FEMST 150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Social Stigma, Clitoris, Orgasm
Fem 150
4/26/18
Porn, Feminism and the Politics of Pleasure
• Contested sexual culture: porn is controversial for the State, feminist,
conservatives, religious groups, media industries, parents, etc
-difficult for the State to decipher what obscenity is
-feminists believed that porn represented the worst kind of images in
society; porn promoted rape
-conservatives: believe only heterosexual reproductive sex is ok;
woman is passive agent & man is only one who has sexual desire
-media industries: try to portray sex scenes as different from porn
-parents: against it
• Previously illicit, porn is now public, popular, and widely consumed
but still seen as sinful, degrading and harmful
• Porn’s contested nature shapes structure of the industry, how porn is
circulated & consumed by audiences, what’s represented, the labor
experience, and social values attributed to porn & porn workers
• Deep Throat film was prosecuted for obscenity but became
epitomizing example of “Porno Chic” culture. Debates about its
explicit nature, the representation of female clitoral orgasm, its links
to a criminal underworld, and alleged exploitation of its leading
actress were used to attack the entire porn industry
Aspirations vs Realities
• It’s believed that porn starts are trafficked or manipulated to enter
porn, porn actors choose to enter adult industry for various reasons
like money, sex and fame (Miller-Young Ch 4)
• Money: in context of declining economic opportunities & precarity of
working class, they want the (relatively) high, flexible income and
sense of control over their work & bodies
-no benefits
• Actually, hard to make a living in porn especially for POC.
Challenges like avoiding disposability, staying in industry as one gets
old, navigating racism & sexism and controlling one’s labor. Costs of
being a porn star- in terms of creating & maintaining a person, social
stigma, narrow work opportunities- can determine attempts to make
the job lucrative & successful
-need agent, clothes, makeup → many out of pocket costs
-can’t get normal job after doing porn → social stigma
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Porn, feminism and the politics of pleasure: contested sexual culture: porn is controversial for the state, feminist, conservatives, religious groups, media industries, parents, etc. Difficult for the state to decipher what obscenity is. Feminists believed that porn represented the worst kind of images in society; porn promoted rape. Conservatives: believe only heterosexual reproductive sex is ok; woman is passive agent & man is only one who has sexual desire. Media industries: try to portray sex scenes as different from porn. Debates about its explicit nature, the representation of female clitoral orgasm, its links to a criminal underworld, and alleged exploitation of its leading actress were used to attack the entire porn industry. Actually, hard to make a living in porn especially for poc. Challenges like avoiding disposability, staying in industry as one gets old, navigating racism & sexism and controlling one"s labor.
