Porn Chic Chapter Summary

This unit's readings are about the body and how it has been treated and exploited in today’s culture. Annette Lynch's book, Porn Chic, focuses on the impact of modern day style on young women and young girls and what this means in terms of sexuality and gender construction. Focusing on Lynch's book we see how the actual term “porn chic” has become prevalent in the modern day. “Porn chic” refers to the fashions and related trend-based behaviors linked to the porn industry that have now become mainstreamed into the dress of women and girls today (Lynch, 3).

Chapter Six deals with the image of pornography being reflected in today's society. A large part of this is how the body is treated and portrayed in the world. The internet has grown substantially

in the past few years and because of its scope, it is easy for anyone to access pornography. Breast implants and bikini waxes are two given examples of body modifications portrayed in pornography that have surfaced in the real world. Men watch pornography and see women with a certain body and certain body modifications.. Then, they insist on seeing these modifications done on their girlfriends or wives. Lynch gives an example from an issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. A woman writes in: “My guy wants me to try a Brazilian bikini wax that leaves me totally bare. Is that safe?” Another example comes from Gail Dines. She gave a lecture at a college campus and the subject of genital waxing came up. Many girls admitted to waxing for the sake of the boyfriends preferences.
Anyone with an Internet connection is likely to be exposed to pornography. A majority of men get their first experience with porn around the age of 12. They see the women in porn and have the idea planted in their head that this is what all women look like and if they don't, they should. It is noted in Lynch's book that many men refuse to have sex with women who are not waxed, saying it “looks gross.” (Lynch, 102-103)
I found this section of chapter six very revealing because it shows just how much our lives can be affected by something as simple as internet pornography. Some men are absolutely unwilling to have any sexual contact with a woman until she conforms to what his idea of beauty is. Some women even give in to the demands. This all goes back to the idea of the male gaze mentioned in chapter one. Women learn from an early age to separate themselves from their body, which becomes a object of male desire. “She learns to 'be desired' is much more important than to 'feel desire.'” This implies women are taught to become what men want and see themselves as sexual objects for men. Women learn that the attention they get from the male gaze is more important than what she wants (Lynch, 4).
Kim Hewitt's book, Mutliating the Body: Identity in Blood and Ink, features a chapter which introduces the idea of body narcissism.

Body narcissism is similar to the idea of body perception, the way an individual sees their own body. In this section of the book, Hewitt states, “Body perception is a large part of identity formation, and many factors contribute to a person's image of his or her own body (Hewitt, 22).” She goes on to list all of the ways individuals, mostly women, alter their body to fit an ever-changing idea of beauty. Pathological narcissism is introduced later in the section. Narcissistic individuals are noted as having a “lack of cohesive self” and therefore, constantly trying to alter their appearance in order to confirm their worth (Hewitt, 23). The disorder we see here directly ties into Lynch's argument in chapter six of Porn Chic, conforming to others' idea of beauty and “what you should look like.” They see themselves as objects for others to judge. They are very concerned with what others see and are constantly trying to fit the image of perfect beauty. As we saw in Lynch's book and Hewitt's book, the individual is separating themselves from their body and viewing it as an object, something that belongs to

others.
Body perception plays a big role in how we see ourselves. With the rise of pornography on the internet, and in recent times, the media, the idea of “fitting the mold” is more present than ever. The media portrays one body type as the “perfect body” and implies that anyone who does not fit this mold is imperfect. It is problematic when the way an individual's body, a form of their self-expression, is criticized if it does not fit the mold society has deemed as “perfect.” This potentially impacts young girls seeing negative connotations applied to their body by the media.
This unit focuses on how modern culture exploits body image. It reflects a society that teaches the idea of transforming the body into an object. As we saw in Porn Chic, women are taught to distance themselves from their body and turn into an object of male desire. The readings in Lynch's book emphasize the way that young girls are not developing a sense of self and instead, viewing their bodies as a means of being evaluated by others for a sense of validation. I found these readings to be eye-opening. The readings give insight into how damaged we can be when it comes to our own bodies. Women are encouraged to ignore their own comfort in order to be desirable to men. The female body has evolved to be seen as an object for men to use for sexual gratification.