Citation

Jensen R. Violence Against Women 1996; 2(1): 82-102.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12348987

Abstract

This personal narrative presents an analysis of the impact of heterosexual pornography on constructs of male sexuality in the US based upon personal use. After a brief introduction, the essay reviews the radical feminist critique of pornography and shows how this critique arises from the understanding that, in patriarchal societies, male domination is the central dynamic in sexual relations. Next, the article discusses how the author adopted the feminist technique of presenting an embodied narrative for this article and how he arrived at this position. The article continues by describing the author's personal history of pornography use and how the use of pornography 1) contributed to his sex education, 2) caused him to objectify women, 3) created or reinforced desires for specific sex behaviors, 4) shaped and constrained his sexual imagination with standardized scripts, 5) reinforced the idea that women of color are "exotic primitives," 6) eroticized violence, and 7) reinforced his need for a sense of control over women and their sexuality.

Language: en