Statement of Scope
Are erotic art and pornography the same? Is a controversial topic. Sometimes the concept of pornography is well accepted and also can be even conceived as an artistic expression of erotic pleasure. On the other hand, it can be characterized as sinful and obscene. But the topic of whether erotic art can being categorized as pornography gets into this worldwide debate. What are the factors that can affect their distinction? The Museum of Sex located at New York has caused polemic among the people who know about it. Can the exhibition pieces be pornography and as a result do they have a negative connotation? Can the Venus in a Mirror painting have a negative pornographic meaning? Can it be conceived as positive art of cultural nourishment? Similarities and distinctions between art and pornography are needed in order to eradicate their negative effects and to assimilate their positive benefits.
Armstrong, Elizabeth. “Identity And Competence: The Use Of Culture In The Interpretation Of Sexual Images.” Sociological Perspectives 49.3 (2003): 411-432. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
The main thesis of this empirical and theoretical essay is about how the categorization of something between the concepts of art and pornography depends of morals and aesthetic criteria. The essay was made base on a study applied to three hundred college students. An image of a couple masturbating was presented and different concepts a human classifications were created based on student responses. The relation of art being pornography or vice versa was testes among the student sample. Their answers and interpretations gave the distinction of something being porn, art or both in one. Those concepts that have been very debatable about their difference and similarities now are questioned in a different way. The idea of individuals giving their own point of view about a masturbating image, allowed to come with a human classification of: No artistic Conservatives, No artistic Liberals, Artistic Liberals, and Artistic Conservatives. Basically, the answer of something being porn or art comes from the background and personality of the individual experiencing a certain situation where sexual content is presented.
Blair, Leonard. “Ex Porn Star Vanessa Belmond Confesses Horrors of Seductive Porn Industry; Brings Porn-Loving Men Close to Tears With Story” CP Entertainment. The Christian Post, 23 October 2013. Web. 15 November 2013.
The main argument behind this article is to show the horrible experiences and consequences gained by a female ex porn star.
The word Pornography is defined as "writings, photographs, movies, etc., intended to arouse sexual excitement". With each year that passes pornography has been more and more accepted, it can be seen in books, magazines, cable television and most of all through the internet. Many religions go against it, but at the same time people know that there is a reason why people go into the business and accepted it an other people just like it. In this paper I will talk about pornography and how it is viewed by the four ethical standards (Utilitarian, Kant, Human Rights and Justice is Fairness).
To sufficiently take a side in the ever-growing debate of pornography, one must first define the concept around which this discourse surrounds itself. A working definition for pornography is a piece of material that has the object purpose of arousing erotic feelings. Radical feminists, however, strictly define it as “the act of sexual subordination of women” (Dworkin 1986).
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.
Kristol’s article writes that pornography and the pornographic industry has always been dominated by men (491). Throughout the history of the United States, men have taken precedence over women in many aspects. Men were considered the workers of the family while women stayed home and acted as housewives or catered to the men. The idea of feminism and women’s equality, however, is growing throughout the nation. With feminism and women’s equality at large, society must progress toward eliminating male domination and allowing the extension for women's opportunities; therefore, pornography and the male-dominated industry should be limited by the government. Aside from men and the power statuses they hold in pornography, Gail Dines in her article “Facts and Figures” discloses information about the male tendencies after watching pornography. Men have been reported to support female rape, have aggressive behavior toward women, have a decreased sex drive toward wives or girlfriends, and desire forced sexual acts after viewing pornography (1). Despite America’s best effort to protect all citizens, in reality, females are typically victims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and pornography is a cause of such violence. Although it is a key factor that plays a role in causing violence and aggressive behavior toward women, Americans are able to easily access videos or films instantly because of modern technology and the lack of pornography censoring. Because of the tendency to cause abuse in the real world, pornography must be censored in order to ensure that women are granted equal amounts of safety and
When deliberating over whether access to pornography should be prohibited, four areas of contention must be elaborated upon and evaluated critically to provide a sensible basis on which a judgement can be made. Firstly, it must be concluded whether pornography can be classed as a form of speech, and whether it enjoys the same protections as art and literature under the principle. Secondly, works such as those of Catherine MacKinnon can be drawn upon to offer a feminist perspective of the effects of pornography on the treatment of women within modern democratic society. Moreover, the principles of Devlin and Feinberg offer relevant acumen regarding the criminalisation of pornographic media. Overall, this essay will argue that whilst access to pornography should not be entirely prohibited; publications that depict ‘extreme’ situations should be subject to regulation and restriction.
Laura Kipnis has described pornography as “an archive of data about...our history as a culture”. Therefore if, she described it as such, what can it tell us about the sexual history of the 20th century? Examining the history of the forms of archive from pornographic playing cards to blu-ray discs and the internet, this shows the ever changing form of how as a society we view pornography. From the forms of archive come the social implications of pornography. This will be examined through the 1986 Meese Commission in the United States of America into the pornographic industry. Finally, this exposition will also examine the differing views of Gay and Straight pornography and the changes that have taken over the 20th century. Overall, the 20th century was a fundamental shift in sexual attitudes towards pornography.
