Can art be pornography? Can pornography be art? Does the observer become the judge of what is or is not pornographic, or is the culture in which the images/sculptures/writings originate from the deciding judge? I would argue that only the creator and the original intended viewers of the art or pornography should assign the piece regardless of medium to the classification it is meant to represent.
In reading the essay Pornography, from Andrea Dworkin’s “Pornography’” Pornography: Men Possessing Women (Jones pg. 480 – 482) Dworkin clearly is not only extremely against pornography but cannot or chooses not to separate pornography from rape, and does not separate nudes in any medium, from the much more raw and socially questionable if not unacceptable types of pornography that are part of the current culture. However, Dworkin does bring up some interesting facts such as the word ‘pornography’ itself was derived from the ancient Greek porne and graphos, meaning “writing about whores,’ which implies that pornography tells us not only that pornography has existed for centuries but that the general disapproval of society at no doubt varying levels has seemingly always accompanied it. Yet the very definition she uses also seemingly limits pornography to writings, something that Dworkin herself chooses not to mention.
Quoting Dworkin ‘In ancient Greece, the porne was the lowest class of whore, the brothel slut. The porne was the cheapest, least regarded, and least protected of all women, including slaves.’ This made me wonder if that has always been the case, were those women depicted sexually regardless of the medium always considered to be the lowest of the low? Does this standard only apply to those depicted, and not the artists wh...
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...of Porn Or The Porn Of Art: A Look At Sex In Modern Art. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
Live India. (n.d.) Temples of Love – Khajuraho. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.
Muhammad Ibn Adam, Shaykh (n.d.).Is it wrong to Learn about Matters that are of a Sexual Nature? Central Mosque. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
Pappas, Stephanie. (2010). The History of Pornography No More Prudish Than the Present. Web 13 Nov 2013.
"pornography". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013
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Wendy McElroy in “A Feminist Defense of Pornography” argues that degrading is subjective to each women and it’s up to them to define it. As much as that is true, does it mean that there shouldn’t be a standard to the word “degrading”? Take for example, pain is subjective, the same papercut can feel painful to me yet not to another person. There are even people who suffer from congenital analgesia (the inability to feel physical pain), But does this mean that it is right to inflict physical pain on those people? The law is the standard for defining physical pain and so the term “degrading” should also has its standard as it will cause harm to others.
A pornographic world [What is normal] by Robert Jensen takes an inside look at the culture of masculinity and what role pornography takes in shaping that culture. Jensen describes how he was forced to play a “macho” role as a child out of fear of being bullied and ridiculed for not being manly enough. Pornography use started for him and his friends in grade school – they would steal magazines and hide them to share in a group later. He talks of how he learned of a social concept, called the “ideal of prostitution” (the notion of men “buying” women in various forms of undress, solely for their pleasure), at a young age. While there has always been a stigma around pornography, whether stemming from moral or religious reasons, Jenson continued to use porn until his 30s.
Pornography and Feminist Fight for Women’s Rights. There was a complaint in 1992 about having The Nude Maja in a classroom. The complaint came from a feminist English professor who stated that the painting made her students, as well as herself, uncomfortable. Another incident occurred at the University of Arizona when a female student’s photographic artwork consisting of self-portraits in her underwear was physically attacked by feminists.
Slade, Joseph W. Pornography and Sexual Representation: A Reference Guide. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2001. Print.
Maybe a good place to start with this question is to define the terms “pornography” and “obscenity”. According to the text Communications Law: Liberties, Restraints, and the Modern Media, “pornography is a broad term used to describe all material that is sexually explicit and intended for the purpose of sexual arousal”. (Zelezny, p. 448). The term “obscenity”, according to the same text, “has taken on a narrower legal meaning, indicating a class of sexual material so offensive that it is deemed by the Supreme Court to have virtually no First Amendment protection” (Zelezny, p. 448).
The existence of pornography is not a new invention. For years, humans have found certain depictions to be sexually arousing. Holmes and Holmes (2009), for example discuss how in ancient civilizations, Mesopotamia, for example, there were depictions of men and women in sexually explicit scenes on various household goods, such as plates and washbasi...
