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Britain finds a new voice for women in campaign against sexualisation
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/15/anna-van-heeswijk-page-three-tabloid?newsfeed=true
(snip)
But some attacks have come from closer to home. Caitlin Moran, in her book How to be a Woman, dismissed Object's position on pornography as "nuts". Moran recalled a discussion at an Object meeting about pornography, which "everyone seemed to presume, automatically, had to be banned". Van Heeswijk remembers it differently.
"In a way it's a compliment that Caitlin Moran gave such prominence to a one-off meeting organised by Object in her bestselling book. But what is a shame is that she didn't take the time to research Object's position. We campaign to see an end to the industry-driven misogynistic, racist pornography that fills the internet and filters into popular culture. This involves much more strategic planning than something as crude as wanting something banned."
For Moran, the solution is to produce more porn – "free-range" porn, porn she'd be happy to pay for. It's not a strategy shared by Van Heeswijk. "You can't be naive to the fact that this is a powerful multinational, profit-driven industry. It therefore requires a political and collective response, not an individualised solution. Also, the idea that we can pay for nicer porn is problematic because it's not understanding the power dynamics at play when you introduce money into the situation."
It is this political understanding of the power at play that sets Object apart. It is not about to be distracted by the fanciful notion that the millions of men masturbating to footage of women being brutally degraded simply haven't stumbled across feministporn.com yet. Nor is it under any illusion that watching a person having sex because they need money, not because they freely desire it, will ever be free from the risk of harm. It is no coincidence that 68% of women who undergo unwanted sex in exchange for money have post traumatic stress disorder.
(snip)
(snip)
But some attacks have come from closer to home. Caitlin Moran, in her book How to be a Woman, dismissed Object's position on pornography as "nuts". Moran recalled a discussion at an Object meeting about pornography, which "everyone seemed to presume, automatically, had to be banned". Van Heeswijk remembers it differently.
"In a way it's a compliment that Caitlin Moran gave such prominence to a one-off meeting organised by Object in her bestselling book. But what is a shame is that she didn't take the time to research Object's position. We campaign to see an end to the industry-driven misogynistic, racist pornography that fills the internet and filters into popular culture. This involves much more strategic planning than something as crude as wanting something banned."
For Moran, the solution is to produce more porn – "free-range" porn, porn she'd be happy to pay for. It's not a strategy shared by Van Heeswijk. "You can't be naive to the fact that this is a powerful multinational, profit-driven industry. It therefore requires a political and collective response, not an individualised solution. Also, the idea that we can pay for nicer porn is problematic because it's not understanding the power dynamics at play when you introduce money into the situation."
It is this political understanding of the power at play that sets Object apart. It is not about to be distracted by the fanciful notion that the millions of men masturbating to footage of women being brutally degraded simply haven't stumbled across feministporn.com yet. Nor is it under any illusion that watching a person having sex because they need money, not because they freely desire it, will ever be free from the risk of harm. It is no coincidence that 68% of women who undergo unwanted sex in exchange for money have post traumatic stress disorder.
(snip)
It was tough deciding which paragraphs to include.
Perhaps the trend toward the increasingly ubiquitous sexualization of girls and women in the media might finally face some resistance even here in the US.
2 replies
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