Value Women by Saying No to Pornography
(Mature Subject Matter due to Graphic Nature of Material)
The London Abused Women’s Centre recently launched its Value Women Campaign. The campaign goal is to change the culture for women in which women are equally valued by recruiting one person to recruit five, who in turn will each recruit five more. We hope over the next five years we will have recruited five million champions for women. A lofty goal for certain! More information about the Value Women Campaign can be found at http://lawc.on.ca/value-women-campaign/.
In signing on to the campaign, we want individuals to commit to 13 statements working towards our goal of changing the culture for women. We were certain the statements would be universally accepted. However, one statement – saying no to pornography – has raised some concerns, making it difficult for some to accept.
LAWC has studied the impact pornography has on women, men and children. We have sought the advice of anti-pornography experts Dr. Gail Dines and Dr. Robert Jensen whose expertise and research have led us as a feminist agency to decidedly conclude that pornography is cruel, violent, abusive and sexually objectifies women. Pornography encourages boys and men to see women as mere objects.
April statistics released from the Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network show that it “continues to see users looking for less conventional sex.” Here are the top five videos on demand in April.
1. Sorry Daddy, Whitezilla Split My little ***hole
2. Prison Girls
3. The Stepmother 4
4. Friends and Family 2
5. Monsters of Jizz 31: Step-Dad’s a Pervert
Finding storylines of these movies is difficult. During searches we were often taken directly to free viewings of the videos. However, we were able to find storylines of Monsters of Jizz 31: Step-Dad’s a Pervert and The Stepmother 4.
The storylines describe the sexual abuse of step-children by their step-fathers. While there is no suggestion on LAWC’s part that the actors playing the roles of the step-children are children, the actors are indeed portraying such.
According to its website, the pornographic video Monsters of Jizz 31: Step-Dad’s a Pervert is described as a “Step-Dad on a f**king spree and step-daughter is the collateral damage of a c*m shot cannon blast heard around the porn industry. For the hugest loads anywhere this is the place to be as cute faces are destroyed!”
The website for the video Friends and Family 2 is described as “a true life story of teen starlets Tristyn Kennedy and Ashlynn Leigh. This riveting sexual docudrama revolves around the story of two families. Evan Stone plays the stepfather who teaches his naughty stepdaughter and BFF what those holes between their legs are for. Meanwhile his wife (Rayveness) is banging her daughter’s prom date. Similarly, down the block; Mr. Davis is being treated to a mother and daughter team. Can you believe the mom gets her daughter to give up her anal cherry to her stepdad? Likewise horny brother Dane Cross gets to f**k his girlfriend while they watch his sister f**k that nasty old Evan Stone.”
These are mainstream pornographic videos, listed in the top five videos on demand during the month of April and are available to anyone of all ages. How can young minds be anything but impacted by viewing this?
Pornography impacts feminism, women, men and children. We ask you to help LAWC change the culture for women to one where women are equally valued by recruiting one person to recruit five, who in turn will each recruit five more.
Say yes and step up for change.
Say no to pornography.
(The London Abused Women’s Centre, Middlesex-London Health Unit, Fanshawe College and the Regional Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centre of St. Joseph’s Health Care are hosting the conference – Pornography: its impact on feminism, men, women and children on June 6 and 7 ($150 for both days including meals) with a free evening session for the public on June 6th. Speakers include Dr. Gail Dines and Dr. Robert Jensen. Registration for the two day conference and free session is required. For information or to register, go to http://lawc.on.ca/conference/).
- Megan Walker
13 Comments
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While a lot of mainstream pornography can be cruel and objectifying, not all pornography is. I don't think your stance that "all porn is bad" is helpful, especially in light of things such a queer porn and feminist, female focused porn. Pornography influences sexuality, so another approach to fighting mainstream porn and its consequences on sexuality can be to value people's desire to view porn and create films that show different forms of desire, different bodies, and different ways to act on those desires -- instead of stifling the issue of the desires of women. I haven't heard much talk on the various sexualities and desires of the women you're looking to protect; just how they are passive victims of a violent pornography trade. Women's sexualities and desires should be explored and talked about as well! What would all of our desirable sexual relationships look like? Men are not the only viewers of pornography, nor the only ones with sexual desire and agency. And not all porn is for, involving, or by men.
In my 20 years of working with abused women, I have worked with many women who identified themselves as "sex workers." Not one woman reported aspiring as a young girl to grow up to be a prostitute, stripper, porn star or body rub attendant. These women did not report choosing to be in the sex industry. They reported being forced into the sex industry by circumstance.
Many of these women were sexually abused as children by a trusted adult. Some left abusive homes as teens to live unsafely on the streets where they were scooped up by a waiting John and put to work. Others faced the difficult choice of working in the sex industry to bring money home to feed their children or face losing their children to protective services. Sex work, where women are forced to degrade themselves, be violated, assaulted and in some cases tortured and murdered, cannot possibly be described as choice.
Gail Dines, in the article, Should We Worry Whether Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality? discusses the health of female porn performers. She cites an interview with someone who worked for a health care organization caring for these performers who told her, “one of the big things are anal prolapses, where literally their anuses drop out of their body and have to be sewn back in because of the brutal anal sex. He also talked about gonorrhoea of the eye, and the latest thing – because you have something called a** to mouth – they put the penis into the anus, and then into her mouth without washing. They’re finding now that women are getting fecal bacterial infections in their mouth and throat.”
Some women entering the pornography industry believe it will be their ticket to stardom and financial security. However, the industry itself tells of a different reality for women. Many women stay for fewer than three months because of the trauma to their bodies.
Pornography does influence sexuality. That is the concern. Men and women are taught about sex through pornography. The result is damaging to sexual relationships. Men, who watch porn, lose their ability to have “normal” intimate sexual relationships. Women find themselves competing with porn stars and coming up short. After all, how does the everyday woman compete with those enhanced breasts and shaved or waxed vaginas? Pornography teaches men and women that a woman’s job is to satisfy “her man.” Sex in pornography is not based on an equal relationship.
There is a role for exploring sexuality through art, culture and the media. However, our culture is obsessed with films about sex and we have to ask ourselves why? Are we not able to imagine anything on our own any longer?
I hope you are able to attend the conference we are hosting where your concerns can be further addressed.
Megan
While I appreciate your response, I don't feel like you addressed any of my concerns, or answered any of the questions in my comment, Megan. I'd still love to hear a response to what I wrote/asked about.
Thanks for the insight. It bnrigs light into the dark!
Youre on top of the game. Tahnks for sharing.