Can I be angry, too?
I was recently directed to the sites One Angry Girl and No Porn Pledge by some readers. I have to admit that I agree with a lot of what they say. I find a lot of porn distasteful and demeaning to women. But, what gets me is that they fail to define exactly what is porn.
Is this weblog porn? What about my menstruation site, See Candy Bleed? What about sites like No Fauxxx and BellaVendetta.com? I'm pretty sure some of the content on those two sites can be considered pornography, but I hardly think that it demeans women.
So, is it only "mainstream" porn that demeans women? What's the standard here?
The most important question I have for the people behind these two sites is this: Can I be angry, too? I know I'm not anti-porn, but I am a feminist who respects human dignity and sexuality. I think that prostitution should be legal and much, much safer for those who work in that field. I believe that we shouldn't judge or pity women who are strippers and pornographers and prostitutes, regardless of our personal viewpoints. I think that erotic photography and porn, when done right, can be wonderful.
Can I be angry about exploitation and oppression of women if I post pictures like this:
Or can I only be angry if I post pictures like this:
Photography by Chip; January 2006.
Is this weblog porn? What about my menstruation site, See Candy Bleed? What about sites like No Fauxxx and BellaVendetta.com? I'm pretty sure some of the content on those two sites can be considered pornography, but I hardly think that it demeans women.
So, is it only "mainstream" porn that demeans women? What's the standard here?
The most important question I have for the people behind these two sites is this: Can I be angry, too? I know I'm not anti-porn, but I am a feminist who respects human dignity and sexuality. I think that prostitution should be legal and much, much safer for those who work in that field. I believe that we shouldn't judge or pity women who are strippers and pornographers and prostitutes, regardless of our personal viewpoints. I think that erotic photography and porn, when done right, can be wonderful.
Can I be angry about exploitation and oppression of women if I post pictures like this:
Or can I only be angry if I post pictures like this:
13 Comments:
Excellent questions, Candy. The literature I’ve read seems to position feminists / profeminist men as having to be against pornography. And yet when I read the no-porn pledge I can’t bring myself to sign it. It’s language, as you point out, is too broad. After some googling ... Diana Russel’s website seems to provide a reasonable distinction:
[Pornography is] material that combines sex and/or the exposure of genitals with abuse or degradation in a manner that appears to endorse, condone, or encourage such behavior.
Erotica refers to sexually suggestive or arousing material that is free of sexism, racism, and homophobia, and respectful of all human beings and animals portrayed.
I'm not sure how fetishes fit into her definition of erotica, but for the most part it works for me. So I don't know if you want to go so far as to label your images, however the term erotica in this sense seem to fit ... even your images over SeeCandyBleed would fit. So be angry and post away.
Beautiful images (I realize I've just been staring and haven't commented yet :-). Your "rejected" image from 1/20 is angelic, and both the headline images from "why this blog is here" and "can i be angry too" make me catch my breath.
I guess the easiest thing for me to do is say I'm a sex-positive feminist and leave it at that. At any rate, I don't(or at least try not to) create images that fit other people's definitions of porn or art or whatever.
Thanks for the kind words about the images. I have to say that a lot of the credit goes to the photographers I've worked with.
You are so pretty and original. I wish I could be like you.
And now for something completely different: The RSS feed for your site doesn't seem to have been updated since the goose-gourd post. Any ideas? (I'm looking at candyposes.com/atom.xml)
Monica: I'm only originial and pretty online. This is because of the stench that comes from not bathing.
Scott: Crap. I have no idea how to fix that.
Regi
I took your photo above of you and your cleavage for my page on you but the photo would be better if you look at the camera.
Im looking for something intense like Audacia has.
http://raprimrose.blogspot.com/2005/04/waking-vixen.html
Can you post a photo like Audacia's?
Tune into Dr Phil Thursday to see parents who buy porno for their teenage kids and their friends to watch in the living room. crazy
Porn- Everyone watches but no one wants to talk about it.
how about this one:
http://candyposes.com/images/cleavage.jpg
That cleavage photo is awesome! I love that femme fatale deadly stare. Im using it instead.
The photo proves my theory that the emotions the model (thinking porn)gives are more of a turn on than the acts she does (full body shots, close-ups).
will you marry me?
i'd never guess you listen to the ramones...
does it bother you that i masterbate to your pictures?
if you don't want people masturbating to naked pictures of you...don't post them on the internet.
Thank you for thinking, asking questions and not polarizing. I'm finding that a lot of the "debate" in the blogosphere about wimmin's erotic and the ways we choose to express it or are "allowed" to express it, are really narrow to the point of being oppressive.
You're welcome. I certainly don't think that I've got all the answers- and when you don't have answers, the only thing to do is ask questions.
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