to be loved and respected”.
I wonder when are we going to learn to appreciate our being women freely with no quilt.
I am not a supporter of the feminists. I believe that young and single women have mis-represented the average woman who does not generally aspire to the same financial and career aspirations that men have.
Equally in sex, there is no reason to conclude that men have held women back sexually. Women do not buy porn because it does little for them. The female mind and body do not respond as men’s do.
I think it highly unlikely that within any loving relationship, a man would want to discourage his woman from expressing her sexuality.
Women’s sexuality (in the orgasmic sense) is much more obscure than men’s and so more difficult to understand. Even women themselves are often unaware of how they might become sexually aroused.
Sexual arousal arises when the mind tunes into sexual or erotic themes. The body then becomes physically aroused in response to this mental stimulus. Women do not become aroused enough for orgasm simply from looking at erotic images.
Women who masturbate know that they have to CONSCIOUSLY focus on aspects of sexual stories (complex psychological scenarios) in order to achieve the kind of sexual arousal that leads to orgasm.
This is much more difficult and even impossible to do with a partner. This is not men’s fault or women’s fault. This is Nature’s design because female orgasm is not required for reproduction.
A woman’s sexual role is to attract a male and keep him around to support her in raising her children by offering him the emotional benefits that men enjoy from a sexual relationship.
I do agree with you that within any loving relationship, a man would not want to discourage his woman from expressing her sexuality. I also do not support feminists, but it’s such a world that we live in.
I have to admit that don’t know science and orgasmic sense. But I think upbringing has some application on persons character and their self-expression.
While many women especially in developed countries enjoy freedom and liberty, there are women/girls living in the shadow.
Let me take a stand from daughter perspective. In this case scenario: A girl who father, brothers, uncles and even mother have been telling her talking and being close friends with boys is not preferable because of many reasons since she was little girl till she is 18 years old or older. What do you think this road is taking her?
Maybe there should be a study about this? If the girls access all those things boys have, will that change their sexual arousal?
I do believe in practices can bring changes though.
Thanks Souk for commenting.
You cannot change women’s sexuality just by what you say to them. Boys aren’t encouraged to masturbate but they still do because the male body makes male masturbation inevitable.
Relatively few women learn how to masturbate because female sexual arousal is not automatic/subconscious as men’s tends to be. Women who masturbate learn that they have to CONSCIOUSLY focus on sexual scenarios to achieve the kind of arousal that leads to orgasm.
Any woman who masturbates will appreciate that during masturbation a person needs to use a source of eroticism to achieve sexual arousal (images for men; scenarios for women). Women don’t need to masturbate because they don’t experience the sexual arousal/frustration that men do. Hence women don’t understand why men like pornography.
This has nothing to do with what women are told to do or not to do. Men are not told to go around having sex with all and sundry either but that doesn’t stop them later if they want to.
Women are not suppressed but simply following their own natural sexual instincts which are focused more on attracting a mate and keeping him than in achieving orgasm with a partner.
Blame Nature…
I still disagree that the context of your article applies to all female!
I am not saying that all women dislike eroticism.
I enjoy erotic stories which I use to achieve the kind of sexual arousal that leads to orgasm through female masturbation.
I am questioning why so many women are offended by men’s use of pornography and pointing out that if all women masturbated they would understand that anyone who masturbates must use a source of eroticism for sexual arousal.
Women who are offended by eroticism (not all by any means) obviously do not understand that erotic/sexual thoughts lead to sexual arousal. Anyone who knows how to orgasm must also know how to becoming sexually aroused which relies on the brain being mentally switched on or aroused.
Physical arousal of the body only follows once the mind is aroused. Hence men need an erection before they can orgasm. Many women never learn how to use their sexual fantasies to achieve sexual arousal and then clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm through masturbation.