Pornography and Feminism

Opinions on the issue of pornography and what action – if any – should be taken with regards to it could not be more heavily polarized. There really seems to be very little middle ground between a total ban and liberalization, and both sides exhibit scientific and academic research that seems to irrefutably prove their case. The fact remains, however, that most scientific evidence obtained to prove the effects of pornography is either flawed by its very nature or inconclusive and inconsistent at best, hardly solid ground from which to base a momentous decision such as censorship. The fact that pornography offends some is not sufficient reason for banning it, in spite of anti-pornography feminist claims that it offends ‘all women’. This claim is clearly untrue as there has been a large backlash from feminists who do not agree with this position and wish to have their voice heard. They argue that while most pornography is undeniably made for men, some women do find it enjoyable and even if they do not care to watch it they don’t wish to condone censorship. They believe censorship is not the answer because it ‘can be used by those in power whenever they want to suppress the free exchange of knowledge and ideas’ (Assiter and Carol, 1993;153) and it would very likely be used against educational sexual materials and gay and lesbian groups a lot more readily than it would be against heterosexual pornography.

Some anti-pornography feminists such as Laura Lederer (1980;124), use the argument that pornography is the cause of male disrespect and abuse of women, saying that ‘over and over again females are depicted as nonhuman, as whores, as animals – thereby removing any obligation on the part of the male to treat them as equal beings’. Yet I believe pornography is in fact an expression of the patriarchal structure that both spawns it and feeds most of the materials produced by it. On these grounds one could see the point that pro-censorship feminists make in that it is harmful to women, but it is not simply harmful in itself, which is why I do not believe censorship to be the answer. The true problem facing feminism is much more difficult to fight against because it is much more covert and ingrained in society, even today. What is truly harmful to women is the patriarchal structure of society that struggled so hard and struggles still to keep them silent. In the words of Dworkin (1979;258) commenting on freedom of speech, ‘The counsel of men (to women) is consistent: maintain a proper – and respectful – silence. The best answer to that would be for women to find their own strong voice instead of merely trying to muffle the expression of pornography, one of the many voices of patriarchal oppression of women. It is crucial that we learn to celebrate female sexuality and refuse to feel ashamed of it, as that would be the most empowering thing women could do for themselves and the most threatening to patriarchal structure, contradicting pornography’s message of female sexuality being dirty and in need of punishment.