Pornography has been apart of our lives since the time since the time we flipped through Victoria’s Secret magazines, but not because we thought the sparkly underwear was pretty. This isn’t just another article shaming porn-watchers from out of the mouth of a prude, it comes from a liberal mind that cares about equality among all people.
There is a common belief that the word “feminism” is a fight for women to be able to do whatever they want. But I’m here to burst your bubble. That isn’t feminism – that’s called anarchy. Actually, that’s called being an anarchist, but only an anarchist of women. Which is also sexist. While it seems that men already have this desired “being able to do whatever they want without consequence” due to male privilege, I don’t think pushing for everyone to be able to do whatever they want is what the feminist argument is about.
In its founding days, feminism was called “humanism,” which is how I choose to view the word. It means equal rights and equal opportunity for all people. And in this process, feminism specifically focuses on women and their oppressions. But how exactly is pornography oppressing women? While this question may seem laughably idiotic to someone like me who despises the porn industry, and what it does to men and women alike, I’ll spell it out for you.
Pornography was created by men, for men. What I find so interesting is how the women who take pride in being sexual and also shun those who are not as sexual, blame the patriarchy for religion. It may be strange that I’m comparing porn to religion; but if you want to get after Christian feminists because religion was created by the patriarchy, you are grossly hypocritical for supporting the porn industry. However, while overall religion was created to better all kinds of people, porn was and is made for men’s viewing pleasure. That’s it. Its origins begin with using the female body as an object of pleasure for men.
I have been scolded for thinking this way because friends of mine “have friends who thoroughly enjoy their occupation as an actress in adult films.” To those women – I’m so glad spreading your legs for men’s viewing pleasure in order to sometimes reach orgasm makes you feel good about yourself, but wouldn’t you feel better about yourself if your occupation had more to do with making this world a better place and less to do with making a gross 40-year-old less stressed out for a few seconds? Think of the bigger picture.
There is a common study that reveals how the same part of a man’s brain that lights up when he views pictures of tools, also lights up when seeing a woman half naked. Men literally see women in pornography as objects. There is no way arguing around that. This is perpetuating rape culture not only for the men who view porn, and begin training their brains to see women as hammers and nails, but it effects women’s brains too.
Rape and rape culture on college campuses is rising, and it doesn’t take a scholar or a scientist to see that. All it takes is a girl at a party or a girl wearing a mini-skirt while walking from class to class. One study measured the links between sorority women who watch porn, and their willingness to prevent a sexual assault, or believe a victim of sexual assault. The study reached out to 902 sorority women and 307 volunteered to participate with a 37% return rate. The 46% of women who watched “hardcore porn” believed more in “rape myths,” which is the idea that a woman is lying about her sexual assault, or that she deserved it because of reasons such as she was wearing certain clothing or getting drunk. The study said because “hardcore pornography… that … has been produced during the last 15 years, depicts activity more consistent with nonconsensual than consensual acts,” therefore skews the minds of these women. This same study noted that women who were exposed to porn before the age of 18 are more likely to have attitudes supporting sexual violence as adults. This is rape culture. This is one way rape culture is perpetuated by pornography. I encourage those wanting to fight me on this to follow the link to the source of the study and buckle up.
Another study asked two questions of members in fraternities, “If you could be assured of not being caught or punished, how likely would you be to rape?” and “If you could be assured of not being caught or punished, how likely would you be to force a female to do something sexual that she did not want to do?” The study then noted how often these men viewed different kinds of pornography in the last 12 months. It revealed 83% of the men had viewed “mainstream pornography.” These men scored significantly higher on the self-reported likelihood of raping and likelihood of sexual assault than the men who did not see mainstream pornography in the last 12 months.
The study also noted that men who viewed “sadomasochistic pornography,” (bondage; think “50 Shades of Grey” kinds of porn) were particularly more likely to rape, commit sexual assault, have a higher rape myth acceptance, “lower willingness to intervene in a sexual assault situation and lower efficacy to intervene in a sexual assault situation.” The chapters of these fraternities were told that if 75% of the active members of their chapter completed the surveys for this study that their national office would receive $50 to help with their chapter’s insurance bill. There were 14 out of 18 fraternities who agreed to complete this study; 62% of the total fraternity membership on campus were represented. The study illustrates more gruesome details and I encourage you to look deeper into it.
Being a bystander of rape is encouraging rape. Pornography encourages being a bystander. You are not a good feminist if you are a bystander of sexual assault. Period.
Either people don’t know that many women in adult films are actually sex slaves, or they choose to ignore it for the sake of not seeming like prudes. Whatever the reason, it’s true.
Dr. Gail Dines, a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College who also chairs its American Studies department, said in comment for a piece written for the Huffington Post that “we know that trafficking is increasing — which means demand is increasing. This means that men are increasingly willing to have sex with women who are being controlled and abused by pimps and traffickers.” You read that right – the Huffington Post has covered the link between porn and sex trafficking. Isn’t the Huff Post also one of liberal media’s favorite blogs?
Another non-profit, Fight the New Drug (FTND) cites “men who go to prostitutes are twice as likely to have watched a porn film in the last year compared to the general population.” There are several studies conducted revealing links between sexual predators – child molesters and rapists included – and viewing pornography. Obviously, many factors go into what would possess a person to abuse others in this way, but porn is something that can possibly be controlled and people are choosing to ignore it.
Fight the New Drug cites a 2007 study of 854 women in nine countries that found 49% of women “said that porn had been made of them while they were in prostitution, and 47% said they had been harmed by men who had either forced or tried to force their victims to do things the men had seen in porn.” This is nearly half of women in the porn industry who have been forced into it as sex slaves. That is a 1 in 2 chance that your favorite porno stars a sex slave. Still turned on? According to FTND CEO Clay Olsen, not only is porn being fueled by sex trade; it is a viscous circle of porn also fueling sex trade.
Not convinced? These women are really not choosing this. Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director of National Center on Sexual Exploitation, said these women are forced through “Drugs, alcohol, physical abuse, blackmail, threats, fake legal documents, deceitful enticing, promises of fame and money and so much more are used to get the girls to perform what and how the producers desire.”
I have also heard talk of “couple’s porn,” which is meant to re-light the spark in the smoke of dying relationships. Have you ever thought how weird it is that your significant other finds a possible sex slave performing acts women probably don’t actually enjoy, pleasurable? I would be more worried about your S/O’s turn ons than turning them on at that point.
I won’t ignore the women who turn to the industry as a last resort. I can’t even empathize with these women because I myself have never been in the position where I need exchange my body for money in order to survive or care for my family. If you really want to help these women, find other ways they can earn money that aren’t so aggressively harmful towards women. This whole “don’t judge another” movement has turned into being a bystander when someone is doing something harmful. That isn’t helpful at all.
Still think encouraging porn makes you a good feminist? Think about the women who are suffering because they are sex slaves, and the women who suffer because of sexual assault. Think of the women who were in a position where a bystander could have intervened, and chose not to. Think of the women who are seen as objects on a daily basis, and those teenage boys who have an even more unrealistic idea of sex than pop culture’s portrayal of it. Women are suffering left and right because of what the porn industry does to them. You really want to bring down the patriarchy? End porn. Don’t be a bystander. Actively fight against it. Change will happen.
Editor Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the journalists’ alone. They do not represent Her Campus at the University of Utah or Her Campus on an international level. Thank you for your devotion and dedication to our magazine.