Richlin, Amy (ed). (1992). Pornography and Representation in Greece and Rome. New York: Oxford University Press.
Her head rests on her left knee, with her hands clasped on her ankle. Locks of hair are thrown about in an auburn blaze. Her tight rosy lips are as red as her cheeks. Her dark-blue eyes reveal a half-seductive, half-submissive look. Her legs are in a subdued spread-eagle formation, leaving her crotch area quite visible. Her white panties leave little to the imagination. The sexual overtones are more than just a coincidence.
Thus, Dictionary.com the word pornographic means to constituting or resembling pornography; obscene. How I can remember the word pornographic is adjective, the synonyms word for the word pornographic is X-rated, and the antonyms word is cleaned. In the second paragraph author Andre Lorde wrote, “There are frequent attempts to equate pornography and eroticism, two diametrically opposed uses of the sexual” (Lorde 185). Correspondingly, Dictionary.com the word eroticism means the quality or character of being erotic.
Again, there are different ideas of what is considered pornographic from artwork, movies, and books. While one may look at a painting that depicts nude forms or read a book that includes sexual acts may not see this as a form of pornography while others would find it morally offensive. Feminist would argue that the morality of porn is it is degrading and humiliating to those involved, not of its sexual nature. Their concern is that it promotes sexism and violence against women or children. “What is objectionable about pornography…is its abusive and degrading portrayal of females and female sexuality, not its content or explicitness” (Rodgerson & Wilson, 1994) However, others may feel that it is sexually liberating and in no way degrading to those involved. Those women feel in control of their sexuality and choose to participate in acts as a way of expressing themselves while feeling it has no barring on their moral character. While others would argue that it promotes immoral behavior which would lead to criminal acts or an unhealthy obsession with sex. “The most commonly feared adverse effects of pornography include undesirable sexual behaviors (e.g. adultery), sexual aggression, and loss of respect for traditional family structures and values, loss of respect for authorities, and a general nonspecific moral decay.” (Hald & Linz,
Women have long been exploited through pornographic material, such as videos, photos and literature, these materials, more-so now, than ever, portray women purely as sexual objects. The evolution of the business? popularity has done nothing but help fuel a false impression, subjugating women in modern day culture and society, yet still, banning pornography in the US would be nearly impossible, due to complex issues dealing with the first amendment and obscenity laws. With instances of discrimination based on sexual orientation, race or sex being in most cases illegal, the practice of pornography should most definitely not be acceptable or perpetuated, especially in a country like the US where this said industry defies everything of which our country is founded upon. This rise [in popularity] looks as if it is related, almost in a hand by hand parallel, with growth of sexual violence against women in America.
Yifen, Wang, and Chen Wei. "Progress or Pornography." News China Magazine RSS. News China, Dec. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
If there is violence towards females and sex, but there is no nudity the the content, it is still considered pornography. Nudity and sexuality that is
People often end up on the opposite sides of the argument concerning the fine line between art and pornography. Artists sometimes include nude depictions or descriptions of the human form in their work. The artists and many other liberals and citizens of the art world argue that it is important for artists to feel the freedom to express themselves in any way that they wish. The problem with this liberty is that many people find the nude body offensive and believe that these images should not be considered art but pornography instead. This is a valid and important dilemma, but as Dennis Barrie describes art in a speech that was published in Art Journal, “…sometimes art is not beautiful, and sometimes it’s challenging, and sometimes it’s even offensive, and yet it can be art, even if it’s all those things” (Barrie 30). Artists should always be allowed to express themselves fully and not fear public reprimand despite the risk they may run of offending people who cannot appreciate their work.
To some, pornography is nothing more than a few pictures of scantily clad Women in seductive poses. But pornography has become much more than just Photographs of nude women. Computer technology is providing child molesters and child pornographers with powerful new tools for victimizing children. Pornography as "the sexually explicit depiction of persons, in words or images, Sexual arousal on the part of the consumer of such materials. No one can prove those films with graphic sex or violence has a harmful effect on viewers. But there seems to be little doubt that films do have some effect on society and that all of us live with such effects.