The poem “An Opinion on the Question of Pornography” is a comparison of intellectual intercourse and sexual intercourse. At times, Szymborska finds intellectual pursuits more worthwhile than sexual ones. When regarding sexual intercourse, she has a consistently negative tone and constantly uses words with a negative connotation,
Whether pornography is an excuse to make acts of violence public? A big number of famous scholars, no matter men or women, have given their opinions. Each of them has their own view, but we can sort them into two groups, which are against to serious censorship and willing to convict and uproot pornography. Because of pornography, women’s status can never be equal to men’s. Recently, a revolution about the perception of moral values comes out in the world, which refers to how deep the changes of the method people think and act. Media have continuously played a big role in processing those changes in the revolution. Whereas, a lot of changes have been much worse. New violations of human dignity and Christian ideals have taken place. Within here, the media is also important. In the media, widespread pornography and wanton violence have increased in these years. Books and magazines, recordings, the cinema, the theater, television, videocassettes, advertising displays and even telecommunications regularly present a representation of violent behavior in sexual activity, which has been openly pornographic and morally offensive.
This paper explains the history and development of the nude art in the Renaissance and Medieval period. In the Renaissance age the patrons and artist readopted the antiquity of the classical Greek into representation of nude. This is an epoch when drastic changes occurred in which Christian authorities no longer viewed the nude art as something conflicting or shameful. In contrary they believed that nude being reformed in ancient in classical antiquity portrays divine characteristics and emancipates the light that is pure and heroic (Long, 2008; Bonfante, 1989; Tinagli, 1997). To establish a further understanding why during the Renaissance age nude art brilliantly portrayed human anatomy, the work of some most remarkable artists such as Michelangelo, Botticelli, Masaccio and Durer are described (Long, 2008) These minds welcomed the classical antiquity into their paintings and sculpturing and often the Greek athletic figures and mythological Venus figure were used as ideal models in depicting nude art (Bonfante, 1989). The classical renewal of nude art had specific roles attached to both male and female nude, in the world of art. The religious figures were depicted in antique forms as to convey their theological status and importance. In contrast to the Renaissance period, the Medieval representation of nude art was rare and Religious authorities oppose its development as they believed it may lead to sin and degradation (Long, 2008; Steinberg, 1983). In short this paper will present a historical overview of the nude art and how the diverse cultural attitude towards depiction of nude existed in each period.
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,
In the today’s society, social media has gone out of hand. Most people these days have a cell phone, Ipad and/or laptop and most definitely a television at their home. Therefore, access to pornography has become extremely easy and can be available to any individual in less than 5 minutes. The best definition of pornography can be explained as sexually explicit words or images intended to provoke sexual arousal. The easy access to porn has raised many people to question if porn is harmful, if it should be censored, and if it is unsafe. Many debates have been going on about porn concerning freedom of rights, speech, and entertainment and right of privacy. The main people to have argued on this point are Catherine Mackinnon and philosopher J.S. Mill.
Sex culture in modern day Japan has demonstrated to be an integral part of their cultural identity and is more progressive than any other countries. Japan’s sex culture has surpassed boundaries that are standardized in other countries. The West sees the Japanese as emotionless, controlled and even sexless. Publicly they are shy, reserved and terribly proper, however Japan is an extreme contradiction. If we examine the surface of their culture, the private life of these Japanese people can be a real eye opener. The role of sexuality and more specifically the role of pornography in women’s lives is perhaps the biggest debate among the people from the West. This paper will examine how pornography is gendered in Japan and the effects of this to
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.
It is difficult to define a porn-addict without laying down boundaries that have been previously forbidden, so this paper will use the simple definition of “one who views pornography on a regular basis, and either suffers from or regrets his or her actions.
From mid 1990s, with the worldwide commercial application of the Internet, one of its most controversial impacts is that people can access the sexual contents that are more vivid and more diverse in the virtual space than in the real world. For example, in real life, the vast majority of countries have banned the production, manufacture and sale of non-performing sexual behavior along with the invasion of privacy AV products. However, in the online world, it is sometimes difficult to effectively control such contraband non-performing sexual content spread in reality. In contrast, in the real world, vast majority of worldwide sales of raw footage belong to the contents of performing acts. Generally pornography has no substantial plot content. With the popularity of videotapes and discs, these movies are available to be published in a personal viewing form. Some people think that sex education porn movie gives is very intuitive and effective; but some people think that the sexual education of pornography is a false orientation of public psychology, sexual behavior, especially for teenagers. With the development of puberty, teenagers are usually becoming more and more curious about the things between men and women. Once they touch pornography, to some extent it will attract them like drugs, which will affect their learning and growing. Often these pornographic films are accompanied by violence; it will affect teenagers’ view of the world and their life. In addition, the aim of pornographic videos is usually not for scientific education. Instead, their aim is to make money. They usually exaggerate or distort human sexuality and spread al...