As A Feminist: Some Questions About Porn

As a feminist, I think it's important for us to question not only what we're told, but what we're told to believe about what we're told. It's less important to question what we see, but we should probably question the interpretation we put upon it. As a feminist, I have some questions about porn.

Pornography is a terrifically divisive topic, within the feminist community as well as among prudes, and no matter who you are or how you look at it, when pornography rears its rears, some questions can arise. These are questions that are better asked than ignored. Porn itself is a question. When the question at hand is porn, I take a hard look at it, and get down to specifics in a way that isolates exactly what is it about it that makes it porn - and then, what is it about it that makes it so questionable. Unless you deconstruct it on a fundamental level, starting with the most basic aspects and then examining how troublingly they can interact, the questions you leave unasked are going to remain unanswered.

That is why I believe detailed, basic, specific, fundamental questions can help us to bring pornography - particularly its more troubling aspects - more clearly into focus. Relevant questions, that cut straight to the heart of what makes it porn. Questions such as:

• Is there nudity?
• Is the nudity gratuitous? Not always an easy question to answer, for porn.
• Are the breasts visible? Nipples? (...erect?)
• Can we see genitalia? Is so, is it presented in a low-key, unselfconscious, matter-of-fact way? Or is there an ostentatious, flaunting display?
• Do we get a good look at the ass? How would you rate the presentation? Indeed, how would one begin to go about rating that? Discuss what positive, non-judgmental criteria might be applied.
• Are there males displayed, to offset the depiction of female nudity?
• Is the sex act implied?
• Is the sex act explicitly shown?
• Which sex act are we talking about here? There are several.
• Is everyone clean and well-groomed?
• Would you describe the standard of physical attractiveness on display to be 'unrealistic'?
• From an aesthetic standpoint, is the image laid out in a pleasing fashion, with elements in a compositionally-harmonious balance? Or does the composition seek to jar the viewer with an unconventional, confrontational, or 'avant-garde' presentation?
• Do the participants appear to be enjoying themselves? Or does there appear to be visible discomfort or distress? Does one or more of the participants appear to be more passive than the others?
• Does the whole thing seem overly 'posed'?
• Are there any tattoos visible? Any interesting ones?
• Piercings? Any unconventional locations?
• What about pervert gear? If so, is it worn/used in a manner that you would describe as ironic, or do the wearers/users appear to be in earnest?
• Do any of the people involved appear to regret what they've chosen to do with their lives? Be objective.
• What have you learned from this porn?

Those are some of the questions I like to consider, when I am confronted with pornography.