Supply and Demand: Our insatiable appetite for porn is fuelling the exploitation of women

30 March 2012
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Supply and Demand: Our insatiable appetite for porn is fuelling the exploitation of women

With 13,000 new films per year, 28,000 online viewers every second and 793 million Google hits for the word itself, our demand for porn seems almost insatiable. Statistics indicate that 43% of all internet users view pornography and when in 2009, scientists at the University of Montreal attempted to carry out a study involving men in their 20s who had never watched porn, they couldn’t find any. In an age of increased consumer awareness, where big name shops like Primark, Topman and Marks and Spencer cede to customer pressure, and where persistent lobbying is increasing the range of fair-trade products available, does the average pornography consumer question the willingness of those from whom he is getting pleasure? The problem of sex trafficking is largely...

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Male participants needed for research project

23 March 2012
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Male participants needed for research project

Participants are needed for a London Metropolitan University research project exploring men’s experiences of, and perspectives on sexualised media and the sex industry. I’m currently recruiting for men to help with the research by completing an anonymous and confidential online questionnaire, and/or by taking part in face to face interviews. The online questionnaire will ask very general questions about your perspectives on sexualised medias, such as advertising, magazines and music videos.  It will also ask about your experiences (or not) of strip/lap dancing clubs; paying for sex and your use (or not) of pornography. It will not go into great detail and you can skip anything you don’t want to answer. So, if you’re a man aged 18+ and if you have something to say about ‘sexed up’...

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Panel Discussion Write-up: Mary Whitehouse – Prude or Prophet?

16 March 2012
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Panel Discussion Write-up: Mary Whitehouse – Prude or Prophet?

Last weekend I went to see a panel discussion on pornography at the Women of the World Festival 2012 titled “Mary Whitehouse – Prude or Prophet?”. The panel was chaired by Helena Kennedy QC and featured Rachel Morris (psychotherapist, author and sex therapist for Cosmopolitan Magazine), Amina Doherty (who is currently setting up FRIDA – The Young Feminist Fund, and has a wide range of experience working with organisations such as the Directorate of Gender Affairs in Antigua and Barbuda, the Caribbean Policy Development Centre and the Feminist Majority Foundation), Dr. Julia Long (chair of Object and anti-porn campaigner) and Jude Kelly (theatre director & producer and currently Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre in London) and was chaired by Helena Kennedy QC. Jude...

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Man-centric media impairs our ability to see the sexism in porn

08 March 2012
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Man-centric media impairs our ability to see the sexism in porn

Nearly all mainstream pornography is depicted from a man’s perspective. This may be obvious; such as in Point of View (POV) type scenes, or made evident through the fact that the woman (or women) take up most of the picture or screen (they are the ones to be looked at), or even apparent through the kind of sex and sex acts being depicted; Ass To Mouth, for example. These are just a few ways in which porn can reveal the fact that it is almost exclusively a particular kind of man-orientated vision of sex and sexuality. Perhaps, like many men, this is not something that immediately struck me about porn when I first started to use it. This may be explained by the fact...

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STOP PORN CULTURE! conference and slideshow training

05 March 2012
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STOP PORN CULTURE! conference and slideshow training

From June 16-19th San Diego will be the host city of the 4th Stop Porn Culture Conference. The four day event will be split into two blocks of two days with the first two providing training to those who are interested in using Stop Porn Culture’s slideshow training, followed by a two day conference entitled “Contemporary Radical Feminism in the Age of Porn”. The Stop Porn Culture Slideshow training will provide attendees with the experience, knowledge, and confidence to speak publicly against pornography in their community and will include in-depth presentations on topics such as: -the links between pornography and violence against women -First Amendment and other free speech issues -women in the industry -how to organize in your community Speakers include Gail Dines,...

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EMMA Winter edition. The dream of being a porn star – Part III: Getting out and staying out

03 March 2012
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EMMA Winter edition. The dream of being a porn star – Part III: Getting out and staying out

This article contains language that some may find offensive In the 2011 Winter edition of EMMA (Germany’s leading feminist magazine in Germany, and the only political magazine in Europe entirely run by women) a large part of the magazine was dedicated to pornography. We’ve translated them into English. Below is the third and final part of ‘The dream of being a porn star’, a detailed account from a survivor of the pornography industry. I had a relationship with a man at the time. He saw me as a human being, because I was a human being with him from time to time. I could talk to him and as long as he did not touch me it was lovely. But from the time when...

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