Customer Reviews

Xxx: A Woman's Right to Pornography

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

if you love porn, this will arm you against its opponents. if you hate it this will most likely change your mind or at least give you a reasoned argument to consider. mcelroy combines interviews and surveys and refutes feminist canon on a subject that is relevant but taboo in our society and thus underresearched.

Wendy McElroy did an excellent job writing this expose about the adult entertainment industry.

Her in depth interviews with adult film actresses, producers and directors rebuffs accusations by pro-cencorship/anti-porn feminists that the adult entertainment industry is an enslaver of women, encourages rape (she herself was a rape victim) and that women who work in the industry are "victims of patriarchial oppression" or are "psychologically damaged".

In an unflinching and honest fashion, McElroy rightfully points out that adult entertainment empowers women since they can earn millions of dollars working in this industry and be featured as the main stars of the films or clubs they perform in. If your curious as to all of the controversy surrounding adult entertainment, read this book.

It certainly was an eye opener for me and a great read at that.

This book changed my whole thinking about women and porn. McElroy actually talks to women within the industry and proves that women are not coerced into the porn industry, and are actually well regarded. Her last chapter, which proves that porn is GOOD for women, is fantastic. Her empirical evidence is first-rate.

A cogent, straightforward presentation of the politics that lead to an extreme group's ascent to power within the feminist ranks. It's the first time I've actually understood the motivation, hysteria, and history of sex in relation to women's rights and both conservative and feminist ideology. McElroy offered reasonable definitions and actual information from women within the porn industry - much of it opposite the views being offered by women and men "defending" them. Very, very interesting and easy reading.

I read this book 2 years ago and found it to be not only edifying but electrifying. Her thinking is not only logical but new and powerful. My novel, Lip Service, owes a lot to her insights and I am thankful for women like Wendy who are not afraid to think out of the square.

Pornography is a feminist ally. This is one of the basic premises of this book and by doing so, steps on the mantra of those who hate naked people and are crying for censorship.

What makes this book worth reading is that it takes each of the arguments used by those who claim that pornography can not fall under the protection of free speech, and proves them wrong. Indeed pornography is a mode used by those who want to express the nature of their sexual beings and the different lifestyle alternatives enclosed within it.

On the other hand the books falls short on testimonials of those who are part of the industry and well as their detractors. Particularly, from those who like to pose for the camera and who are the "workers" of the trade. This lacking rests support to several of the claiming of the author. Nevertheless it is a brave work to stand up and defend such a despised activity which although it attracts the interest of almost everyone.

McElroy's 5 ways that pornography benefits women seems to not analyze pornography from within a feminist perspective at all, even though she self identifies as a feminist. I found the 5 reasons to be asinine and completely baseless, not only from a feminist perspective but also from a personal subjective perspective.
1. Women can "safely" experience sexual alternatives? How, in any way, is mainstream pornography safe for women? Much of pornography features violent sexual acts that can be triggering for women who have been previously victimized and very uncomfortable even for those women who haven't. Furthermore, the degradation of women in pornography (in addition to mainstream movies) has become so normalized to the point that young boys and men often do not view violent or degrading sexual acts as deviant.
2. Pornography strips away emotional confusion? McElroy makes the point that no, pornography is not real. How then are women expected to be aided by emotional confusion around sex with an absolutely unrealistic act of sex? The reality of the situation is that sex is not easy. Men do not always keep their hard-ons, women are not always wet. People trip and fall down and fart and do embarrassing things during sex, all of which can cause feelings of shame and confusion as to how to handle these situations during a sexual moment. NOT TO MENTION that women (and men) often have insecurities about their bodies and sexual organs. Not only are the situations in pornography not in any way realistic enough to address real sexual confusion, they often feature people that are not representative of the majority of female and male female bodies. Implants, injections, eating disorders, etc., take over the pornographic field to present the public with a sexual image of people that just adds to the emotional confusion of women concerned with sex.
3. Pornography breaks stereotypes so that each woman can interpret sex for herself? I've never seen such a stupid supposition actually in print. Mainstream pornography is already interpreted for the viewer, from the male perspective. For many people, especially young men and boys (the main consumers of pornography) it defines what sex should be. Scenes are formulaic- there are certain noises the woman makes for certain positions, certain bodily contortions for certain positions, effectively teaching a woman "what men want" from a man's perspective. It's also degrading towards men in the way that it is almost always devoid of emotion (except in the case of sexual aggression), suggesting that men in general use the act of sex to the end of ejaculation and not as an act of love or affection.
4 & 5. Are just too stupid to actually address.
The only way in which McElroy would be somewhat correct in her assumptions is if she was supposing that women who are interested in appealing to men who have bought into the false reality of pornography use it as a guide to figure out what these particular men want. However, in this circumstance, the men who have bought into the idea of pornography as a realistic or idealized representation of sex reinforce the cycle of female subjugation while the woman watching the male gaze contributes to that cycle by seeing it as a form of "freedom".

I wasn't that impressed with this book although I agree wholeheartedly with her message. A very sloppy effort on her part.