(no subject)

[novapsyche]

There's a really interesting discussion about prostitution and pornography over in feminist. I haven't added to the conversation yet, but I probably will.

Comments

[sarahmichigan.livejournal.com]

My problem with any kind of black-and-white, non-nuanced condemnation of porn is that people don't seem to understand is that "Sexy movies and pictures *I* like are erotica, and stuff that squicks me is porn."

where do you draw the line? sure there's disgusting, exploitative porn out there. It's bad porn. If women are against porn that degrades women, they should make more woman-affirming, woman-produced porn.

[techno-shaman.livejournal.com]

I thought it unfortunate none of the women debating there seemed to have any personal experience with prostitution.
I saw alot of real misconceptions both about what prostitutes are/do, and the nature of how they get into it.
Definately interesting stuff though.
~Zephyr~

[simianpower.livejournal.com]

Wow, was that ever a one-sided discussion!

They're complaining that, for example, strippers have to compete for better times and aren't paid except for tips. Never mind that the tips are more than most professional models make! Never mind that competition, even with those in the same company, is a part of almost ANY business. Car salesmen compete with one another on the same lot; stock brokers, scientists, and so on have the same situation.

They complain about lower-cut outfits being correlated with better tips for waitresses. Well, sex sells. Duh! It's been that way since the dawn of time.

They complain that porn is male-centric blahblahblah. Well, if there's really a market out there for woman-centric porn, why not MAKE some and prove the point? This is a capitalist society; if there's an untouched niche market, tap into it, get rich, and shut up! Since that hasn't happened, no matter how much bitching goes on, I must assume that this niche market either isn't there or isn't interested in doing more than complaining. Side note: there is also a lot of softcore erotica on stations like Skinemax that WOULD quailfy as "woman-centric porn", even though it isn't sold in dedicated porn stores. So maybe the definitions need some work.

They complain that men are getting rich from the actions of women, examples cited being porn store owners, pimps, strip club owners, etc. Well, either the men are intrinsically better at business skills (a thesis I don't support), or the women are again not tapping into the market. When I used to go to strip clubs or buy porn I never even cared who owned the place, let alone knew them. It wouldn't have made any difference to me if the owner was a woman or a muppet. I didn't go there for the owner. So, again, the answer is to stop whining and open your own joint. As an aside, the owner/controller of lots of brothels are women (i.e. the Madam), so the initial complaint isn't even valid.

That whole thread sounded like a lot of sour grapes, a lot of "why isn't this more the way *I* want it to be?" Well, my response to the root question is "why don't you (collectively) DO something about it?" If women would take a more active role in the MANAGEMENT of the sex industry there would be more of a chance to change things to the way they like. As it stands, the very same women who do all the complaining look down upon the sex trade and want no part of it themselves. It's like people who bitch about government and then don't vote. You cannot change something unless you take an active role.