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What do you think of when you think of pornography? How do you encounter pornography, and how do you recognise it as such?
First thing that comes to mind is 'people having sex which is shown in details, or described in details' ("radio/audio-pornography" that wasn't just plain description would sure be interesting).
Do details of anatomy count?
Do you consume pornography? In particular, the newsstand variety? If so, do you find purchasing it a furtive or embarrassing activity? Is this because of the assumption that it will be used for masturbation, or the fact that it is sexual material (arguably), the semiology of the material or the semiology of its consumers? Whether or not you consume porn, how do you think about people who do?
Wouldn't say "consume". From time to time (once a forthnight, usually)I find that having a look at comics (Carlos Zefiro), hentais, photographs (not the explicit ones, often so daft) and short-stories is a v. good way of boosting imagination, which reflects wonderfully in sexual life. I have no interest in the newsstand variety because it is, above all, boring (although I have to admit that, when I was a teenager, quality didn't make a difference when it came to masturbating).
Methinks porn, as everything pleasurable in life, is benefical if not in obssessive excess and if it's not an escape for people afraid of social contact.
So, what is the relationship of porn and sex?
Not sure it's a good answer, but I'd say porn improves or substitutes real sex life.
And how does pornography construct its practitioners? Amateurs, office workers, secretaries, art students - why is nobody ever identified as "softcore pornographic model" in their descriptions?
Mm. Because it's still an embarassing subject? I mean, even when people have conversations about porn, it's accompanied by giggles and jokes, as if dismissing any possible seriousness. And when people talk freely about it, it's in most cases a hype - I've seen women talking about it after reading articles about porn films in a Cosmo sortof mag - I can't think of it being spontaneous.
Also have read a webblog run by a group of 10 women about sex (especially their sex lives) in what would be considered a very shoking way, using porn slang and photos to make their points, sometimes. At the begining it was very entertaining, and gave a glimpse on how real people had kinky sex, what problems and compensations had they had with certain positions and practices, etc. But after some time it became a purposefully shoking series of rants, much less spontaneous (that was when the audience jumped to a thousand a day).
And what the hell is going on with all those stockings and garterbelts? Do certain poses/styles recur, and why?
Advertisers sometimes use sexual references (subliminar or not) because this has some kind of psychological effect on the public. It was just a matter of time before the fashion world took the idea of evoquing (sp?) porn. Another reason:
a) porn is (was?) part of a subculture, and the media love commercializing whatever is part of a subculture (= trend launcher) - eek, this was so 'no logo', sorry.
b) Argh! I forgot!
You knew it had to be here...Is McKinnon right to suggest that the link between pornography and sexual violence against women has been proven? Does such a link exist?
I don't have the theory to answer that, but don't think porn has to do with rape at all. First because, for what I read, sexual violence results more from a desire to hurt/dominate/humilliate than from sexual desire, which is the raison d'etre of most porn films/literature.
... either a whore, a sexually available woman who initiates sexual contact in a "taboo-breaking" fashion, or a "virgin", a "good girl" who is made suddenly aware of her sexual needs and is overborne by the desire for sex? What does that say?
[slightly off] She's probably not considering dominatrixes.[/]
There's something very erotic about corruption of purity and the discovery of sexuality related to women and/or teenage girls. I think that's because women and their bodies and sexual needs have been 'tabooed' for so long, and with such intensity, that this forbideness made the themes "sexually available woman who initiates sexual contact in a 'taboo-breaking' fashion", "virgin" and "good girl" atractive. Same thing happens with "teenage innocent boys". Dunno. Maybe I'm wrong, 'cause I can't avoid thinking of Anais Nin. |
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